2025 Season: Are You Ready For Some Football?

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Julian Sayin will set records, and 3 other bold 2025 Ohio State football predictions

With the Ohio State football season just three weeks away, we give you some bold predictions for the 2025 season.

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Julian Sayin will set records, and 3 other bold 2025 Ohio State football predictions​

With the Ohio State football season just three weeks away, we give you some bold predictions for the 2025 season.

The Ohio State football team will start its season in just three weeks. Coming off a national championship, they are expecting to compete for a national title again his year. The coaches think so, and they have them ranked as the second-best team in the country.

As we get closer to the season opener against Texas, we will give you some bold predictions. We'll start with Julian Sayin, who is the projected starting quarterback for the Buckeyes this season.

1. Julian Sayin will set the Ohio State single-season touchdown passing record

No one in Ohio State football history was more prolific at throwing touchdowns than Dwayne Haskins back in 2018. He threw for 50 touchdowns in his only season as the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Sayin is going to throw for more touchdowns than that.

2. Jeremiah Smith will win the Heisman Trophy​

Only two other wide receivers have won the Heisman Trophy. Ryan Day coached against one of them in the 2020 national championship, as he watched Devonta Smith torch his defense. Smith is arguably more talented than Smith, and he's just a sophomore.

3. The Ohio State football team finally ends the losing streak to TTUN​

After unlocking a more aggressive play style on offense in the College Football Playoff, Day knows what needs to be done. He will no longer be stubborn and try to win the rushing battle in The Game. He will make sure that Sayin spreads the ball out to the incredible playmakers he has on the outside.

4. Ohio State will win back-to-back national championships​

This team might not have a lot of momentum on the recruiting trail, but the current roster is still one of the most talented rosters in all of college football. Defensively, there might be some issues early on in the season as Matt Patricia tries to adjust to the college game.

Once that early trial period is over, Caleb Downs and the rest of the Buckeyes are going to figure out how to slow down opposing offenses. Smith won't be stopped, and Ohio State will hoist the championship trophy for the second straight year.

 

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The Columbus Dispatch sends strong message on Ohio State's Brian Hartline, Matt Patricia after Texas win

The Columbus Dispatch's Brian Hedger revealed that Brian Hartline and Matt Patricia got what they wanted against Texas.

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The Columbus Dispatch sends strong message on Ohio State's Brian Hartline, Matt Patricia after Texas win​

The Ohio State Buckeyes accomplished every mission they aimed to against the Texas Longhorns during their 14-7 Week 1 victory at the "Shoe" on Saturday.

As The Columbus Dispatch's Brian Hedger noted, OSU's play-callers on both ends of the ball, offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, were able to slow the game down exactly as they envisioned.

The great Woody Hayes' name was evoked, with Hedger believing the 205–61–10 Buckeyes head coach would've loved OSU's performance against Texas.

"It wasn't pretty by the modern standards of college football, but No. 3 Ohio State's gritty 14-7 toppling of the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns in a pageantry-filled opener Aug. 30 at Ohio Stadium was something for purists to savor," Hedger wrote.

"Woody Hayes would've loved this one.

"Anyway, there wasn't a lot of offense, and that was A-OK by Ohio State. That's largely how the Buckeyes' coaching staff drew up its game plan against the Longhorns. Gritty and tough, like overcooked steak, was the point."

Hartline and Patricia earned their keep on Ryan Day's staff with the win against the Longhorns. ESPN's Bill Connelly sent a warning before the season that the two needed to justify their salaries and seats.

"In terms of raw recruiting rankings, Ohio State is going to have more talent than every team on its regular-season schedule except maybe Texas in Week 1. (The Buckeyes will have more than almost anyone they might play in the CFP, too.) In Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs, the Buckeyes might have the best offensive and defensive players in the country. Talent wins, and Ohio State will win a lot this season. But at some point, two new coordinators will be asked to earn their salaries," Connelly wrote.

