With the second bye week having come and gone, the Buckeyes enter the final stretch of the season with two stiff tests and five total games remaining.
Ohio State enters that stretch undefeated at 7-0 and ranked first in the nation. Despite heavy losses to the NFL and a having a new defensive coordinator, the Buckeyes have hardly missed a beat in picking up where the 2024 national championship team left off — run game struggles notwithstanding.
For all its struggles this season, Penn State has a ton
of talent and will not be an easy out at the Horseshoe on Saturday, regardless of what Vegas says about the point spread. Similarly, the bookend at the other side of the final five games is a trip to Ann Arbor to try to break a streak of (largely self-inflicted) futility in recent years against Michigan.
The Buckeyes should be able to handle Purdue, UCLA, and Rutgers in between those two big games, but nothing is certain in college football.
How did Ohio State get to this point? Excellence acoss the board. Still, some players stand out more than others, and it’s worth a look back to see which Buckeyes have stood out as MVP candidates.
5. Caleb Downs
While there haven’t been a ton of memorable game-changing plays by Downs this season, he continues to be a difference maker in the way OSU opponents approach their offensive game plans.
Downs’ presence and ability to move all over the field prior to the snap allow Matt Patricia to not only disguise his looks before the snap, but also to play some unconventional defenses. Downs might be locked up on the tight end one play, run blitzing the next, dropping to play zone under the slot receiver, and so forth.
Downs ranks third on the Buckeyes in total tackles (34) but leads Ohio State in unassisted stops (24). That latter stat is important given how often he’s trusted to operate on an island. The safety has recorded two tackles for loss, an interception, and a quarterback hurry this season as well.
But aside from stats, it’s the opposition’s need to account for him at the snap that makes him so valuable to the OSU defense.
It’s a testament to the guys ahead of him on this list for their play rather than anything wrong with Downs that has him at my fifth spot.
4. Carnell Tate
Think of this as 3b more than number 4. Tate has stepped up his game and is showing that he should be a future NFL draft pick in the first half of the first round.
The junior receiver has been among the nation’s best in explosive plays down the field. Of his 34 receptions on the season, 20 of Tate’s grabs have netted more than 10 yards, nine have gone for at least 20 yards, eight have surpassed 30 yards, and six have eclipsed a whopping 40 yards this season. Tate averages 17.3 yards per catch and has amassed 587 receiving yards to go along with six touchdowns in 2025.
Beyond the numbers, it’s the way Tate has made his catches that has been most impressive. Buckeye fans have lost count of how many times he’s gone high on the sideline to bring down a Julian Sayin pass and has still been able to drag a toe (or two) in the field of play to complete a big catch.
His touchdown over two defenders in traffic against Wisconsin has to be making NFL scouts salivate and pine for draft day. Tate has been great.
3. Jeremiah Smith
If Tate is 3b, Smith is 3a, just edging his talented teammate in a battle of WR1-type receivers. The true sophomore has more receptions (49), yards (602) and touchdowns (7) than Tate, but not a lot more. His 12.3 yards per catch is just third best on the Buckeyes behind Tate and Will Kacmarek (although the latter only has six catches total this season).
What gives Smith the edge over Tate is that his presence is opening things up for Tate and he’s still putting up impressive numbers. Opposing teams are giving cornerbacks safety help to limit deep plays to Smith, but despite getting all of that extra attention, Smith seems capable of picking up about eight yards on virtually every play.
His talent and speed force teams to give him enough cushion that Ohio State could simply throw to Smith all the way down the field if that’s what it wanted to do. With a safety always paying attention to Smith, Tate is feasting and showing off his considerable talent, and you’ve got to give Smith some credit for those plays being open.
2. Arvell Reese
There was a lot of angst about the departure of Jim Knowles after the 2024 national championship, and it’s safe to say that not everyone was convinced Patricia was the right hire by Ryan Day when it was announced. I’ve lost track of the social media posts I’ve seen from people admitting they were wrong about the hire or wondering aloud if Ohio State’s defense is better in 2025 than it was a year ago.
Patricia has answered a lot of critics.
A big part of the reason for the stuff in the above paragraph is the play of linebacker Arvell Reese. Patricia moves Reese around like he does with Downs, and the linebacker’s unusual combination of size, strength, and speed have had him blowing up plays all over the field.
Reese was the spy that kept Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. from his effective improvisation in the Buckeyes’ first road conference game this season. Reese was huge against Texas in the opener, and he’s continued to be a vital cog in the defensive machine ever since.
Reese leads the Buckeyes in tackles (42) and is second in both tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (5.5). He also has two quarterback hurries and two pass breakups on the season. But it’s Reese’s roaming around before every play that has helped give opposing quarterbacks brain lock. He’s been excellent against the run — especially when opponents try to get to the edge — and the pass.
There are few players in the college game like Reese and he’ll be making plays on Sundays sooner than we’d like.
1. Julian Sayin
Ohio State’s first-year starting quarterback has done whatever Day has asked him to do.
He’s managed some games, while in others, he’s slung the ball all over the field to his stable of gifted receivers. Sayin has been so good in 2025 that when he misses a read or a throw every once in awhile, one must remind one’s self that this guy has only started a few college football games.
Sayin leads the nation with an insane 80% completion percentage He’s thrown for 1,872 yards, averaging 9.6 yards per attempt (fourth highest in the country) with 19 touchdowns and three interceptions. His efficiency, accuracy, and poise contradict his lack of experience, as the first-year starter has made a habit of putting passes where only his receiver can get it.
He’s not forced many passes and has gladly found Tate, Max Klare, and others when opposing teams have dedicated extra resources to stopping Smith. Sayin has been magnificent, even when the coaching staff has put training wheels on the offense against some of the Buckeyes’ tougher opponents.
Obviously the team wouldn’t have gotten to 7-0 without more than five guys making plays. Some guys barely missed this list and could still make their push for team MVP by season’s end.
Here are the guys on my “others receiving votes” list:
- Sonny Styles
- Caden Curry
- Kenyatta Jackson
- Kayden McDonald
- Austin Siereveld
- Carson Hinzman
- Max Klare
- Jermaine Mathews Jr.
