Welcome to the Skull Session.
Sonny Styles will have a tree in Buckeye Grove.
Ohio State ties a program record with seven first-team All-Americans in 2025 as Sonny Styles joins Jeremiah Smith, Kayden McDonald and Caleb Downs on Sporting News first team. https://t.co/4BbW5r8ASW pic.twitter.com/J98YcLLPGK
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 17, 2025
Well-deserved!
Have a good Thursday.
THE BEST OF THE BEST. ESPN’s Bill Connelly, David Hale, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg ranked the top 50 players in this season’s College Football Playoff. Nine Ohio State players appeared in the top 50 as the Buckeyes made up 18% of the list. Before I share them, here’s the criteria the writers used to rank players:
Our list is much like the process used by the College Football Playoff committee, insofar as we mostly made it up as we went. But the bigger point here was to identify not only the players who put up the best numbers during the regular season or the biggest names on the teams most likely to make a deep run, but to find the best players, the ones who'll have a chance to have postseason star turns the way Will Howard, Cam Skattebo and Jack Sawyer did in 2024.
And here are the Buckeyes, beginning with Austin Siereveld at No. 44 and ending with Jeremiah Smith at No. 2.
No. 44 - Austin Siereveld
2025 notable stats: 759 snaps, 0 sacks allowed
2025 preseason ranking: NRAfter earning six starts at left guard last season for the national champions, Siereveld moved to left tackle and proved he could be among the Big Ten's best, earning second-team all-conference honors from the league's coaches. Siereveld and his fellow starters up front kept quarterback Julian Sayin protected throughout his run to becoming a Heisman finalist, with only 11 sacks allowed through 13 games.
No. 26 - Carnell Tate
2025 notable stats: 48 rec, 838 yards, 9 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: 67The best No. 3 receiver in the country last season, Tate has become maybe the best No. 2 in 2025. He has topped 100 yards four times this season -- including a 183-yard effort against Minnesota -- and he has caught at least one touchdown pass in eight of the 10 games he has played. Tate sat out three games in November but returned to catch the clinching 50-yard TD against Michigan.
No. 21 - Sonny Styles
2025 notable stats: 45 solo tackles, 1 FF, 1 INT
2025 preseason ranking: 62The 6-foot-5, 243-pound playmaker has performed at an All-America level for the Buckeyes and should be a first-round NFL draft pick next spring after shining under new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. He's the leading tackler on the No. 1 defense in the country, had a season-high 12 stops in the Big Ten title game and ranks fourth among all starting linebackers in Pro Football Focus grading this season.
No. 16 - Arvell Reese
2025 notable stats: 6.5 sacks, 10 TFL, 62 total tackles
2025 preseason ranking: NRA new set of stars emerged to lead the nation's No. 1 defense this fall, and Reese was undeniably front and center. He has thrived under new coordinator Matt Patricia, recording 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the edge position and finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles. One of three Buckeyes defenders named a first-team AP All-American, Reese was named Big Ten's Linebacker of the Year and recorded a sack in six of Ohio State's first eight games of the season.
No. 13 - Kayden McDonald
2025 notable stats: 28 solo tackles, 3 sacks, 2 FFs
2025 preseason ranking: NRRunning against Ohio State is no easy task, thanks in large part to the work of McDonald around the line of scrimmage. McDonald racked up 16 run stuffs this season -- stops on runs at or behind the line -- while making 60 total tackles on plays that gained an average of just 1.1 yards. McDonald missed only two tackles all season, making him one of the most reliable defenders on the D-line in the country.
No. 11 - Caden Curry
2025 notable stats: 36 solo tackles, 11 sacks, 1 FF
2025 preseason ranking: NRCurry was a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks this season, racking up 11 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, six QB hurries and 40 pressures. Curry's versatility allowed him to create havoc on the edge and inside throughout the season, and his ability to move in space and play physical helped him rack up 62 total tackles, most in the Big Ten by a defensive lineman.
No. 7 - CB...? Caleb Downs
2025 notable stats: 18 solo tackles, 1 INT
2025 preseason ranking: 3Downs picked off two passes this season, which is far more impressive than it sounds, because despite playing 322 snaps in coverage, opposing QBs targeted him only 20 times. Downs gave up only nine catches all season as the primary defender, accounting for only 72 yards and no touchdowns. The longest completion he gave up was 17 yards. A 14-yard completion in the second quarter of the Big Ten title game was the first one he'd given up in nearly two months. There is not a more lockdown corner in the country than Downs.
No. 5 - QB, Julian Sayin
2025 notable stats: 3,323 passing yards, 31 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NRWhen Will Howard left after winning a national championship last season, Ohio State could've chased another veteran in the portal. Instead, the Buckeyes handed the keys to the best roster in college football to a player with no real previous experience. Sayin didn't flinch. From beating Texas in Week 1 to blossoming into a Heisman finalist by year's end, Sayin never appeared overwhelmed by the moment, racking up an eye-popping stat line that included 31 touchdown passes, only six interceptions and a nearly 79% completion percentage. Sayin's 182.2 passer rating was the best in the country, and if he makes a similar leap in the playoff as Howard did last year -- there might be no stopping Ohio State from a repeat.
