Last Update: SEPT. 18, 2025
The Buckeye 20 is Eleven Warriors’ ranking of the 20 best players on the Ohio State football team’s roster.
Our first in-season rankings of 2025, which come at the end of nonconference play, are led by wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, safety Caleb Downs, wide receiver Carnell Tate and linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese.
The full ranking of Ohio State’s 20 best players following nonconference play can be found below. Stay tuned for rankings updates throughout the season, with the next rankings update scheduled to come in October following Ohio State’s first four Big Ten games.
01 Jeremiah Smith
Smith isn’t just Ohio State’s best player; he’s the best player in all of college football.
The superstar wide receiver followed up his spectacular freshman season by catching 20 passes for 315 yards and scoring four total touchdowns in Ohio State’s first three games. Possessing an elite combination of size, speed, lateral agility, route-running prowess and hands, Smith is a consistent game-changer who opposing defenses must account for on every play.
02 Caleb Downs
The best defensive player in college football, Downs is the engine that makes Ohio State’s defense go.
Moving all over the field in Matt Patricia’s defense, Downs is a heat-seeking missile who blows up runs and screen passes while also excelling in coverage. Lining up everywhere from the deep middle to the slot to linebacker, Downs makes an impact no matter where he’s asked to play and makes the entire defense better around him.
03 Carnell Tate
Now the No. 2 receiver in Ohio State’s offense, Tate has firmly established himself as one of the top wideouts in college football.
A long, fluid athlete who excels at running routes and making tough catches, Tate appears well on his way to being Ohio State’s next first-round NFL draft pick at wide receiver. He caught 12 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns in the first three games, and he’s also an excellent perimeter blocker.
04 Sonny Styles
In his second year as a linebacker, Styles has emerged as a consistent playmaker in the middle of Ohio State’s defense.
An excellent tackler with the speed to make plays from sideline to sideline and the strength and block-shedding ability to be a force around the line of scrimmage, Styles’ background as a safety also makes him a standout in coverage. Wearing the “Block O” for the 2025 season, Styles is Ohio State’s top leader and backs up his vocal presence with his ever-reliable play.
05 Arvell Reese
Reese has lived up to the hype and then some in his first season as Ohio State’s starting Mike linebacker, drawing rave reviews from NFL draft analysts on a weekly basis as he’s emerged as a major difference-maker on the Buckeyes’ defensive front.
Built like a defensive end while possessing the speed of a safety, Reese wreaked havoc throughout nonconference play, recording a team-high 20 tackles with two sacks and two pass breakups in Ohio State’s first three games. He’s proven capable of being an every-down menace, and he still might only be scratching the surface of just how good he can be.
06 Kayden McDonald
A wrecking ball in the middle of Ohio State’s defensive line, McDonald is accumulating statistics at a rare rate for a nose tackle, recording 14 total tackles in Ohio State’s nonconference games, including eight vs. Texas.
Pairing a massive 326-pound frame with power and explosive quickness, McDonald is Ohio State’s top interior run stopper while he’s also shown he can make game-changing plays in the backfield, tallying two tackles for loss with a sack and a forced fumble in OSU’s first three games.
07 Julian Sayin
Despite entering the season with no starting experience, Sayin looked like a poised veteran in his first three games as Ohio State’s top quarterback, completing 79% of his passing attempts at an average of 11 yards per attempt in nonconference play.
Living up to the hype he brought to Columbus as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, Sayin has been accurate throwing the ball to all levels on the field. He’s elevated the Buckeyes’ deep passing game and has rapidly established himself as one of college football’s best quarterbacks.
08 Caden Curry
A role player for his first three seasons as a Buckeye, Curry has taken full advantage of the opportunity to be a starter in his senior year, emerging as the Buckeyes’ most productive defensive end with 14 total tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and one pass breakup.
Used as both an interior and outside rusher in passing situations, Curry has created consistent disruption with his high motor, quick hands and ability to fight off blocks, all the while solidifying himself as one of Ohio State’s best run stoppers on the edge.
09 Davison Igbinosun
Ohio State’s most experienced defender, Igbinosun does a great job of limiting big plays in coverage, allowing just six catches for 66 yards on 11 targets in nonconference play, per Pro Football Focus. He’s also an elite run-defending cornerback, tallying 13 tackles in Ohio State’s first three games of the season.
Most importantly, Igbinosun has cleaned up his technique to cut down on the penalty issues that plagued him in his first two seasons at Ohio State. College football’s most penalized defender in 2024, Igbinosun was penalized just once in Ohio State’s first three games of the season.
10 Jermaine Mathews Jr.
After excelling in spot duty over the last two seasons, Mathews Jr. has transitioned smoothly into a starting role this season, allowing just five catches for 56 yards in his first three games as a full-time starter.
Possessing perhaps the best ball skills of any Ohio State cornerback, as evidenced by his interception in the Buckeyes’ season-opening win over Texas, Mathews is a fluid cover corner who plays with natural confidence. He’s proven he can cover opponents’ top receivers stride-for-stride while he’s also fast to the ball as a downhill tackler.
