COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State coach Ryan Day has tried to make one thing clear: This season’s team is the 2025 Buckeyes, not the defending national champions.
“The team we have currently wants to leave their own legacy. They’ve made that clear,” Day said. “We’ve said before that we’re not defending national champions because we’re not defending anything. They can’t take the trophy away, but we’re looking to add to it and winning a championship with this team.”
The third-ranked Buckeyes go into their Aug. 30 titanic matchup against No. 1 Texas a much different squad than the one that beat Notre Dame to win the program's eighth national championship. They had 14 players selected in the NFL draft in April, tied for the most in program history and one off the all-time mark held by Georgia in 2023.
Ohio State also lost both coordinators. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly went to the Las Vegas Raiders and Jim Knowles became the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football with his move to No. 2 Penn State.
The Buckeyes' cupboard though is far from empty. Sophomore Jeremiah Smith established himself as one of the top wide receivers in college football last year and safety Caleb Downs is projected as a top five pick in next year's draft.
Sophomore Julian Sayin will be responsible getting the ball to Smith and the rest of the Buckeyes' skill players. Day said Sayin has been very accurate passing as well as being quick in his decision making.
Lincoln Kienholz will back up Sayin, but Day said he expects the junior to get playing time throughout the season.
Day would like to continue to develop quarterbacks throughout all four years, but he has realized the game has changed.
“In a perfect world, we would love to recruit high school players, develop them in the program for a few years and then watch them grow and build. But there’s no time. I mean, you got to win now,” Day said. “The best players play and that's the way we look at it. But as you know, we want to make sure we want to have the best players in the country, developing them and retaining them, because that’s how you keep a culture in place.”
Smith will continue to generate plenty of attention after having 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. That should give more opportunities for junior Carnell Tate, who had 52 catches last year. Purdue transfer Max Klare should also factor into the passing attack as a good underneath option.
Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has had the most daunting task of the preseason with the departure of all four starters, who were drafted in the first five rounds.
The defensive line has plenty of bodies, including defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. Johnson's biggest concern has been finding a group that can play cohesively.
Defensive end Eddrick Houston has been dealing with a leg injury, but could be ready against Texas.
“We're not worrying about how many reps they haven't had, how many games they haven't played. The whole idea is to get them ready to play one game and hope we can carry from there,” Johnson said.
Ohio State has a national championship and two trips to the College Football Playoff since 2021, but it hasn't won a Big Ten title the past four seasons. The last time the Buckeyes went that long without a conference championship was the six years from 1987 through 1992.
After the opener against Texas, the most-anticipated games will be Nov. 1 against No. 2 Penn State and Nov. 29 at 14th-ranked Michigan. Also not to be overlooked is an Oct. 11 trip to No. 12 Illinois. The Buckeyes open Big Ten play on Sept. 27 at Washington.
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FILE - Ohio State's Caleb Downs (2) in action against Marshall during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)
FILE - Ohio State head coach Ryan Day looks on before the College Football Playoff national championship game against Notre Dame, Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, File)
