Last Update: DEC. 14, 2025
The Buckeye 20 is Eleven Warriors’ ranking of the 20 best players on the Ohio State football team’s roster.
Our third in-season rankings of 2025 come after the conclusion of the regular season and the Big Ten Championship Game. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, safety Caleb Downs and quarterback Julian Sayin top our rankings entering the College Football Playoff, with wide receiver Carnell Tate and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald joining them in the top five.
The full ranking of Ohio State’s 20 best players after the Big Ten Championship Game can be found below. The final Buckeye 20 rankings for the 2025 season will come in January following the conclusion of Ohio State’s CFP run.
01 Jeremiah Smith
The best wide receiver in the country – even if he didn’t win the Biletnikoff Award – Smith enters the CFP with 80 catches for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns, even though he’s drawn consistent double-teams from defenses trying to make someone else beat them.
Possessing an elite combination of size, speed, quickness, hands and ability to make contested catches, Smith has an aura unmatched by any other player in college football, and he’s capable of turning any game into his own personal playground.
02 Caleb Downs
Downs’ elite play as college football’s best safety is the biggest constant that’s enabled Ohio State to have the nation’s No. 1 defense for the second year in a row.
A do-everything safety who excels in every phase of the game, Downs is the leader and linchpin of Ohio State’s defense. Moving all over the field in Matt Patricia’s defense, Downs is a heat-seeking missile who blows up runs and screen passes while consistently shutting down pass plays over the middle. The Jim Thorpe Award winner impacts every play no matter where he lines up, and his elite football IQ allows him to make everyone else around him better, too.
03 Julian Sayin
A Heisman finalist in his first year as a starter, Sayin has completed an NCAA-record 78.4% of his passing attempts entering the CFP. The redshirt freshman has thrown the ball with exceptional accuracy while playing with the poise of a veteran, making sound decisions and diagnosing defenses effectively all year long.
The No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, Sayin has lived up to the hype and then some in his first season running Ohio State’s offense, establishing himself as one of the nation’s elite passers and a likely future top-five NFL draft pick.
04 Carnell Tate
After living in the shadow of Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka in 2024, Tate’s emerged as a superstar in 2025. With nine receptions of 40-plus yards in just 10 games entering the CFP, Tate is the best deep threat in college football, using his speed, ball-tracking ability and body control to make big plays in nearly every game he’s played this season.
Also an advanced route-runner, Tate has 48 receptions for 838 yards and nine touchdowns entering the CFP despite missing three regular-season games with a calf injury.
05 Kayden McDonald
An absolute wrecking ball in the middle of Ohio State’s defensive line, McDonald has put up numbers rarely seen for a nose tackle, recording 57 tackles with eight tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles in Ohio State’s first 13 games of the year.
Pairing a massive 326-pound frame with power, quickness and plenty of block-shedding ability with his hands, McDonald consistently impacts the game as both a run-stopper and a pass-rusher. The Big Ten Defensive Lineman and first-team All-American is the best nose tackle Ohio State has had in more than a decade.
06 Sonny Styles
The most reliable tackler in college football this season, Styles has recorded 80 tackles without a single missed tackle through 13 games. In just his second season playing linebacker, Styles has looked like a master of the position, consistently putting himself in position to make plays for the Buckeyes’ defense and getting better and better as the year goes along.
Also the team’s top leader, Styles has lived up to the standard of the “Block O” jersey he wears as a player the Buckeyes know they can always count on both on their defense and in the locker room.
07 Arvell Reese
Projected as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, Reese has emerged as the favorite player of many an NFL draft analyst amid a breakout season as Ohio State’s starting Mike linebacker.
A freakish athlete who combines the size of a defensive end with the speed of a safety, Reese does a little bit of everything for Ohio State’s defense. He’s been a major difference-maker as both a run stopper and a pass rusher, recording 62 tackles with 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks on his way to earning first-team All-American and Big Ten Linebacker of the Year honors.
08 Caden Curry
With 11 sacks entering the College Football Playoff, Curry is the first Buckeye to record double-digit sacks before the playoff since Chase Young in 2019. He’s used his hands, strength, quickness and relentless motor to be a menace as both a pass-rusher and run defender, recording 60 tackles with 16.5 tackles for loss in Ohio State’s first 13 games of 2025.
A role player in his first three years as a Buckeye, Curry has been an every-down difference-maker for Ohio State in 2025, filling the proverbial shoes of Jack Sawyer as the senior leader and top energy source off the edge on the Buckeyes’ defensive line.
09 Bo Jackson
Just the fifth freshman in Ohio State history to rush for 1,000 yards, Jackson is already one of the Big Ten’s best running backs. Pairing explosive speed with the strength to break through tackles, the shiftiness to make defenders miss and the patience to allow blocks to develop in front of him, Jackson is both a home-run threat in open space and an effective short-yardage runner between the tackles.
The Cleveland native has also proven to be an effective receiver out of the backfield and a capable pass blocker, making him a three-down weapon for the Buckeyes and Ohio State’s clear-cut No. 1 running back, with more than three times as many rushing yards as any other Buckeye entering the CFP.
10 Davison Igbinosun
Ohio State’s most experienced defender has taken his game to new heights in 2025.
