Latest news with #Bahns
USA Today
14 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
CBS Sports names Ohio State duo as one of the top five in college football for 2025
A college football team is made up of 22 individual starters on both sides of the ball (not counting special teams), and all must play in concert, do their jobs, and work together for unity and success. But some players are superstars while others are more role players, trying to hold up their end of the bargain. When you can get a duo working together on the same side of the ball, it can be even more of a treat to watch as each feeds off of each other and creates issues for opposing defenses. CBS Sports took a look at some of the best tandems in college football and tried to identify the top five heading into the 2025 college football season. Anytime we're talking about the best of the best in college football, there's a good chance Ohio State is a part of that equation, and that's the case as well with what Carter Bahns came up with. It's no secret that the Buckeyes have had an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position over the past few years, and that looks to be the case again. In fact, that's exactly where Bahns went as one of the top five tandems in college football, highlighting Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate as a dynamic duo. He sees them as the third best duo in college football this season. "Jeremiah Smith was arguably the best wide receiver in college football as a true freshman. Imagine what he can do with a full year of experience under his belt," Bahns wrote. "The Ohio State superstar enjoyed one of the most prolific freshman seasons the sport has seen in some time with his Big Ten-best 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, which more than delivered on the insane expectations he generated ahead of his Buckeyes debut. The only uncertainty around his 2025 ceiling stems from the quarterback spot, where a new starter will rise to the top of the depth chart, most likely in the form of Julian Sayin. "The Ohio State receiving corps was far from a one-man show in last year's national championship run, though, and it will not be in 2025, either. Carnell Tate was a terrific third option in Year 2 with the program and looks poised to flirt with the 1,000-yard threshold himself as he picks up a greater share of the target load. After all, he managed to accumulate 733 yards in a room that featured high-volume weapons in Smith and Emeka Egbuka." We couldn't agree more. There are ways to take one guy more or less away in a game plan at the receiver position by bracketing and shading coverage that way, but when you have another guy that's also a dangerous option, then he can often get the benefit of added attention. Look for Tate to benefit from all the traffic running Smith's way in 2025 and have a breakout campaign for the world to see. So, who does Bahns have above Smith and Tate? No. 1 is the Penn State running back tandem of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, followed by linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and defensive end Colin Simmons of Texas at No. 2. The other two tandems rounding out the top five are Clemson defensive linemen T.J. Parker and Peter Woods at No. 3, and quarterback Sam Leavitt and receiver Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State at No. 5. We can't wait to see Ohio State unleash Tate alongside the proven commodity Smith brings this fall. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
USA Today
04-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Spartans listed in bottom half of Big Ten in 247Sports' post-spring rankings
Spartans listed in bottom half of Big Ten in 247Sports' post-spring rankings See where Michigan State is listed in 247Sports' post-spring rankings for the Big Ten Michigan State football is listed as a bottom half team in the Big Ten following spring practice, according to one 247Sports' writer. Carter Bahns of 247Sports released his post-spring power rankings for the Big Ten this past week, and the Spartans to no surprise were in the bottom half of the league. Michigan State came in at No. 12 in the power rankings, which was one spot ahead of Rutgers and one spot behind Washington. The complete rankings from Bahns can be seen by clicking here or scrolling further to the embedded graphic below. Bahns had the following to say about the Spartans following spring practice: "A lot rides on Aidan Chiles taking better care of the ball in 2025. With a Big Ten-high 11 interceptions and his four lost fumbles as a first-year starter, the debut season at Michigan State was often highly frustrating. Jonathan Smith improved the roster around his quarterback, like he did on a perennial basis throughout his stellar tenure at Oregon State, and now it comes down to Chiles making the most of it. Sophomore Nick Marsh will help him do so as one of the top projected receivers in the conference." From my point of view, this seems like a fair breakdown of the Spartans and ranking from Bahns. The Spartans have the upside to climb higher in these rankings should everything click offensively with Chiles and co., but they could also fall further down the rankings if we don't see the necessary progression on that side of the ball. So No. 12 is a fair spot to slate the Spartans as we wrap up spring practice and look ahead to the fall. Michigan State opens the 2025 season against Western Michigan on August 30. Check out the complete rankings from Bahns in the graphic below: Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
