Ohio State overwhelmed FCS opponent Grambling State and for the most part, Pro Football Focus graded the Buckeyes accordingly.
Following Ohio State's win over Grambling, we share the scores from Pro Football Focus, who grades every player after every game based on how they perform on a snap-to-snap basis.
We compiled the PFF grades for every Buckeye who played on either offense or defense in the second game of the season and highlight the three highest-graded players – one of whom tops the list for the second straight week, with the other two coming from the offensive side of the ball – who played at least 10 snaps against the Tigers.
| ELITE | GOOD | ABOVE AVG. | AVG. | BELOW AVG. | POOR | VERY POOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90-100 | 80-89 | 70-79 | 60-69 | 50-59 | 40-49 | Below 40 |
1. DT Kayden McDonald (93.6)
For consecutive weeks, McDonald graded out as Ohio State's best player. Not only was his overall score of 93.6 the highest for a Buckeye against Grambling State, it was also the best of any defensive tackle in college football during Week 2. His 95.1 grade against the run was also the best among all DTs in the country.
McDonald's impressive overall grade is the best for any Buckeye defender since last season and just behind Jeremiah Smith's 94.5 against Oregon in the Rose Bowl for the overall best game grade in that time frame.
Kayden McDonald knocks it loose, Riley Pettijohn scoops and scores pic.twitter.com/63rmuYqfMa
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 6, 2025
2. TE Jelani Thurman (93.0)
Thurman was the nation's highest-rated tight end in Week 2 for his performance against Grambling State. His score of 93.0 is also the highest overall grade of any Ohio State tight end from the past two seasons.
The sizable player from Fairburn, Georgia, led his Buckeye position group with a blocking grade of 70 and joins Lincoln Kienholz as the first offensive players to crack this series' Top 3 this year.
3. QB Lincoln Kienholz (88.1)
Kienholz completed six of his seven passes Saturday for 71 yards and a touchdown (to Thurman) to join Will Howard as the only Ohio State quarterbacks to earn a PFF grade of 88+ with at least two pass attempts over the past two seasons.
Julian Sayin is Ohio State’s clear starter after he completed 18 of his 19 passes against Grambling State, but the brain trust at PFF was most impressed by Kienholz in Week 2.
Thurman TD!
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 6, 2025
Jelani Thurman hauls it in to put No. 1 @OhioStateFB up 63-0.
: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/vmAnr4rkVJ
Extra Points
Austin Siereveld was Ohio State's top-rated pass blocker (83.6). Max Klare was the best run blocker (85.3). Bo Jackson led the running backs with an overall grade of 87.9 and rushing grade of 87.7. Jaylen McClain was the team's best tackler (81.6) and Caleb Downs had Ohio State's highest coverage grade (88.3).
| GAME | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas |
DT Kayden McDonald (82.4) |
DT Will Smith Jr. (80.7) |
CB Jermaine Mathews Jr. (78.0) |
| GSU |
DT Kayden McDonald (93.6) |
TE Jelani Thurman (93.0) |
QB Lincoln Kienholz (88.1) |
Offensive Ratings By Position
Quarterback
Lincoln Kienholz: 88.1 (22 snaps)
Julian Sayin: 79.0 (32 snaps)
Tavien St. Clair: 59.1 (13 snaps)
Running Backs
Bo Jackson: 70.9 (42 snaps)
Isaiah West: 70.5 (10 snaps)
James Peoples: 70.0 (21 snaps)
C.J. Donaldson: 59.7 (17 snaps)
Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith: 72.8 (30 snaps)
Carnell Tate: 69.6 (31 snaps)
Mylan Graham: 69.2 (34 snaps)
Brandon Inniss: 67.9 (16 snaps)
Bryson Rodgers: 64.3 (14 snaps)
Phillip Bell: 56.6 (12 snaps)
David Adolph: 56.4 (9 snaps)
Quincy Porter: 46.0 (25 snaps)
Tight Ends
Jelani Thurman: 93.0 (32 snaps)
Will Kacmarek: 90.0 (9 snaps)
Max Klare: 72.1 (20 snaps)
Bennett Christian: 57.7 (4 snaps)
Brody Lennon: 56.3 (6 snaps)
Nate Roberts: 45.3 (25 snaps)
Offensive Line
Austin Siereveld: 77.2 (32 snaps)
Carson Hinzman: 75.9 (32 snaps)
Gabe VanSickle: 72.2 (20 snaps)
Ian Moore: 71.3 (20 snaps)
Joshua Padilla: 71.1 (20 snaps)
Luke Montgomery: 71.1 (32 snaps)
Tegra Tshabola: 64.7 (26 snaps)
Ethan Onianwa: 62.8 (26 snaps)
Phillip Daniels: 62.0 (32 snaps)
Simon Lorentz: 60.3 (4 snaps)
Justin Terry: 59.9 (20 snaps)
Isaiah Kema: 58.5 (11 snaps)
Jake Cook: 57.6 (15 snaps)
Jayvon McFadden: 57.0 (15 snaps)
Deontae Armstrong: 52.7 (15 snaps)
Carter Lowe: 50.8 (15 snaps)
| QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DE | DT | LB | CB | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Kienholz | Bo Jackson | Jeremiah Smith | Jelani Thurman | Austin Siereveld | Caden Curry | Kayden McDonald | Payton Pierce | Davison Igbinosun | Caleb Downs |
| 88.1 | 87.5 | 72.8 | 93.0 | 77.2 | 84.8 | 93.6 | 75.8 | 72.0 | 84.5 |
Defensive Ratings by Position
Defensive Ends
Caden Curry: 84.8 (25 snaps)
Zion Grady: 75.7 (9 snaps)
C.J. Hicks: 74.2 (8 snaps)
Joshua Mickens: 73.8 (17 snaps)
Epi Sitanilei: 71.0 (9 snaps)
Dominic Kirks: 66.3 (11 snaps)
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 64.7 (26 snaps)
Beau Atkinson: 63.7 (11 snaps)
Defensive Tackles
Kayden McDonald: 93.6 (18 snaps)
Eric Mensah: 79.5 (12 snaps)
Jarquez Carter: 77.3 (19 snaps)
Will Smith Jr: 67.2 (18 snaps)
Trajen Odom: 66.4 (7 snaps)
Tywone Malone Jr.: 55.4 (14 snaps)
Eddrick Houston: 29.7 (10 snaps)
Linebackers
Payton Pierce: 75.8 (25 snaps)
Riley Pettijohn: 75.2 (15 snaps)
Arvell Reese: 74.6 (22 snaps)
Tarvos Alford: 68.5 (13 snaps)
Sonny Styles: 68.1 (20 snaps)
Eli Lee: 67.8 (6 snaps)
Joey Velazquez: 61.3 (3 snaps)
Garrett Stover: 58.5 (17 snaps)
Cornerbacks
Davison Igbinosun: 72.0 (32 snaps)
Aaron Scott Jr.: 70.6 (23 snaps)
Bryce West: 69.4 (17 snaps)
Devin Sanchez: 65.1 (23 snaps)
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 65.1 (28 snaps)
Miles Lockhart: 60.3 (1 snap)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 58.3 (32 snaps)
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 84.5 (31 snaps)
Jaylen McClain: 73.3 (32 snaps)
Malik Hartford: 65.5 (22 snaps)
Leroy Roker III: 61.4 (7 snaps)
Faheem Delane: 50.4 (23 snaps)
