Following Ohio State's 24-6 win at Washington, 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 Big Ten opener and highlight the three highest-graded players who played at least 10 snaps against the Huskies. A defensive lineman is at the top of the list for the fourth straight week to start the season.
| 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. DE Caden Curry (80.3)
For the second game in a row, PFF graded Curry as Ohio State's best player. Curry also earned the Big Ten's highest score from a defensive end with at least 25 snaps in rush defense (82.6) in Week 5. He joins Kayden McDonald, who was Ohio State’s highest-graded player against Texas and Grambling State, as Ohio State defensive linemen who have been PFF’s highest-graded Buckeye twice already this season.
Caden Curry has been unreal for Ohio State this season pic.twitter.com/c6AagaWTXy
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 29, 2025
1. OL Carson Hinzman (80.3)
With an overall grade of 80.3 and a run blocking grade of 75.1, Hinzman earned the second-highest grades in those categories among all centers in the NCAA for Week 5. He also ranked second among Big Ten centers in pass blocking (83.2) for Week 5.
For the first time this season, two Buckeyes tied for the highest overall grade. Hinzman and Curry both earned an overall grade of 80.3 against Washington.
Highest Graded Center from Week 5:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 30, 2025
Carson Hinzman, Ohio State: 80.3@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/bo3tkCp1bX
3. OL Austin Siereveld (75.8)
Siereveld was the Big Ten's highest-rated offensive tackle for his performance against Washington. He played a clean game as he didn't allow a sack, pressure or commit a penalty. In fact, Siereveld hasn't allowed a sack, pressure or been called for a penalty this season.
Extra Points
- Carnell Tate's season run blocking grade of 80 is the highest of any Ohio State player. Who has the second-highest run blocking grade? Jeremiah Smith with 79.5.
- Jelani Thurman had a receiving grade of 78.6, which was the best among all players in the Big Ten.
- Tywone Malone Jr. (40.2) had the lowest grade of any Buckeye, with Eddrick Houston (42.0) being the only other Buckeye with a grade in the forties.
- Davison Igbinosun led the team in tackling with a grade of 81.3.
PFFT
Many people who watched the game against Washington noticed that the performances of Caden Curry, Kayden McDonald, Arvell Reese and Julian Sayin stood out. Amazingly, both players scored lower grades from PFF against Washington than they received against Ohio University.
Curry, who had 11 tackles and tied a school record with five tackles for loss, led the team with a grade of 80.3. However, PFF gave him a grade of 92.5 against the Bobcats when had four tackles, one sack and a pass deflection. Reese had a grade of 83.5 against Ohio, yet he had the lowest grade of Ohio State's three linebackers against Washington, with a surprisingly low grade of 56.0. Seems a bit off considering the important role Reese played in keeping Washington's quarterback, Demond Williams Jr., in check.
Another defensive performance that stood out was McDonald who had seven tackles, two sacks (16) yards and three TFLs. For this stellar play, PFF gave the defensive lineman from Suwanee, Georgia, a barely average grade of 60.6. Like the last game, Sayin's PFF score doesn't seem to match up with his play on the field.
This week, Sayin completed 22/28 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns, which equates to a passer rating of 122.3. Against OU, Sayin threw for more yards (347) and touchdowns (3), but he also threw two interceptions, which dropped his passer rating down to 117.6. How did PFF grade Sayin against Washington and Ohio? The talented signal-caller earned a grade of 85.4 for his game against Ohio and dropped all the way down to 59.7 against Washington. Did he miss some open deep routes against the Huskies? Yes. Should he have been docked over 34 points for that?
| GAME | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas |
DT Kayden McDonald (82.4) |
DT Will Smith Jr. (80.7) |
CB Jermaine Mathews Jr. (78.0) |
| Grambling |
DT Kayden McDonald (93.6) |
TE Jelani Thurman (93.0) |
QB Lincoln Kienholz (88.1) |
| Ohio | DE Caden Curry (92.5) | LB Sonny Styles (89.2) | QB Julian Sayin (85.4) |
| Washington | DE Caden Curry (80.3) | OL Carson Hinzman (80.3) | OL Austin Siereveld (75.8) |
*Curry and Hinzman tied for first against Washington.
Offensive Ratings By Position
Quarterback
Julian Sayin: 59.7 (64 snaps)
Running Backs
C.J. Donaldson: 71.0 (19 snaps)
James Peoples: 60.9 (16 snaps)
Bo Jackson: 60.4 (30 snaps)
Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith: 74.7 (56 snaps)
Brandon Inniss: 74.5 (22 snaps)
Carnell Tate: 72.0 (51 snaps)
Mylan Graham: 57.4 (5 snaps)
Bryson Rodgers: 57.1 (2 snaps)
Tight Ends
Jelani Thurman: 72.8 (6 snaps)
Will Kacmarek: 63.6 (47 snaps)
Max Klare: 62.8 (35 snaps)
Bennett Christian: 60.3 (19 snaps)
Nate Roberts: 59.1 (12 snaps)
Offensive Line
Carson Hinzman: 80.3 (64 snaps)
Austin Siereveld: 75.8 (64 snaps)
Luke Montgomery: 72.1 (64 snaps)
Phillip Daniels: 64.2 (64 snaps)
Tegra Tshabola: 52.7 (64 snaps)
| QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DE | DT | LB | CB | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Sayin | CJ Donaldson | Jeremiah Smith | Will Kacmarek | Carson Hinzman | Caden Curry | Kayden McDonald | Sonny Styles | Davison Igbinosun | Caleb Downs |
| 59.7 | 71.0 | 74.7 | 63.6 | 80.3 | 80.3 | 60.6 | 61.2 | 67.4 | 65.9 |
Defensive Ratings by Position
Defensive Ends
Caden Curry: 80.3 (48 snaps)
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 67.3 (45 snaps)
Beau Atkinson: 66.2 (18 snaps)
C.J. Hicks: 63.7 (5 snaps)
Defensive Tackles
Will Smith Jr.: 70.3 (9 snaps)
Kayden McDonald: 60.6 (34 snaps)
Eddrick Houston: 42.0 (13 snaps)
Tywone Malone Jr.: 40.2 (30 snaps)
Linebackers
Payton Pierce: 68.5 (7 snaps)
Sonny Styles: 61.2 (53 snaps)
Arvell Reese: 56.0 (53 snaps)
Cornerbacks
Davison Igbinosun: 67.4 (53 snaps)
Devin Sanchez: 65.0 (10 snaps)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 59.8 (53 snaps)
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 65.9 (53 snaps)
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 65.9 (53 snaps)
Jaylen McClain: 64.2 (53 snaps)
