The rematch has almost arrived, as the days tick down until Texas tries to avenge a season-ending loss to Ohio State 8 months ago. A lot has changed with both teams, both on the coaching and personnel side, but the Buckeyes are loaded once again in 2025 and have a real chance at another deep playoff run.
Offense
Gone are QB Will Howard, RB Quinshon Judkins, RB TreVeyon Henderson, WR Emeka Egbuka, OL Donovan Jackson and TE Gee Scott. The Buckeyes are replacing a large chunk of the core of one of the best offenses in college football in 2024. Two notable returners they do have are receivers Jeremiah Smith (76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns) and Carnell Tate (52 catches for 733 yards and 4 touchdowns). The Longhorns held Smith to 1 catch for 3 yards in the CFP Semifinal matchup. Do not expect Ohio State to allow Texas to do that again.
Sophomore Julian Sayin will take over behind center for Howard. Sayin made his way to Columbus after originally signing with Alabama. Once Nick Saban announced his retirement, Sayin found a home with the Buckeyes and saw very limited action in his true freshman season (12 total passes). The scouting report in high school centered around his accuracy and quick release, something he demonstrated well in the Ohio State spring game. Sayin represents a large unknown in this matchup, but he certainly has a favorable supporting cast for a first-year starter at QB.
Sophomore RB James Peoples, a San Antonio native, and West Virginia RB CJ Donaldson will look to fill the big shoes left by Judkins and Henderson. Donaldson is the bruiser at 6’2 230 pounds and has 30 career touchdowns.
Ohio State weathered various injuries along the offensive line en route to winning the national title, and the Buckeyes will return several key members of that unit. Carson Hinzman has starting experience at guard and center, and is likely to hold down the center spot to start the season. Luke Montgomery will occupy one of the guard spots after stepping in during the playoff run and acquitting himself nicely. The question mark for the offensive line will come at RT. The Buckeyes brought in Ethan Onianwa from Rice and Phillip Daniels from Minnesota to solidify the tackle position, and it appears Daniels will start the season as the starter despite Onianwa being the more coveted player in the portal.
Defense
Any conversation about the Ohio State defense starts with Caleb Downs, who, despite being a safety, will likely be a top 5 pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Downs is a game wrecker who roams the middle of the field and has the ability to blow up plays sideline to sideline.
Joining Downs in the secondary will be CB Davison Igbinosun, CB Jermaine Matthews and fellow safety Jaylen McClain. Matthews and McClain will be stepping into starting roles for the first time in their careers.
The front seven of the Ohio State defense is undergoing almost an entire remake aside from starting middle linebacker Sonny Styles, who finished second on the team with 100 tackles in 2024. The Buckeyes are replacing 35 sacks and are hoping UNC transfer Beau Atkinson (11 career sacks) can provide some pass-rushing abilities off the edge that the team desperately needs. Eddrick Houston and Jayden McDonald will play the majority of the snaps at DT after being rotational players last season.
Final Thoughts
This is certainly a new look Ohio State team, but there is rightful optimism in Columbus when you recruit at the level the Buckeyes do and return players like Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith. Another wildcard in this game is the fact Ohio State is breaking in new coordinators in Brian Hartline (offense) and Matt Patricia (defense). Patricia hasn’t coached at the college level in over 20 years.
The Buckeyes are a slight favorite in this matchup, which makes sense considering the game is in Columbus, but Steve Sarkisian has a history of strong showings in these early season non-conference matchups and the Longhorns will get the Buckeyes when they are most vulnerable with it being the first game of the season.
