Last Update: OCT. 27, 2025
The Buckeye 20 is Eleven Warriors’ ranking of the 20 best players on the Ohio State football team’s roster.
Our second in-season rankings of 2025 come as Ohio State enters the final month of its regular season. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs are joined by wide receiver Carnell Tate, linebacker Arvell Reese and quarterback Julian Sayin in the top five following the first seven games of the year.
The full ranking of Ohio State’s 20 best players after the first two months of the season can be found below. Stay tuned for the next rankings update in December before the College Football Playoff.
01 Jeremiah Smith
23 games into his college career, Smith has already caught 125 passes for 1,917 yards and 25 touchdowns. Widely considered to be the best player in college football, Smith’s per-game production was even higher in the first two months of this season than it was in his freshman year, when he was the biggest star of a national championship team.
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
A do-everything safety who excels in every phase of the game, Downs is the linchpin of college football’s best 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. Lining up everywhere from free safety 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 with his elite football IQ.
03 Carnell Tate
Making highlight-reel catches on a weekly basis, Tate has emerged as the second superstar of Ohio State’s receiving corps. A long, fluid athlete with elite hands and route-running skill and a tremendous ability to contort his body to make challenging grabs, Tate looks well on his way to extending Ohio State’s streak of first-round NFL draft picks at wide receiver in 2026.
Tate caught 34 passes for 587 yards and six touchdowns, including three 100-yard games, in Ohio State’s first seven games of the season.
04 Arvell Reese
Reese has been the breakout star of Ohio State’s 2025 defense, emerging as college football’s best linebacker. Combining the size and pass-rush ability of a defensive end with the speed and agility of a safety, Reese has been the ultimate chess piece for Matt Patricia, lining up all over the defensive front to wreak havoc.
The Glenville product led Ohio State with 42 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, in the Buckeyes’ first two months of the season.
05 Julian Sayin
Sayin was the most accurate quarterback in college football throughout the first two months of the season, completing a mind-boggling 80% of his passing attempts. He’s done so while throwing the ball to all levels of the field, showing the ability to make every throw along with the decision-making and poise of a veteran.
Living up to the hype he brought to Columbus as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, Sayin has elevated Ohio State’s passing game and rapidly established himself as one of college football’s best quarterbacks.
06 Kayden McDonald
McDonald is a wrecking ball in the middle of Ohio State’s defensive line. Playing a position where players often don’t accumulate a ton of statistics, Ohio State’s nose tackle recorded 29 tackles with six tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles in the Buckeyes’ first two months of the season.
Pairing a massive 326-pound frame with power and explosive quickness, McDonald consistently impacts the game as both a run-stopper and a pass-rusher. He’s the most disruptive and dominant nose tackle the Buckeyes have had since Johnathan Hankins was an All-American more than a decade ago.
07 Caden Curry
Curry was one of the most productive defensive ends in all of college football through the first two months of the season, ranking in the top 10 nationally with seven sacks and just outside the top 10 with 10.5 tackles for loss.
A first-year starter after three years as a rotational player, Curry has proven himself to be an every-down difference maker for the Buckeyes’ defense this season. 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 Ohio State’s best run stopper on the edge.
08 Sonny Styles
Styles has been Mr. Reliable for Ohio State’s defense, recording 39 total tackles in the first two months of the season without a single missed tackle. After steadily improving throughout the 2024 season in his first year as a linebacker, Styles has played like a seasoned veteran this year, consistently executing his assignments and making the plays he’s supposed to make as both a run defender and in coverage.
He’s become a bit overshadowed by the breakout stardom of Reese, but Styles remains one of the defense’s most important players and Ohio State’s top team leader. The athletic and technically sound linebacker has lived up to the “Block O” standard of his No. 0 jersey.
09 Jermaine Mathews Jr.
Mathews has demonstrated excellent versatility by starting games at both cornerback and nickel for the Buckeyes this season and dominating at both positions.
In the season’s first seven games, Mathews allowed just 13 catches for 117 yards and one touchdown on 195 coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He also has a knack for making plays on the ball and forcing turnovers, recording an interception, a forced fumble and three pass breakups in Ohio State’s first two months of the season.
10 Davison Igbinosun
Igbinosun has shut opponents down all year long as Ohio State’s No. 1 cornerback, allowing just 12 catches for 130 yards on 27 targets and recording a team-high five pass breakups while excelling as a run defender with 27 tackles.
While as physical in man coverage as ever, Igbinosun has cleaned up the penalty issues that plagued him in past seasons, committing just two penalties in Ohio State’s first seven games.
