Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 9 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Ohio State's high-rolling NIL sup- porters splurged to keep the team's roster mostly intact last year in hope of winning a national championship. They got what they wanted, but then they got something less desirable: a mass exodus to the NFL. A school-record-tying 14 Buckeyes were drafted in April, and another three signed free agent deals. At a lot of places, that sort of talent drain — four of those draftees were selected in the first round — would seriously erode expectations the following year. Ohio State is not a lot of places. Does anyone really think the Buckeyes are going to fall particularly far, if at all? They send more talent to the NFL than just about any team in the country on an annual basis, yet it's been 14 years since they've lost more than two games in a season. They've won a couple of national championships in that span, and it would be wildly premature to suggest that they lack the manpower to win another one this fall. All that said, they do need a relative newcomer — redshirt sophomore quarter- back Julian Sayin — to take full command of the offense on Day 1. With Texas set to visit the Horseshoe on opening day, Sayin won't have time to grow into the job. That's a lot of pressure on a young player who has attempted just 12 passes to this point in his college career, espe- cially with the Longhorns eager to avenge last year's loss to Ohio State in the Col- lege Football Playoff semifinals. But Sayin transferred to OSU after signing initially with Alabama, so he knows something about high expectations. It helps that he'll be working with the best receiver in college football. Jeremiah Smith looked like he was ready for the NFL last year as a true freshman, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touch- downs and earning first-team All-Amer- ica honors from USA Today, as well as Big Ten Receiver of the Year notice. The Buckeyes also return wideout Car- nell Tate, who had 52 catches for 733 yards last season, and they landed a potential high-impact transfer in tight end Max Klare. Even as part of a Purdue offense that struggled mightily, Klare caught 51 passes for 685 yards and earned third- team All-Big Ten notice. The Buckeyes do have some holes to fill on the offensive line, where three starters have departed, and in the backfield. Also, they'll be adjusting to a new offensive co- ordinator, with longtime receivers coach Brian Hartline succeeding Chip Kelly in that role. But there's still a wealth of talent on this side of the ball. On the opposite side, the Buckeyes have a playmaker in safety Caleb Downs. In his first season in Columbus after transfer- ring from Alabama, Downs was a force at all three levels. He had 81 tackles, in- cluding 7.5 for loss, 6 pass breakups and 2 interceptions. As with the offense, there's some re- building to be done on the defensive side, and the guy in charge of that project — coordinator Matt Patricia — is new both to Ohio State and to college football. He's been in the NFL for nearly all of the past two decades, though he did spend three years as a graduate assistant at Syracuse early in his coaching career. Just how well Patricia adapts to the col- lege game remains to be seen, but as Ohio State has shown again and again, success comes a lot easier when you have talent and depth at nearly every position. — Matt Herb N O V . 1 | T I M E T B A | T V T B A | O H I O S T A D I U M | C O L U M B U S , O H I O GAME 8 OHIO STATE 2025 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2024 Result Aug. 30 Texas W, 28-14 Sept. 6 Grambling — Sept. 13 Ohio — Sept. 27 at Washington — Oct. 4 Minnesota — Oct. 11 at Illinois — Oct. 18 at Wisconsin — Nov. 1 Penn State W, 20-13 Nov. 8 at Purdue W, 45-0 Nov. 15 UCLA — Nov. 22 Rutgers — Nov. 29 at Michigan L, 13-10 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Ohio State leads, 25-14 Last Meeting: The visiting Buckeyes held Penn State to 270 yards of total offense and rallied back from an early 10-0 deficit en route to a 20-13 win on Nov. 2, 2024 Head Coach: Ryan Day (70-10 in six full seasons and one partial campaign at Ohio State; career coaching record: same) 2024 Record: 14-2, 7-2 Big Ten Returning Starters: 9 (4 offense, 3 defense, 2 specialists) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB James Peoples (197 yards, 2 TD) Passing: QB Julian Sayin (84 yards, 1 TD) Receiving: WR Jeremiah Smith (1,315 yards, 15 TD) Tackles: LB Sonny Styles (100) Sacks: LB Sonny Styles (6) Interceptions: S Caleb Downs, CB Davison Igbinosun (2) BEST-CASE SCENARIO It's not a "natty or bust" kind of season like last year, but the Buckeyes certainly have that potential. WORST-CASE SCENARIO A fifth consecutive loss to Michigan would put a damper on whatever else the Buckeyes may accomplish. Jeremiah Smith was honored as the Big Ten's Receiver of the Year and Freshman of the Year following the 2024 season. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER