Three Stars of the Game: Carnell Tate, Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith Earn Top Honors for Their Performances Against Washington

This week, the Eleven Warriors staff selected Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith as the Buckeyes' top performers in the team's 42-3 win over Minnesota.

First Star: Carnell Tate

We called it The Carnell Tate Game™.

Tate collected nine catches for 183 yards and one touchdown against Minnesota. Most of that production came in the opening 30 minutes, as Tate recorded six catches for 163 yards and his score in the first 25 minutes of action.

44 YARDS TO @carnelltate_ TOUCHDOWN @OhioStateFB

NBC pic.twitter.com/Tiqwczz9Or

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 5, 2025

Tate's performance builds upon a stellar start to the season for the veteran wide receiver, as he entered the Big Ten contest with 15 catches for 252 yards and three touchdowns on the year. Those scores came in three separate contests: Ohio State's victories over Texas, Grambling State and Ohio. Tate was limited to four touches for 41 yards in the Buckeyes' win at Washington.

With his presence felt each week, Tate continues to establish himself as one of the top draft-eligible pass catchers in the 2026 NFL draft. If Tate declares, he could extend Ohio State's streak of first-round wide receivers to five, following after Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave in 2022, Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2023, Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2024 and Emeka Egbuka in 2025.

Second Star: Julian Sayin

Sayin can sling it.

Against Minnesota, Sayin completed 23 of 27 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns. He has now completed an NCAA-best 80.2 percent of his throws this season on an average of 10.4 yards per attempt.

Sayin with a DOT to Carnell Tate @OhioStateFB

: NBC pic.twitter.com/sSzAO5J1KL

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) October 5, 2025

"We are very deliberate about how we try to bring along our quarterbacks," Ryan Day said after the game. "When you have a defense like we do right now — that's playing the way we do — you can bring them along in a certain way. You're seeing it every week, Julian play with more and more confidence."

Sayin attributes his confidence to Day, who puts pressure on him during practice to take the pressure off on Saturdays.

“He coaches the position really well. In practice, he’s very tough on us, and he wants to bring the best out of us. Tuesday, Wednesday, it's definitely very intense for the quarterback and makes your job a little bit easier on Saturdays," Sayin said.

Third Star: Jeremiah Smith

Our Third Star is the best offensive player in college football.

That's what Day called him after the game on Saturday.

"I don't think it's even close that Jeremiah Smith is the best offensive player in college football," Day said. "If it's close, I'd like to know who it is."

Smith was dominant yet again on Saturday, collecting seven catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Through five games this season, the star pass catcher has 35 receptions for 463 yards and seven total scores (six receiving, one rushing).

HE DOES IT AGAIN Sayin finds @Jermiah_Smith1 once more for another @OhioStateFB TD!

NBC pic.twitter.com/6YykQzurN5

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 5, 2025

Following their standout performances, Tate called he and Smith the best wide receivers in college football.

“I know that, for sure,” Tate said.

As the season continues, we’ll track the stars (or points) each Ohio State player receives in 2025. Here’s how we’ll do it: Each time a Buckeye earns the First Star of the Game, that Buckeye adds three points to their season total. Then, the Second Star and Third Star each add two points and one point to their totals.