11 Austin Siereveld
If you didn’t know Siereveld was in his first year playing tackle at the collegiate level, you wouldn’t know it from watching him protect Julian Sayin’s blind side this year. The third-year Buckeye from Southwest Ohio has been a stalwart leading Ohio State’s offensive line this season, allowing zero sacks and just six total quarterback pressures in Ohio State’s first seven games of the season, per PFF.
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 does what Ohio State needs him to do far more often than not.
12 Luke Montgomery
With a self-expressed desire to “put people in the dirt every single play,” Montgomery brings physicality and a mean streak to Ohio State’s offensive line, paired with excellent athleticism for a guard. Building off a breakthrough run in last year’s College Football Playoff, Montgomery has been one of the Buckeyes’ best blockers all year long, both in pass protection and in the run game.
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.
13 Carson Hinzman
In his second term as Ohio State’s full-time starting center, Hinzman has been far better than he was two years ago. A liability manning the middle of Ohio State’s offensive line in 2023, Hinzman is now an asset to the Buckeyes’ offense as a seasoned veteran who’s proven they can rely on him not to make mistakes.
Hinzman has excelled as a pass blocker in 2025, allowing no sacks with just five pressures in Ohio State’s first seven games. He still has room to grow in the run game, as the Buckeyes’ entire offense does, but he’s looked comfortable snapping the ball and handling all the responsibilities that come with being the pivot man in the trenches.
14 Bo Jackson
Halfway through his freshman season, Jackson has already established himself as Ohio State’s best running back – and one of the best freshman running backs in the country.
With Jackson’s explosive burst out of the backfield paired with his power to run through tackles, there’s been a noticeable difference between Jackson and Ohio State’s other running backs in terms of his ability to accelerate past defenders and break away for longer gains. He’s also proven to be an effective pass-catcher out of the backfield and a capable pass blocker, making him a three-down weapon for the Buckeyes.
15 Max Klare
Klare has been a role player for Ohio State rather than the featured target he was in Purdue’s offense, but he’s gradually gotten more productive as the season has progressed, catching multiple passes in each of the Buckeyes’ first four Big Ten games of the year.
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 and shown the ability to turn short passes into bigger plays. He’s also been solid as a run blocker, though the receiving portion of his game is his clear strength.
16 Jaylen McClain
McClain has been a staple in the secondary as the Buckeyes’ new starting strong safety, playing the most snaps from scrimmage of any defender (355) in Ohio State’s first seven games.
A hard-hitting downhill thumper, McClain has been both a sure tackler and an effective cover safety for the Buckeyes. He recorded 26 tackles in Ohio State’s first seven games while allowing just seven catches for 35 yards against his coverage, per PFF.
17 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. He’s both a bulldozing run blocker and an adept pass blocker, making him a staple of Ohio State’s heavy personnel packages.
He’s not a frequent target in the passing game, but is capable of making plays as a pass-catcher when called upon, particularly in short-yardage and red zone situations. He caught six passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s first seven games of the year.
18 Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
Jackson’s role of caging the pocket and setting the edge doesn’t always lead to big numbers, but he’s still managed to make his share of big plays in the backfield, recording 4.5 tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks in Ohio State’s first seven games of the season.
While Jackson has made it clear he’d like to be more of a consistent difference-maker than a role player, his status as a mainstay in Ohio State’s defensive lineup has made it clear how much value the Buckeyes believe he brings to their efforts up front.
19 Phillip Daniels
Described by his teammates and coaches as a “dawg” who plays with an edge, Daniels brings violence and power to the Buckeyes’ offensive line at the right tackle position.
He’s been one of Ohio State’s best run blockers, though his pass blocking hasn’t been as consistent as the Buckeyes will need it to be in their biggest games of the season. Discipline also remains an area where Daniels needs to grow, as he was flagged for four penalties in Ohio State’s first seven games.
20 Lorenzo Styles Jr.
Playing a hybrid cornerback/safety role as Ohio State’s starting nickelback, Styles has provided steady coverage. He limited opponents to 12 catches for 126 yards – most of which came on a 67-yard touchdown vs. Ohio – on 107 coverage snaps in Ohio State’s first five games of the season before missing two games due to injury.
While he hasn’t been as dominant as Ohio State’s other starters in the secondary, he’s played his role effectively against both the pass and run more often than not. His ability to play both slot cornerback and free safety has allowed Ohio State to deploy a variety of looks in the secondary without having to substitute defensive backs in and out of the game.
