(Photo: Heavy Sports)
2025 Recap: They entered last season as the defending champs and after watching their first game against the Texas Longhorns, I saw this defense in a different light after making Arch Manning’s debut look miserable. I was also wondering how this group would respond after losing Jim Knowles to the Penn State Nittany Lions, but Matt Patricia came in and did just fine! Will Howard was gone and Julian Sayin came in and was actually productive as a Quarterback for the Buckeyes. Whenever I watched their defense, I was sometimes reminded of 2021 Georgia with how they made you think you had a chance, but they’d impose their will on you. Ohio State would go onto complete an undefeated regular season which included them snapping their losing streak to the Michigan Wolverines. Unfortunately, they lost the Big Ten title game to the Indiana Hoosiers and would lose in the College Football Playoff to the Miami Hurricanes.
Key Departures: WR Carnell Tate, EDGE Arvell Reese, EDGE/LB Sonny Styles, S Caleb Downs & DT Kayden McDonald.
2026 Prediction: I see Ohio State playing with a chip on their shoulder entering this year, especially with how their season ended last year. With Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson all returning for another year, this offense will be just fine and though the defense lost some key pieces, I expect them to regroup as well as this is one of those programs that never rebuilds, they just continue to land the best prospects. The cupboard however isn’t bare defensively and even with new names coming into fill voids, Matt Patricia will find answers and work with what he has around him. The Buckeyes will get to another conference title game and make another run at a national title once again. I can’t wait to see that week two game in Austin against the Texas Longhorns.