No. 2 - WR, Jeremiah Smith
2025 notable stats: 1,086 rec yards, 11 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: 1If we're ranking based on talent alone, there's a good argument that no player comes close to matching Smith's ability. Smith caught 80 balls for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but that doesn't really tell the story. It's how he has done it. Smith commands double-teams constantly, draws the attention of everyone's best corner, and has every defensive coordinator he faces scheming to slow him down. And none of it has mattered. Smith continues to produce big play after big play, opening up options for Ohio State's offense all over the field.
Caleb Downs is far too low on this list. No. 7 makes sense for cornerback Caleb Downs, but not safety Caleb Downs. Yes, as you likely noticed, the ESPN writers labeled the Jim Thorpe Award winner a cornerback rather than a safety — and it wasn’t a simple mistake, either, as Hale doubled down by calling him the best “lockdown corner in the country.” Shoutout the Worldwide Leader!
DEVELOPED HERE. I just made fun of the Worldwide Leader, but I’ll return to it for the sake of #content in this section, which features an article from ESPN’s Matt Miller examining the NFL draft talent of each College Football Playoff team.
Note: Asterisk included for underclassmen.
Round 1 (grades): S Caleb Downs*, LB/Edge Arvell Reese*, WR Carnell Tate*, LB Sonny Styles, DT Kayden McDonald*
Ohio State is loaded with NFL draft prospects and will again be the favorite to have the most players drafted. This tier is dominated by defense and led by Reese, a hybrid edge/linebacker prospect with 8.5 sacks this season. Two other defenders (Downs and Styles) could be considered top-10 talents, even if positional value pushes them down the actual board. McDonald is an anchor at nose tackle and will be a value for teams in the later portion of Round 1. On offense, Tate has emerged as the best wideout in the class with his crisp route running and sure hands.
Round 2: Edge Kenyatta Jackson Jr., CB Davison Igbinosun, TE Max Klare*, OT Max Siereveld*
Day 2 will also have a heavy Ohio State presence, depending on some underclassman decisions. Jackson had a standout performance against Indiana in the close Big Ten championship game loss and is a top-50-type player. The same goes for Siereveld, who hasn't allowed a sack in 13 starts this season. Klare -- who will be in the running for TE2 in the class -- and Igbinosun are seen as well-coached, highly developed prospects who can make a mark quickly in the pros. Igbinosun is especially praised for his alignment versatility and savvy.
Round 3: Edge Caden Curry, G Tegra Tshabola, CB Jermaine Mathews Jr.
Round 4: DT Beau Atkinson
Round 5: RB CJ Donaldson
Round 6: WR Brandon Inniss*
Round 7: TE Will Kacmarek, Edge C.J. Hicks
Ah, yes.
Defensive tackle Beau Atkinson.
** sighs **
PUT SOME RESPECT ON HIS NAME! This week, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman polled more than two dozen Power 4 and Group of 5 coaches about the College Football Playoff. Two of the questions stood out: Who wins it all? And who’s the best coach in the field?
Which team wins it all?
- Georgia: 50%
- Ohio State: 42%
- Indiana: 4%
- Oregon: 4%
One quote: “Ohio State. Georgia seems flawed. I know Indiana just beat them but I don’t think they can beat them twice. Ohio State was pretty banged up in that game. The wideouts will be healthier. On defense, Ohio State is really sound with great players. Their red zone defense is unbelievable.” — Big Ten offensive assistant coach
Who is the best coach in the playoff?
- Kirby Smart: 50%
- Curt Cignetti: 38%
- Dan Lanning: 8%
- Joey McGure: 4%
One quote: “Both Kirby and Cignetti have their teams ready to play, and they have good game plans every week. That’s really all you can control. Kirby’s amazing. But as for who is doing the most with the least, that’s Cignetti.” — Big Ten running backs coach
Look. I don’t like to complain — and I’ve already done it twice in this Skull Session! — but let’s make it thrice. I have no issue with Georgia as the favorite or with Smart and Cignetti topping the coaching list. Smart has two national titles, and Cignetti just led Indiana to back-to-back CFP appearances and a 2025 Big Ten championship that included a win over Ohio State.
But Lanning and McGuire?
Please tell me, Power 4 and Group of 5 coaches, what either of them has accomplished that Ryan Day hasn’t.
I’ll keep waiting!
OFFSEASON ACTING LESSONS? I love Julian Sayin. But if this Wingstop and Dr. Pepper ad is any indication, the Ohio State quarterback might want to add acting lessons to his offseason to-do list before his next promotional video.
Sayin clearly has some work to do in front of the camera — but Nolan Baudo? Outstanding. That dude is special.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Mistakes" - Lake Street Dive.
CUT TO THE CHASE. The Washington Nationals are hiring 31-year-old Ani Kilambi as their new general manager... Dolphins bench Tua Tagovailoa in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers... iRobot filed for bankruptcy: How the Roomba maker got here... Forget the $1.50 Hot Dogs. Have You Tried a Costco Vacation?
