After Ohio State's 38-14 victory over Penn State in Ohio Stadium, we share the game’s grades from Pro Football Focus, which 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 eighth game of the season and highlight the three highest-graded players who played at least 10 snaps against the Nittany Lions. Like last week, the top three spots are held by two offensive players and one defensive player.
| 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 (92.7)
For the fourth straight week, Sayin earned the highest grade among all Ohio State players. His offensive grade of 92.7 against the Nittany Lions was the best among all quarterbacks for Week 10 and his passing grade of 92.2 was the best in the conference.
For his 316-yard and four-touchdown performance against Penn State, Sayin was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
For the season, Sayin continues to lead all quarterbacks in the FBS. His passing grade is now 93.1, up from last week's grade of 92.3. Sayin also remains the top-rated quarterback in offense (93.2).
Julian Sayin headlines our list yet again
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 2, 2025
PFFs Week 10 College Football Team of the Weekhttps://t.co/KFzErKXrJ3
2. DT Eddrick Houston (92.2)
Houston earned the Big Ten's best defensive grade among players who were on the field for at least 10 snaps. His pass-rushing grade of 91.6 was the best in the nation for a defensive tackle and third-best for any player.
This is the first time this season for Houston to make Ohio State's Top 3 PFF grades.
Highest Graded Defensive Tackle from Week 10:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 4, 2025
Eddrick Houston, Ohio State: 92.2@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/AJoQbrm4JN
3. WR Jeremiah Smith (90.1)
Smith's overall grade of 90.1 and his receiving grade of 89.0 against Penn State were the best in the Big Ten for the week. For the season, Smith has an offensive grade of 88.0, which is third in the nation among wide receivers with at least 2 receptions. His teammate, Carnell Tate, is ranked second nationally in the same category (89.9).
Like Houston, this is the first time for Smith to be among Ohio State's top three PFF grades for a game this season.
Extra Points
- Max Klare ranked first among all Big Ten players and second in the nation for his run blocking (85.9) performance against Penn State.
- Arvell Reese led the team in tackling (84.7) and rush defense (80.7).
- Joshua Padilla was limited to seven snaps, but his 78.5 pass-blocking grade was best on the team.
- Bo Jackson earned a team-high running grade of 74.8.
- Nate Roberts (48.1) had the lowest grade of any Buckeye with at least five snaps, with Carson Hinzman (50.8) earning the second-lowest grade of any Ohio State player.
- Sonny Styles leads all defensive players with a tackling grade of 91.4 for the season.
- Kayden McDonald is tops in the Big Ten and ranks second in the nation among all DTs with a 91.1 grade in rush defense for the season.
- Jelani Thurman has the top offensive grade (89.9) for tight ends in the Big Ten this year.
- Caleb Downs has not been graded as one of Ohio State's three best players in any of the eight games this season.
PFFT
It's surprising that Jeremiah Smith's and Carnell Tate's PFF grades were not close to each other.
Tate and Smith had similar stats against the Nittany Lions, yet their PFF grades were worlds apart. Tate caught five passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Smith had six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Their stats are almost mirror images of each other, but Smith (90.1) graded out 12 points higher than Tate (78.1).
Were Smith's routes and run-blocking that much better than Tate's for there to be that much of a gap between their grades? Pfft indeed.
| 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) |
| Penn State |
QB Julian Sayin (92.7) |
DT Eddrick Houston (92.2) | WR Jeremiah Smith (90.1) |
*Curry and Hinzman tied for first against Washington.
Offensive Ratings By Position
Quarterback
Julian Sayin: 92.7 (57 snaps)
Running Backs
Bo Jackson: 72.1 (26 snaps)
James Peoples: 65.9 (11 snaps)
Isaiah West: 61.3 (9 snaps)
CJ Donaldson: 54.9 (15 snaps)
Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith: 90.1 (43 snaps)
Carnell Tate: 78.1 (39 snaps)
Brandon Inniss: 70.1 (20 snaps)
David Adolph: 60.0 (2 snaps)
Bryson Rodgers: 59.3 (3 snaps)
Mylan Graham: 58.0 (8 snaps)
Tight Ends
Will Kacmarek: 69.3 (44 snaps)
Bennett Christian: 69.1 (23 snaps)
Max Klare: 61.7 (26 snaps)
Jelani Thurman: 60.5 (7 snaps)
Nate Roberts: 48.1 (9 snaps)
Offensive Line
Austin Siereveld: 70.2 (57 snaps)
Phillip Daniels: 67.2 (57 snaps)
Joshua Padilla: 61.6 (8 snaps)
Tegra Tshabola: 60.6 (49 snaps)
Gabe Vansickle: 60.0 (3 snaps)
Jake Cook: 60.0 (1 snap)
Luke Montgomery: 59.5 (54 snaps)
Carson Hinzman: 50.8 (57 snaps)
| QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DE | DT | LB | CB | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Sayin | Bo Jackson | Jeremiah Smith | Will Kacmarek | Austin Siereveld | Kenyatta Jackson Jr. | Eddrick Houston | Arvell Reese | Davison Igbinosun | Caleb Downs |
| 92.7 | 72.1 | 90.1 | 69.3 | 70.2 | 71.9 | 92.2 | 81.5 | 65.5 | 71.0 |
Defensive Ratings by Position
Defensive Ends
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 71.9 (56 snaps)
Caden Curry: 71.3 (53 snaps)
Zion Grady: 66.3 (2 snaps)
Beau Atkinson: 56.7 (14 snaps)
Defensive Tackles
Eddrick Houston: 92.2 (20 snaps)
Kayden McDonald: 70.0 (42 snaps)
Tywone Malone Jr.: 64.8 (35 snaps)
Will Smith Jr.: 63.4 (17 snaps)
Jason Moore: 60.0 (1 snap)
Linebackers
Arvell Reese: 81.5 (61 snaps)
Sonny Styles: 72.2 (61 snaps)
Payton Pierce: 59.9 (22 snaps)
Cornerbacks
Davison Igbinosun: 65.5 (51 snaps)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 63.5 (60 snaps)
Devin Sanchez: 53.3 (16 snaps)
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 71.0 (61 snaps)
Jaylen McClain: 60.1 (60 snaps)
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 59.2 (39 snaps)
