Can Ryan Day whip up a scond straight national championship? Here are three big questions the Buckeyes must answer in the 2025 season, courtesy of reader and FanPoster ProveIt.
Don’t buy into a false narrative about Ohio State only 7 returning starters – most of the 2025 starters are familiar names, because most were part of the 2024 rotation.
Rather than going through a roster of names, here’s a few notes:
Roster Overview
14 players were drafted, OSU would have tied the record if Rimington Trophy winner Seth McLaughlin
didn’t miss the end of the season with an Achilles Tendon injury. You don’t just reload after losing this amount of talent, there’s going to be a drop-off.
DL – Day brought in a starting DE through the portal, but didn’t find an upgrade at DT. Look for more rotation at DE, more stunts to get a pass rush (a result of Patricia’s NFL background), and panic any time a DT goes down. I almost made this a 4th assignment for Day, but citing depth seemed too much like a 1st world problem.
TE – Entering as the transfer portal #1 TE is rs So Max Klare from Purdue, fresh off a season of 51 catches for 685 yards and 4 TDs. No shock he left Purdue, but my reaction was “Why would a receiving TE pick OSU?” – OSU is not going to feature passing to a TE with their talent at WR.
He is expected to split time with rs Sr Will Kacmarek, a previous transfer from Ohio University who is considered the better blocker.
RB – I thought WVU transfer CJ Donaldson Jr. game film looked pedestrian, a big back but not a lot of speed or quickness. He shed a whopping 20 lbs making it hard to predict his performance now. He just recently lost his black stripe, a tradition where players wear a black stripe down the middle of their helmets until they show improvement in practice – taking this long to lose your black stripe is not a good sign.
I expect he gets overshadowed by 4* sophomore James Peoples, who looks to have the skills you want in a RB – vision, patience, balance, quickness, acceleration, top speed, run through arm tackles, break tackles, lean and lower his shoulders to plow into defenders for the additional yardage.
The big question for both is their ability to block.
OL – After years of relying on the portal, OSU has enough OL talent to make portal transfers an upgrade, not a necessity. OSU learned their lesson from 2024, shifting OL starters around in fall and early spring practice to be ready to address possible injuries.
LB – hard to predict their ceiling and role under a new DC, but they could be draft prospects. Expect Patricia to get them more involved in the pass rush.
WR, S, CB – studs, I expect almost all of the starters to eventually get drafted.
Ryan Day’s 3 Off-Season Assignments
Individually I expect Day to resolve each of these, but combined I expect at least 1 to trip him up.
1. New Offensive Coordinator
Chip Kelly wanted to leave being a HC to concentrate on player development and Xs and Os as an OC, and he wanted to leave college coaching for the NFL (now with Las Vegas Raiders). Day understood Kelly’s time would be brief – Kelly was brought in to win a Natty. Mission accomplished.
Brian Hartline was made OC in 2023 and failed miserably, replaced mid-season by Day. I am not buying that he improved considerably in 1 year under Kelly with the fictitious title “Co-Offensive Coordinator.” I think its likely Day returns to defacto OC, which isn’t good with his other HC responsibilities and preference to move between position groups.
2. New Defensive Coordinator
Jim Knowles is probably the best Xs and Os and game film DC in college football. He is also a lousy recruiter, player comments suggest he distanced himself from players, he seemed to lock in on failed ideas (such as continually wanting to mix in 3-4 formations that failed miserably every time), and rumors indicate he was frequently at odds with other staff. Lots of reasons for his departure were suggested, but I think he was just not a cultural fit for Day’s staff. He should be a huge boost for PSU.
Enter new DC Matt Patricia, whose experience is almost entirely in the NFL. He was a surprise hire given he hasn’t crossed paths with Day in the past. So far he has gained accolades from players and other defensive assistants.
Patricia’s hiring came with a lot of criticism. I don’t follow the NFL, but the criticisms have focused on the irrelevant, centered around Patricia’s time as an offensive assistant, head coach, and positions he filled mid-season, while skipping over his success as a defensive assistant and defensive play caller.
I am concerned if Patricia can adapt to the college game, where the play is slower than the NFL, and you can’t overcomplicate reads with less experienced players.
3. New Quarterback
Day says there’s an ongoing battle to be the starting QB, Buckeye fans roll their eyes – Day always claims there’s a QB battle. Kienholz will not be the starter — he made no game appearances in 2024, fans were surprised he didn’t enter the portal with his 2 years of eligibility.
Enter Julian Sayin, now in just his 2nd year – originally signed with Bama, started classes, Saban retired, Sayin immediately transferred, I doubt he was at Bama long enough to be assigned a locker.
Fans wished Sayin had gotten more snaps last year, he only attempted 12 passes in garbage time. The main reason not to be concerned is Day didn’t go looking for a QB in the portal.
What say you, reader? Do YOU see cause for concern with the 2025 Buckeyes lineup? Will Ryan Day rise to the occasion again? Sound off in the comments — and thanks to ProveIt for previewing Ohio State for us at Off Tackle Empire.
