Five early Ohio State predictions for 2025: Will Michigan, Big Ten droughts end?
Ohio State opens the 2025 college football season against Texas just 12 short weeks from Saturday. Why not make some early predictions?
Looking back at my early 2024 predictions last June, I went three-for-five. I was right about Ohio State getting 14 draft picks, Will Howard winning the quarterback battle and the Buckeyes finishing with the nation's top total defense for the first time since 2019.
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Let's try to improve this year.
Does this seem obvious? Maybe. But this quarterback competition is more of a battle than last year between Will Howard and Devin Brown, so don't underestimate the uncertainty this summer.
I would give Sayin, a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024, a slim lead over Lincoln Kienholz, a four-star recruit in 2023, because of his strong spring game. The Alabama transfer completed 17 of 24 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown in the spring game, while Kienholz struggled in the first half but finished strong with 158 yards and two touchdowns.
This could go either way in preseason camp, but I think Sayin has the bigger upside and will end up edging Kienholz. If this was any other season, and the Buckeyes weren't starting with a top-five game against Texas, Ryan Day could run both quarterbacks out there like he did in 2023 with Kyle McCord and Brown.
But this year, he has to name one and run with him. I wouldn't be surprised if Day waits all the way up to game week. Regardless, I think Sayin is the guy. He's accurate, has a quick release and moves well in the pocket, which are all important traits for a 6-foot-1 quarterback.
Sayin will have some first-year struggles taking care of the ball, but if he can cut those down in camp, he'll win the competition.
Ohio State has had some good tight ends in its history, but the Purdue transfer Klare may be the most talented in recent memory.
The 6-foot-4, 238-pound junior from Cincinnati is a versatile player who can make a difference in the passing game, whether on the line of scrimmage or split out as a slot receiver. He's going to give the new starting quarterback a reliable and large target on any down and especially in the red zone.
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There's two records he should be on watch for this season: Ohio State's single-season touchdowns and receiving yards records for tight ends
Ohio State's receiving yards by a tight end record was set in 1966 by Billy Anders, who had 671 yards and averaged 74.6 yards per game in nine games. Klare can beat that, especially when you take into account the probability of at least one Playoff game. Last year at Purdue, Klare was the top option and finished with 51 catches for 685 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 57.1 yards in 12 games. If I'm going to predict a Big Ten title game appearance and at least one Playoff game, then Klare has to average just 50 yards per game in 14 games — quite doable, even if he's competing for targets with standouts like receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.
Ohio State's tight end receiving touchdowns record is seven, shared by Ricky Dudley (1995) and Jake Stoneburner (2011). What makes Klare a scoring threat isn't just the touches he'll get in the red zone, but also the fact that he's a threat after the catch. With Ohio State's receiver talent, he's going to get more 1-on-1 options than he did last year, which should lead to more opportunities after the catch.
His biggest issue might be targets, but young quarterbacks love big and reliable options, which Klare is. I like his upside no matter the quarterback.
Styles returning for his senior season was a good decision for him and the Buckeyes.
The Columbus native moved to linebacker last year from safety and looked like a natural. He's athletic enough to excel in coverage and he had 100 tackles last season, looking more and more comfortable at the line of scrimmage against the run as the season progressed.
With Cody Simon gone, he's the leader in the linebacking corps and will be able to build off his success last year, when he was a second-team All-Big Ten pick.
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Styles returns as one of the nation's top linebackers and can be in the mix for greater honors as a senior, especially as a leader on a defense that is going to rely on him to make plays behind four new starters on the defensive line.
He was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award last season, and I think he takes a step up and has a chance to join his position coach James Laurinaitis and Andy Katzenmoyer on Ohio State's list of winners — although I'll pick Texas' Anthony Hill to beat him out.
Ohio State is coming off a national title but hasn't won the Big Ten in the past four seasons. If I keep predicting a Big Ten championship, it's bound to happen one season, right? Well this year is slightly different, because I think Ohio State will lose two games in the regular season again but this time make it to Indianapolis.
The prediction here is that Ohio State will lose to open the season against Texas, which has no impact on the Big Ten race. It will beat Penn State. And it will lose for the fifth consecutive time to Michigan. I think Ohio State will be the better team, but without seeing the revamped defense and new quarterback, it's hard for me to pick Ohio State outright on the road after what's happened the past four seasons in The Game.
I could see an 11-1 season, but for now let's go with the assumption that the Buckeyes' rivalry misery continues in a loss to Michigan. If it's their only Big Ten loss, there's still a good path to the conference title.
Oregon and Penn State are the two other biggest contenders, and they play each other on Sept. 27. A guaranteed loss for one of them opens up a path for a one-conference-loss Ohio State to get in if the Buckeyes can beat the Nittany Lions at home. I think Ohio State has the team capable of beating Penn State at home, although the defensive line will need to take a step before that November matchup.
I like the potential of this year's Ohio State's team. It's OK for the Buckeyes to not be at their peak in the first week of the season, but there's a real possibility that they reach that later, stumble again against Michigan, and win their first Big Ten championship since 2020 anyway.
The Buckeyes have had a receiver drafted in the first round in each of the past four years. It began with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave in 2022 and continued with Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2023, Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2024 and Emeka Egbuka in 2025.
Jeremiah Smith will be a first-round pick in 2027, but if Ohio State is going to carry on that streak in 2026, it'll have to be Tate.
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From a pure physical standpoint, Tate has the tools to be a successful NFL receiver. He's a 6-foot-3, 191-pound receiver who runs crisp routes and has good hands. He's dropped just five passes in two seasons, according to TruMedia, totaling 70 catches for 997 yards and five touchdowns.
Tate has been overshadowed on the Ohio State roster for the past two seasons, first as a freshman by Harrison and Egbuka and then last year by Smith and Egbuka. This is the former five-star recruit's chance to get more snaps and put his talent on full display.
He's already one of the top draft-eligible receivers coming into the season, but a potential breakout season could solidify him as a first-round pick. If that's the case, how long does Ohio State's streak go? If Smith is drafted in 2027, there's a host of other five-star receivers coming in who could keep it going in 2028 and beyond.
(Photo of Carnell Tate: Joseph Maiorana / Imagn Images)
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