11 Austin Siereveld
A backup guard for his first two years as a Buckeye, Siereveld made a seamless transition to playing the premier position on the offensive line. He’s been dominant as a pass protector, allowing zero quarterback pressures in his first three games as a collegiate left tackle.
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 may not make a lot of flashy blocks, but he consistently does what Ohio State needs him to do to protect the quarterback’s blind side.
12 Jaylen McClain
McClain had big shoes to fill in replacing Lathan Ransom at strong safety, but he’s had no trouble handling that responsibility so far.
A hard-hitting downhill thumper like his predecessor, McClain led Ohio State with 13 solo tackles – six more than any other Buckeye – in nonconference play. He’s also done his job well in coverage, allowing just six catches for 28 yards in Ohio State’s first three games, per PFF.
13 Will Kacmarek
Described by Keenan Bailey as “the best blocking tight end in the country,” Kacmarek serves as an extension of Ohio State’s offensive line when he’s on the field.
Both an adept pass blocker and a bulldozing run blocker, Kacmarek is also a capable receiver who led all Ohio State tight ends with four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown in the first three games. His well-rounded skill set has increasingly made him a mainstay of Ohio State’s offense who rarely comes off the field.
14 Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
Jackson’s start to the season didn’t quite live up to the hype from his teammates who predicted before the season that he’d be a first-round NFL draft pick. Even so, he’s provided quality three-down play as one of Ohio State’s starting defensive ends.
A strong run defender who’s had flashes as a pass-rusher – most notably on a near-touchdown scoop-and-score against Ohio that was overturned to be an incomplete pass – Jackson’s length and athleticism give him the highest ceiling of any Ohio State defensive end this season. His stats in nonconference play didn’t match expectations, but the Buckeyes still expect big things from him as the season progresses.
15 Phillip Daniels
It’s been easy to see why Daniels beat out Ethan Onianwa for Ohio State’s starting right tackle job. The powerful, athletic Minnesota transfer plays with a noticeable mean streak and a desire to put opponents in the dirt, and he was the Buckeyes’ most impactful run defender during non-conference play.
Entering the season, Daniels said his goal was to be the “best right tackle in the nation.” He’s not quite there yet, but he’s established himself as a stalwart for the Buckeyes and a contender for All-Big Ten honors with how he’s started his first season in scarlet and gray.
16 Max Klare
Klare’s Ohio State career got off to a quieter start than expected, as the Purdue transfer who caught 51 passes for 685 yards in 2024 caught just four passes for 48 yards in the Buckeyes’ first three games. That said, he’s still one of the most skilled receiving tight ends in college football.
Looking more comfortable in Ohio State’s offense with each game, particularly as a blocker, Klare could make a big move back up these rankings if he reemerges as the consistent playmaker he was for the Boilermakers.
17 Luke Montgomery
After emerging as Ohio State’s top left guard in last season’s College Football Playoff, Montgomery’s picked up where he left off in his first year as a full-time starter. He’s excelled as a run blocker, moving defenders off the line of scrimmage and picking up targets at the second level, all the while doing his job effectively as a pass protector for an offensive line that allowed just one sack in nonconference play.
Becoming the player Ohio State always thought he could be when it signed him as a top-100 prospect out of Northwest Ohio in 2023, Montgomery is now a firmly established leader of the Buckeyes’ offensive line and an All-Big Ten candidate.
18 Bo Jackson
The early star of Ohio State’s 2025 freshman class, Jackson ran for more than 100 yards on just nine carries in each of his first two games as a Buckeye, quickly proving he’s the most dynamic runner on Ohio State’s roster despite his youth.
With two runs of 50-plus yards already, Jackson’s shown he’s a threat to make a big play any time he gets a hole. Pairing his excellent speed and acceleration with an effective stiff arm and the strength to run through contact, Jackson already appears well on his way to being Ohio State’s next star running back.
19 Carson Hinzman
After a rocky first season as Ohio State’s starting center in 2023 that cost him that job until Seth McLaughlin’s season-ending injury in 2024, Hinzman has been much more stable manning the middle of the Buckeyes’ offensive front this season.
While he hasn’t yet become the dominant force that he’ll need to be to make a run at continuing Ohio State’s tradition of Rimington Trophy winners, he’s been effective in pass protection, allowing zero sacks through three games. His continued growth as a run blocker will be key for Ohio State’s rushing attack to hit its stride and for Hinzman to move up these rankings.
20 Beau Atkinson
A post-spring addition to Ohio State’s roster, Atkinson has been as advertised in his first season as a Buckeye after transferring from North Carolina. While he’s coming off the bench as Ohio State’s No. 3 defensive end, Atkinson has made his mark as a rotational player, particularly as a pass rusher in Ohio State’s Rushmen package.
Alternating with Curry in playing the interior role in Ohio State’s three-man pass-rushing front, Atkinson recorded seven quarterback pressures with two tackles for loss and a sack in the first three games. A power rusher who can knock blockers back and claw his way around them, Atkinson has also been an effective edge-setter against the run, giving Ohio State high-quality depth at DE.