Igbinosun has been dominant in coverage, allowing just 18 catches for 187 yards with no touchdowns on 43 targets with two interceptions and a team-high eight pass breakups. He’s continued to excel as a perimeter run defender, recording 43 tackles. And though he still draws more penalties than ideal, with five flags in Ohio State’s first 13 games of 2025, he’s been far better in that area than he was in 2024, when he was penalized 16 times.
11 Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
After a quiet start to the season statistically, it’s become increasingly apparent as the season has progressed why Jackson drew so much praise from his Ohio State coaches and teammates this offseason.
The long, powerful and explosive defensive end was dominant for Ohio State’s defense in the second half of the regular season, excelling as a run defender while also making his mark as a pass-rusher. He’s tied for second on the Buckeyes with 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for loss entering the CFP, with nine TFLs and 5.5 sacks coming in Ohio State’s last eight games.
12 Austin Siereveld
In his first year playing tackle at the collegiate level, Siereveld has been one of the best tackles in the Big Ten, leading Ohio State’s offensive line while allowing zero sacks in the Buckeyes’ first 13 games of the season.
It’s often said that it’s good when you don’t hear an offensive lineman’s name much, and that’s been the case for Siereveld. He doesn’t make a ton of flashy blocks, but he’s been rock-solid as a pass protector while he’s also been the Buckeyes’ most consistent bulldozer in the run game.
13 Jermaine Mathews Jr.
An uber-confident cornerback who’s constantly seen bringing energy during games, Mathews excelled in coverage for most of the regular season before a rough showing in the Big Ten Championship Game in which he was beat for multiple big plays. But one bad game shouldn’t overshadow how well Mathews has played the rest of the year.
Mathews has played a major role in Ohio State leading the nation in passing yards allowed per game, mostly as Ohio State’s No. 2 outside cornerback but also occasionally kicking inside to play nickelback. He’s also been an effective tackler against the run, and he rarely ever leaves the field as a result.
14 Max Klare
Klare enters the CFP just two receptions short of Ohio State’s all-time record for catches in a season by a tight end. While he hasn’t made quite as many big plays as expected in the Buckeyes’ offense, the Purdue transfer has been an effective third receiving option for OSU, catching 43 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ first 13 games.
An excellent athlete and route runner for a tight end, Klare has served as a security blanket over the middle of the field in the passing game. He’s also gotten better and better as the year has progressed as a run blocker, enabling him to be a weapon for the Buckeyes on any play.
15 Jaylen McClain
McClain has played the most snaps of any Ohio State defender (645) entering the CFP and has been a reliable stalwart at his strong safety position, recording 50 tackles while allowing just 15 catches for 84 yards in coverage.
The sophomore from New Jersey has been particularly valuable to the Buckeyes as a last line of defense on the back end, making key tackles throughout the year to stop runs into the third level of the defense from becoming game-changing plays. He hasn’t made a ton of big plays himself, with no tackles for loss for forced turnovers, but he’s consistently done what Ohio State’s needed him to do to prevent big plays.
16 Luke Montgomery
A second-team All-Big Ten honoree, Montgomery has established himself as one of the conference’s top guards in his first season as a full-time starter.
Building off a breakout run in last season’s CFP, Montgomery has been one of Ohio State’s best pass protectors and run blockers in 2025, allowing just one sack while playing with a self-expressed desire to “put people in the dirt every single play.” He’s taken his lumps at times as everyone on Ohio State’s offensive line has in an up-and-down season for that unit, but he’s executed his assignments more often than not.
17 Carson Hinzman
In his second stint as Ohio State’s starting center, Hinzman has been far steadier than he was manning the middle of the Buckeyes’ offensive line in 2023.
Hinzman’s growth has been particularly apparent as a pass blocker, where he’s allowed just one sack in 2025. The Buckeyes still need more from Hinzman as a run blocker, as they haven’t gotten as much push up the middle as they need running the ball between the tackles, but he’s been consistent snapping the ball while providing veteran leadership in the trenches.
18 Will Kacmarek
One of the nation’s best blocking tight ends, Kacmarek serves as an extension of Ohio State’s offensive line when he’s on the field.
Effective as both a run and pass blocker, Kacmarek is a staple of Ohio State’s heavy personnel packages. Though he’s not a frequent target in the passing game, he’s shown he can be a weapon as a short-yardage and intermediate receiving target, too, catching 12 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s first 13 games of 2025.
19 Lorenzo Styles Jr.
Styles has taken the torch from Jordan Hancock to be the do-everything player Ohio State expects its nickelback to be. He’s provided steady coverage while lining up as both a slot cornerback and safety, all the while making some crucial tackles and showing plenty of physicality as a run defender.
Styles also has Ohio State’s longest kickoff and punt returns this season, including Ohio State’s first kickoff return touchdown since 2010 on a 100-yard return vs. UCLA. Identified by teammates as Ohio State’s fastest player, Styles has shown that speed with his play on both defense and special teams for the Buckeyes.
20 Tywone Malone Jr.
One of Ohio State’s most pleasant surprises of the 2025 season, Malone overtook Eddrick Houston early in the year as the Buckeyes’ starting 3-technique defensive tackle and has held down that role ever since.
Having played seldomly in his first two years at Ohio State after transferring in from Ole Miss, Malone has played a leading role for the Buckeyes’ run defense this season, recording 25 tackles while consistently holding his gap in the interior trenches. While he hasn’t made any tackles for loss entering the CFP, he’s been what the Buckeyes needed as an effective role player at a position that was seen as a potential weakness for Ohio State’s defense entering the year.
