Following Ohio State's 34-0 blanking of the Badgers in Madison, 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 seventh game of the season and highlight the three highest-graded players who played at least 10 snaps against Wisconsin. There is a familiar name in the top spot this week, the same name that's been there for three consecutive weeks.
| 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. QB Julian Sayin (91.4)
For the third straight week, Sayin earned the highest grade among all Ohio State players. His offensive grade of 91.4 against Wisconsin was the third-best among all quarterbacks for Week 8. His passing grade of 91.6 was tied for fourth-best in the nation at his position.
For his 393-yard performance against Wisconsin, Sayin was named the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Week and the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
For the season, Sayin now leads all quarterbacks in the FBS with a passing grade of 92.3. Ohio State's field general is also the top-rated quarterback in offense (92.0) among all quarterbacks with at least 10 pass attempts.
Julian Sayin is the Best Quarterback in College Football pic.twitter.com/5wxkUpywCC
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 20, 2025
2. WR Carnell Tate (82.5)
Tate caught six of the seven passes thrown his way for a team-high 111 yards and two touchdowns. His performance earned him the highest receiving grade (81.2) on the team and the highest offensive grade among position players.
Tate's receiving grade for the season is 88.7 and his overall offensive grade is 89.0. Both are second-best in the Big Ten, just behind USC's Makai Lemon (91.2 receiving and 90.1 overall).
3. LB Payton Pierce (80.8)
Pierce's overall defensive grade of 80.8 ranked third among the conference's linebackers who played at least 30 snaps this week. For the season, Pierce has a tackling grade of 90.0, which is second in the nation.
Sonny Styles holds the nation’s highest tackling grade, giving Ohio State the two best tackling linebackers in the country.
Extra Points
- Bo Jackson had a receiving grade of 79.5 against Wisconsin, which was best among running backs in the Big Ten and second in the nation for Week 8.
- Caleb Downs ranked second among Big Ten safeties in pass run defense (81.5).
- Tegra Tshabola (42.1) had the lowest grade of any Buckeye with at least five snaps, with Phillip Daniels (44.7) earning the second-lowest grade of any Ohio State player.
- Jarquez Carter (28.7) earned the lowest grade, but the defensive tackle only played four snaps.
- Luke Montgomery was the team's best pass blocker with a grade of 87.7, which ranked third in the Big Ten among guards.
- Neither Jeremiah Smith nor Caleb Downs has been graded as one of Ohio State's three best players in any of the seven games this season.
| 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) |
| Minnesota | QB Julian Sayin (91.9) | WR Carnell Tate (86.9) | S Lorenzo Styles Jr. (84.8) |
| Illinois | QB Julian Sayin (86.0) | DT Kayden McDonald (85.5) | DE Caden Curry (79.0) |
| Wisconsin | QB Julian Sayin (91.4) | WR Carnell Tate (82.5) | LB Payton Pierce (80.8) |
*Curry and Hinzman tied for first against Washington.
Offensive Ratings By Position
Quarterback
Julian Sayin: 91.4 (70 snaps)
Lincoln Kienholz: 60.0 (1 snap)
Running Backs
Isaiah West: 76.5 (14 snaps)
Bo Jackson: 69.8 (32 snaps)
C.J. Donaldson: 67.4 (17 snaps)
James Peoples: 58.9 (10 snaps)
Wide Receivers
Carnell Tate: 82.5 (49 snaps)
Quincy Porter: 77.8 (13 snaps)
Jeremiah Smith: 75.1 (57 snaps)
Mylan Graham: 65.0 (18 snaps)
Phillip Bell: 57.9 (6 snaps)
Brandon Inniss: 56.7 (41 snaps)
Tight Ends
Max Klare: 66.9 (35 snaps)
Will Kacmarek: 63.3 (33 snaps)
Jelani Thurman: 63.0 (10 snaps)
Nate Roberts: 60.8 (5 snaps)
Bennett Christian: 54.2 (15 snaps)
Offensive Line
Austin Siereveld: 75.4 (70 snaps)
Joshua Padilla: 70.6 (26 snaps)
Luke Montgomery: 69.6 (70 snaps)
Carson Hinzman: 64.6 (70 snaps)
Jake Cook: 60.0 (1 snap)
Ian Moore: 60.0 (1 snap)
Ethan Onianwa: 60.0 (1 snap)
Justin Terry: 60.0 (1 snap)
Gabe Vansickle: 60.0 (1 snap)
Phillip Daniels: 44.7 (70 snaps)
Tegra Tshabola: 42.1 (44 snaps)
| QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DE | DT | LB | CB | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Sayin | Isaiah West | Carnell Tate | Max Klare | Austin Siereveld | Caden Curry | Tywone Malone Jr. | Payton Pierce | Aaron Scott Jr. | Jaylen McClain |
| 91.4 | 76.5 | 82.5 | 66.9 | 75.4 | 79.7 | 72.2 | 80.8 | 73.7 | 73.8 |
Defensive Ratings by Position
Defensive Ends
Caden Curry: 79.7 (35 snaps)
Joshua Mickens: 67.7 (3 snaps)
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 63.1 (33 snaps)
Zion Grady: 62.4 (9 snaps)
Beau Atkinson: 49.6 (19 snaps)
Defensive Tackles
Tywone Malone Jr.: 72.2 (19 snaps)
Kayden McDonald: 68.3 (25 snaps)
Eddrick Houston: 67.2 (25 snaps)
Will Smith Jr.: 64.6 (5 snaps)
Jason Moore: 40.5 (3 snaps
Jarquez Carter: 28.7 (4 snaps)
Linebackers
Payton Pierce: 80.8 (34 snaps)
Sonny Styles: 76.4 (36 snaps)
Arvell Reese: 65.2 (32 snaps)
TJ Alford: 59.0 (8 snaps)
Riley Pettijohn: 56.6 (9 snaps)
Cornerbacks
Aaron Scott Jr.: 73.7 (10 snaps)
Davison Igbinosun: 68.5 (38 snaps)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 60.5 (38 snaps)
Bryce West: 52.3 (9 snaps)
Devin Sanchez: 51.0 (27 snaps)
Safeties
Jaylen McClain: 73.8 (38 snaps)
Faheem Delane: 70.5 (9 snaps)
Caleb Downs: 68.0 (38 snaps)
Leroy Roker III: 58.4 (11 snaps)
