Last Update: OCT. 20, 2024
The Eleven Warriors Buckeye 20 is a year-round ranking of the best players on the Ohio State football team’s roster.
Our midseason rankings after Ohio State’s first six games of the year are led by freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith, who’s joined in the top five by safety Caleb Downs, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and running back TreVeyon Henderson.
The full midseason Buckeye 20 rankings can be found below. Stay tuned with Eleven Warriors for more rankings updates later in the season.
01 Jeremiah Smith
It didn’t take long for Smith to emerge as Ohio State’s biggest star. The freshman wide receiver became the first player in Ohio State history to catch touchdown passes in all of the first six games of a season; he also gained at least 70 yards in all six games. He’s already gone viral with several one-handed highlight-reel grabs while demonstrating a rare blend of size, speed and route-running ability for any wide receiver, let alone one who’s 18 years old. He’s poised to the Buckeyes’ best player through 2026.
02 Caleb Downs
Downs has rapidly established himself as the centerpiece of Ohio State’s defense in his first season as a Buckeye after transferring in from Alabama. The free safety has been an effective eraser on the back end in coverage while also making plenty of plays closer to the line of scrimmage, recording 26 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and three pass breakups in his first six games as a Buckeye. He’s the best safety in college football and the player who Ohio State’s 2024 defense is built around.
03 Emeka Egbuka
Egbuka has reestablished himself as one of college football’s elite wide receivers in his senior season. In Ohio State’s first six games of 2024, Egbuka already has more receiving yards and touchdowns (526 yards and six touchdowns on 40 catches) than he did in his injury-plagued 2023 campaign (515 yards and four touchdowns on 41 catches). A gifted open-field playmaker who excels in the short to intermediate passing game, Egbuka is a regular chain-mover for the Buckeyes whose reliability as both a receiver and blocker is crucial to Ohio State’s offensive success.
04 Tyleik Williams
Williams’ value to Ohio State’s defensive line was perhaps best illustrated by how noticeable his absence at 3-technique was when he missed the Buckeyes’ September games against Marshall and Michigan State. He’s continued to be Ohio State’s most consistently disruptive defensive lineman when he’s been on the field, using his unusual combination of size, burst and power to record 16 tackles with two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in just four games in the first half of the season.
05 TreVeyon Henderson
Henderson’s explosive running ability has been on full display in Ohio State’s first half of the regular season as he’s averaged 8.15 yards per carry, one of the nation’s best marks. His speed and agility make him a home-run threat every time he touches the ball while he’s also excelled in pass protection as a senior, making him an asset to the offense on all three downs.
06 Quinshon Judkins
Judkins has shown why he was a two-time All-SEC running back at Ole Miss as he’s rushed for 491 yards and six touchdowns on 71 carries in his first six games as a Buckeye. A physical runner who always finishes forward through contact, Judkins also brings excellent speed and cutting ability to the Buckeyes’ backfield, making him one of the nation’s toughest running backs to tackle. His production fluctuated from game to game more than Henderson’s in the first half of the season, but there have been times when he’s looked like Ohio State’s best player.
07 Will Howard
Howard has been the upgrade Ohio State thought he could be behind center, completing 73.3% of his passing attempts for 1,574 yards and 14 touchdowns with three interceptions while also running for five touchdowns in his first six games as a Buckeye. While he isn’t as strong of a deep passer as some of Ohio State’s recent stars at quarterback, he’s thrown the ball accurately while making smart decisions and showing great poise under pressure. His athleticism has made a big difference for the Buckeyes’ offense as he’s added the running element from the quarterback position that Ohio State had lacked over the past three years.
08 Lathan Ransom
Ransom has been a playmaking missile from the safety position in his fifth-year senior season, recording 29 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble return touchdown in Ohio State’s first six games. Missed tackles have remained a problem for Ransom at times, particularly in the Buckeyes’ first big game of the year against Oregon, but he’s been reliable in coverage even with his aggressive style of play, reasserting himself as one of Ohio State’s top defenders after an injury-shortened 2023 season.
09 Seth McLaughlin
McLaughlin has made a massive difference in the middle of Ohio State’s offensive line after joining the Buckeyes via transfer from Alabama. Both a powerful run blocker and a consistent pass protector, McLaughlin earned midseason All-American recognition from multiple media outlets for his performance in the first half of the season. His veteran presence in the middle of the offensive line is the biggest reason why the Buckeyes’ blocking performance has improved significantly from a dismal 2023.