"On offense, Ryan Day is handing the reins to Brian Hartline, who served as coordinator -- with Day still calling plays -- in 2023 when the Buckeyes crashed to 34th in offensive SP+. When Day decided to give up playcalling, he brought in Chip Kelly to take the job and won a national title with him. With Kelly off to the Las Vegas Raiders, it is Hartline's turn again. We'll have no idea if he's ready to be a master playcaller until we see him calling plays. And when Jim Knowles left for Penn State, Day replaced him with Matt Patricia. As I wrote in my Big Ten preview, 'he has loads of NFL experience and was mentored by Bill Belichick, but the last time he performed well in any capacity (from a statistical standpoint) was 2016.' Is he ready?"

So far, so good.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Disagrees with the NCAA’s Decision For One Transfer Portal Window in January, Expresses Confidence That the Buckeyes Will Sign “A Great Class” in 2026

Ryan Day disagrees with the NCAA's decision to have one January transfer window in college football and expresses confidence that the Buckeyes will sign "a great class" in 2026.

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Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Disagrees with the NCAA’s Decision For One Transfer Portal Window in January, Expresses Confidence That the Buckeyes Will Sign “A Great Class” in 2026​

• On Will Kacmarek: "I think anybody would like to have a teammate like this," Day said. "He's hard-working. He's a good teammate. He's smart. And I think he's getting better every day."
• On Ohio State’s win over Grambling State: “When you’re in a matchup that isn’t even, which is what it was — and by the way, going back and watching the film on Grambling, I thought those guys played really hard, I have a lot of respect for them, I think they’re gonna have a good year. But we know that wasn’t a matchup game. … There was definitely some good. I think it was great to get guys some film, get on film and correct some things.”
• Day called Ohio State’s punt returning a “red flag” coming out of the Grambling State game. "That's an area coming out of the game that we've got to improve on, for sure. I think we lost 47 hidden yards with the ball bouncing around on the ground. A couple of them were very difficult because they weren't very well hit, but other ones I feel like we could have fielded. It's not just one thing. Brandon (Inniss) is still gonna return punts for us, but we also have Jeremiah (Smith) that we can put back there, Carnell (Tate), Caleb (Downs), if we need to. We're gonna stick to it, but we got to get better. There's no question. That's something coming out of the game that was a red flag that we got to get fixed."
• Ryan Day said Ohio State hopes to have Logan George play this week. The Idaho State transfer defensive end is coming back from an injury, but Day expects George to have a full week of practice this week.
• Day praised Lincoln Kienholz for his performance against Grambling State and has confidence Kienholz can continue to improve this season. "We're gonna need both he and Julian this year. We'll keep figuring out how that fits. I think he had a good week of practice last week, and if he can piggyback the game he had on Saturday with another solid week here, I think that's good for the team.
• On Kienholz, Day added: "He's a good leader. Guys respect him. He's a good athlete. He's a good player. So, he's working hard at it. He knows at some point he's gonna get his chance, and when he does, he's got to continue to keep pushing and make the best of it. I have a lot of respect for Linc. That room is pretty tight."
• On Max Klare: "I think he's playing faster and faster. You watch the film the other day, I mean, he was moving around well. He didn't get as many touches, but the tight ends did. We'll keep building the package for him, but I think he's gotten faster and faster as he's come out of camp. Excited to see where the next couple of games go."
• On Ohio State scheduling a nonconference game against Ohio: "I think it's good for the state. I think it's great for their school; I think it's great for our school," Day said. "When you're from the state of Ohio, having a memory of playing in the Horseshoe during your college career is significant. We know these guys are gonna be playing with their hair on fire."
• Day called Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro “a winner.” He said: "You watch what he's done against two Power Five opponents, one Big Ten opponent — he's done some really good things. He's spread the ball around. He can make plays off-schedule. He's got good quickness. Competitive player. Ultimately, he's a winner. He did that last week (against West Virginia). It's a good challenge for us."
• Day said nobody batted an eye when Jeremiah Smith dropped two passes vs. Texas because of how hard he works in practice. “He sets the example every day.”
• Ohio State's 2026 class currently ranks No. 9 in the 247Sports composite, but Ryan Day still has "all the confidence in the world" that the Buckeyes will sign a great class.
• Day added on recruiting: "It really comes down to once you get to December, that's what's gonna matter. Now more than ever, you've seen guys commit some place, go somewhere else and things change. We feel like we have some really good guys committed right now, and we're gonna make a hard push here over the next couple of months to finish out the class and then figure out what's right in the transfer portal for us."
• Day said “fit” matters for Ohio State in recruiting. “We feel like it's really important to make sure we have the right guys and the right fit. Our coaches are working hard towards that. I have all the confidence in the world we're gonna sign a great class."
• Ryan Day doesn't agree with college football's lone transfer portal window being in January. "I don't think it's a good idea at all. In the conversations we had with the Big Ten coaches, I think the majority of them agree — I just don't quite understand how for teams that are playing in the playoffs are expected to make the decisions and sign their upcoming players while they're still getting ready to play for games. It doesn't make any sense to me.”
• On the lone transfer window, Day added: "I know the calender is funky, but I know that the Big Ten and Tony Petitti has been working hard, because he doesn't believe it either. The coaches in the Big Ten had a lot of long discussions about that and tried to work through the different windows, but I don't agree with it being in January."

