Ohio State could send almost all of its starters to Mobile, Alabama, in February 2025.
On Wednesday, 859 prospects from 180 programs appeared on a watch list for the Reese's Senior Bowl. Ohio State's 18 prospects ranked No. 5 behind Ole Miss (21), Texas A&M (20), Georgia (20) and Alabama (19).
18 Buckeyes named to The 2025 @seniorbowl Watch List pic.twitter.com/Zmi128yvlC
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 21, 2024
All of Ohio State's 18 nominees are potential starters for the Buckeyes this season. On offense, quarterback Will Howard, running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, tight ends Gee Scott Jr. and Will Kacmarek and offensive linemen Donovan Jackson, Josh Fryar and Josh Simmons could travel to South Alabama's campus this winter. Defensive ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, defensive tackles Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton, linebacker Sonny Styles, cornerbacks Denzel Burke, Jordan Hancock and Davison Igbinosun and safety Lathan Ransom could do the same as representatives of the defense.
Of those nominees, three are juniors: Judkins, Styles and Igbinosun. In 2023, the Senior Bowl announced that draft-eligible underclassmen could participate in the postseason all-star game. The Senior Bowl invited 15 underclassmen to the 2024 game, including former Ohio State defensive tackle Mike Hall, who later became the Cleveland Browns' second-round pick.
"The timing of last year's junior announcement wasn't ideal in terms of connecting with and recruiting those underclassmen, so we feel like that's an area we can improve this year," Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said in a statement. "The junior thing is a delicate area for us. We have worked hard over the years to develop trusted relationships with college coaches, so we were carefully selective in putting underclassmen on this year's watch list."
In addition to his comments about underclassmen, Nagy also shared that the Senior Bowl watch list is "just a starting point" as college football enters the 2024 season, leaving room for offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin, linebacker Cody Simon and other Buckeyes to make an appearance in Mobile.
"Film is the most important criteria in our selection process," Nagy said, "and every player will be re-evaluated based on their tape this fall. We know how hard you all have worked since last season, so we owe it to you to stay open-minded and exhaustive in our process."