10 Josh Simmons
Simmons was a stalwart left tackle for Ohio State in the first half of the season, allowing zero sacks while also making a big difference in the run game with his athleticism and ability to pick up key blocks at the second level. Unfortunately, Simmons won’t have the opportunity to continue his climb up the rankings in the second half of the season as he’s expected to miss the rest of the year with a knee injury he suffered against Oregon.
11 Jack Sawyer
Sawyer recorded a team-high 22 quarterback pressures in the first half of the season but only 2.5 sacks, leaving Ohio State fans still wanting to see more from the five-star senior in terms of game-changing plays. He’s shown he can be a dominant player off the edge with his hand skills, quickness and power, but how much he makes his presence felt in big games in the second half of the season will determine whether he moves back up into the top 10 of the rankings.
12 JT Tuimoloau
Like Sawyer, Tuimoloau dropped out of the top 10 in the midseason Buckeye 20 after Ohio State failed to record any sacks in its final game of the first half of the season against Oregon. Tuimoloau leads the Buckeyes with five tackles for loss and three sacks through six games, keeping him within striking distance of earning All-Big Ten honors for a third straight year, but he still isn’t making as many game-changing plays as expected from a senior who was a top-five overall prospect in his recruiting class.
13 Denzel Burke
Burke experienced the biggest fall of any player in our midseason Buckeye 20 update after a disastrous game against Oregon in which he allowed eight catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns. One of the best cornerbacks in the country in 2023, Burke has performed well in every other game and leads Ohio State with two interceptions at midseason, but his poor performance in the Buckeyes’ biggest game of the year to date leaves him needing to prove himself all over again in the second half of his senior season.
14 Davison Igbinosun
Igbinosun has been solid as Ohio State’s No. 2 cornerback, allowing 13 catches on 22 targets for 164 yards and one touchdown with one interception and two pass breakups in the Buckeyes’ first six games of 2024. He’s been picked on at times while playing off the ball but has limited big plays on throws against him with sound tackling. He’s shown he can be an elite perimeter run defender as well, but wasn’t as productive in that regard in the first half of 2024 as he was in 2023 when he recorded 59 total tackles.
15 Ty Hamilton
Much like his older brother DaVon, Ty Hamilton has emerged from the shadows in his fifth-year senior season, earning midseason All-American recognition from multiple media outlets for his strong play as Ohio State’s nose tackle. He led all Buckeye defensive linemen with 21 tackles in the first half of the season and has been a consistently stout run stopper, leading the way for Ohio State to rank sixth nationally at midseason with 86.3 rushing yards allowed per game.
16 Donovan Jackson
Jackson teamed with Simmons and McLaughlin to make the left side of Ohio State’s offensive line one of the nation’s best during the first half of the season. He missed the first two games of the year with a hamstring injury and has had a few noticeable lapses in run-blocking situations, but he’s been excellent as a pass protector, allowing just three quarterback pressures with zero sacks in his first four games of the year, per Pro Football Focus.
17 Jordan Hancock
Hancock’s playing time has varied from game to game depending on how much Ohio State has used its three-linebacker package, but the Buckeyes’ starting slot cornerback has continued to be effective in both coverage and run defense when he’s been on the field. He’s tied for the team lead through six games with four pass breakups and has held opponents to 12 catches for 102 yards on 123 coverage snaps.
18 Cody Simon
Simon has been a steady presence in the middle of Ohio State’s defense, recording 25 tackles with four pass breakups in five games in the first half of 2024. Making more plays behind the line of scrimmage is the next step for Simon, who had just one tackle for loss (a sack) in the first half of the regular season, but he’s been a reliable second-level run stopper who has held his own in coverage situations.
19 Carnell Tate
With Smith and Egbuka drawing a majority of targets, Tate has been a reliable third receiver for the Buckeyes, catching 15 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown while also excelling as a run blocker. He hasn’t yet had a true breakout game, but he’s a graceful route runner who’s shown an aptitude for finding holes in defenses and using his speed to gain yards after the catch when the ball comes his way.
20 Sonny Styles
Styles took some lumps in the first month of the season as he adjusted to playing linebacker for the first time in his career, but the converted safety finished the first half of the year strong and leads the Buckeyes with 39 tackles through six games. Still possessing the speed of a defensive back at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, Styles must continue to work on the finer points of his new position but is a skilled tackler in space who should keep getting better as he acclimates to playing closer to the line of scrimmage.