 

[ScriptOhio]

Stat Pack: Where Ohio State stands statistically after Week 2​

Offense​

Scoring offense: 42.0 points per game - tied for 29th nationally, 7th in the Big Ten (Last week: 14 points per game - tied for 105th nationally, 16th in the Big Ten)
Total offense: 427.0 yards per game - 51st nationally, 8th in the Big Ten (Last week: 203.0 yards per game - tied for 131st nationally, 18th in the Big Ten)
Passing offense: 251.5 yards per game - tied for 50th nationally, tied for 10th in the Big Ten (Last week: 126.0 yards per game - tied for 116th nationally, 17th in the Big Ten)
Rushing offense: 175.5 yards per game - 57th nationally, 8th in the Big Ten (Last week: 77.0 yards per game - tied for 119th nationally, 17th in the Big Ten
Third down conversions: 42.11 percent - tied for 64th nationally, 11th in the Big Ten (Last week: 25.00 percent - tied for 115th nationally, 16th in the Big Ten)
Red zone conversions: 88.89 percent - tied for 58th nationally, tied for 9th in the Big Ten (Last week: 100 percent - tied for 1st nationally, tied for 1st in the Big Ten)
Sacks allowed: 0 - tied for 1st nationally, tied for first in the Big Ten (Last week: 0 - tied for 1st nationally, tied for first in the Big Ten)

Defense​

Scoring defense: 3.5 points per game - tied for 2nd nationally, 1st in the Big Ten (Last week: 7.0 points per game - tied for 20th nationally, tied for 5th in the Big Ten
Total defense: 251.0 yards per game - 32nd nationally, 9th in the Big Ten (Last week: 336.0 yards per game - tied for 77th nationally, 14th in the Big Ten)
Pass defense: 121.0 yards pr game - 16th nationally, 3rd in the Big Ten (Last week: 170.0 yards per game - tied for 63rd nationally, 11th in the Big Ten)
Rush defense: 130.0 yards per game - 69th nationally, 13th in the Big Ten (Last week: 166.0 yards per game - tied for 101st nationally, 13th in the Big Ten)
Opponent third down conversions: 28.57 percent - tied for 41st nationally, 8th in the Big Ten (Last week: 35.71 percent - tied for 74th nationally, tied for 11th in the Big Ten)
Opponent red zone conversions: 0 percent - 1st nationally, 1st in the Big Ten (Last week: 0 percent - tied for 1st nationally, tied for 1st in the Big Ten)
Sacks: 3 - tied for 80th nationally, tied for 12th in the Big Ten (Last week: 1 - tied for 87th nationally, tied for 13th in the Big Ten)

Special teams​

Punting: 43.57 yards per punt - 59th nationally, 7th in the Big Ten (Last week: 43.3 yards per punt - tied for 74th nationally, tied for 7th in the Big Ten)
Field goals: N/A (Last week: N/A)
Extra points: 100 percent - tied for 1st nationally, tied for 1st in the Big Ten (Last week: 100 percent - tied for 1st nationally, tied for 1st in the Big Ten)
Kickoff return: 17.0 yards per return - tied for 92nd nationally, 15th in the Big Ten (Last week: 0 yards per return - N/A)
Punt return: 8.0 yards per return - tied for 62nd nationally, tied for 8th in the Big Ten (Last week: 0 yards per return - N/A)