Surprise, surprise, Ohio State has a stupendous stockpile of weapons on offense.
Top wide receivers Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss were quiet in limited reps in the Buckeyes’ spring game, but their top backup, Mylan Graham, was among numerous offensive skill pieces to put on a show, including tight end Max Klare and running back Bo Jackson.
Quarterback Julian Sayin had a great outing for the Buckeyes, while defensive end Logan George and linebacker Payton Pierce led the standouts on that side of the ball for Ohio State.
WR Mylan Graham
It’s the case every year, but it bears repeating: Brian Hartline’s wide receiver room is absolutely ludicrous.
So...Mylan Graham is cooking today. pic.twitter.com/SBuzvzLPwo
— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) April 12, 2025
There is a long line of major college football teams that would pay top NIL dollar to have a No. 1 wide receiver who can make a play like that. Graham, Ohio State’s No. 4 wide receiver, took a simple glance route and glided 49 yards past the Buckeyes’ secondary, showcasing the speed, acceleration and smooth movement that made him a five-star prospect. He made many more plays on Saturday.
Graham closed the spring game with four receptions for 104 yards and the touchdown, making another impressive snag on an intermediate throw over the middle while cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. fought him every inch of the way.
“His route running is excellent, athleticism is excellent,” Day said of Graham after the spring game. “His attention to detail is excellent. The biggest thing with Mylan has been just finishing the catches, which you saw him do some today. That's been his emphasis. Finish contested catches. Catch it clean and then put the ball away. He had a big run after the catch, that ball was loose. You could see it. So he's going to learn to tighten that up. … He knows what he has to work on, but he has all the tools it takes to be the next great one.”
QB Julian Sayin
Each of Ohio State’s quarterbacks had moments in the spring game and Lincoln Kienholz had a strong second half, but easily the most impressive was Sayin, who now appears the frontrunner for the starting job exiting spring practice. He finished 17-of-24 for 158 yards and a touchdown, with a few drops and a Quincy Porter slip mixed into the incompletions.
Arguably his best toss was his touchdown throw, a deep strike to tight end Max Klare up the seam that was beautifully layered between three defenders.
“I thought Julian, for the most part, early on was in rhythm and moved the team down the field for a couple touchdowns, which was good,” Day said. “Made some nice throws. There's certainly a lot to grow from.”
Purdue transfer TE Max Klare split the safety coverage down the seam, and Sayin found him for a touchdown, with a pass placed over LB Arvell Reese and between safeties Caleb Downs and Malik Hartford. pic.twitter.com/9hK9wmgFtN
— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) April 12, 2025
LB Payton Pierce
Ohio State’s stadium announcer must have gotten tired of calling Pierce’s name on Saturday.
It seemed Pierce was in on a tackle every other play he was on the field. He delivered a forearm shiver that knocked freshman guard Jake Cook to the ground before hunting down one of the Buckeyes’ talented running backs for a tackle for loss in perhaps his biggest highlight of the day. Late in the first half, he sniffed out a screen pass to force a throwaway and a third-down stop.
RB Bo Jackson
Jackson, a freshman, is another player gaining tons of momentum this spring. One of the biggest standouts from Ohio State’s Student Appreciation Day scrimmage, he was the Buckeyes’ leading rusher in the spring game, picking up 88 yards on 13 carries (6.8 yards per carry) and a touchdown.
Whether between the tackles or on the perimeter, Jackson made big plays with the ball in his hands. He broke four tackles, by this writer’s count, on one inside run for a pickup of around 15 yards, then later had a run loop out toward the right sideline for a 27-yard gain. There’s a lot of competition in the Ohio State running back room, but Jackson could command some carries in year one.
TE Max Klare
Klare had two receptions for 28 yards and the touchdown seen above, both clean grabs showing why he was a crown jewel of Ohio State’s transfer portal haul. He’s the top piece of a tight end room that demonstrated its prowess as one of the nation’s best in 2025, as the Buckeyes’ tight ends combined for 10 receptions, 114 yards and two scores in the spring game.
“It's quick to point out how quick Max gets down the field, how quick he is in and out of his breaks, his ball skills,” Day said. “We're going to work really hard this summer on some of the route running and how he does that. But he's going to be a weapon for us here in the fall.”
Nickel Lorenzo Styles Jr.
Another strong showing at nickel this spring gives Styles another step toward locking down Ohio State’s starting nickel role despite the push of talented backup cornerbacks like Aaron Scott Jr. and Devin Sanchez to push Jermaine Mathews Jr. inside and make room. Styles never seemed out of phase when challenged in coverage, preventing a touchdown by being in lockstep with his receiver on one first-half play and recording a pass breakup on another.
DE Logan George
On an overall disappointing day for Ohio State’s defensive line – Day said the Buckeyes will take a “hard look” at transfer portal options along the DL afterward – George showcased the tools that had him rack up 19.5 tackles for loss last season at Idaho State. He was a constant disruptor in the running game, racking up plenty of tackles. He also pressured the scarlet side's quarterback a few times.
“I think we've got to figure out how we can best utilize Logan this fall,” Day said. “So that's going to be a topic of conversation. What's the best fit? How does he fit? What's his role? Because he has strong hands. He's got physicality to him. And when he first came here in those two weeks leading into the playoffs, or during the playoffs, our guys had a hard time blocking him. You could recognize he had heavy hands, and so we've seen some of that this spring.”
S Faheem Delane
The highly-touted freshman made an early impression in his first spring game, making a perfect read of a telegraphed throw to the flats by Tavien St. Clair for an interception that Delane almost ran back for a pick-six. He added a handful of tackles.
RB Sam Williams-Dixon
Williams-Dixon is battling with Jackson to be Ohio State’s No. 3 back behind James Peoples and CJ Donaldson this fall and made his own strong case for playing time in the spring game. Showcasing some shiftiness, Williams-Dixon collected 11 carries for 64 yards and two receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown on a wheel route.
LB Sonny Styles
Styles is starting to combine his freakish athleticism with better and better instincts. He shot into the scarlet side’s backfield to blow up two running plays. His reps were limited like many of Ohio State’s veterans, but it’s clear he’s building on his linebacker skills with a full season at the position now under his belt.
EDGE C.J. Hicks
Hicks made an early flash in his move from linebacker to rush end, recording a sack in Ohio State’s spring game. He’ll need to develop more consistency against the run and in pressuring quarterbacks this preseason camp, but it’s clear he’s already made strides.
WR Quincy Porter
Porter made up for an early slip with four receptions for 50 yards, including a big play on a go route that he caught off the hand of St. Clair. The first freshman to shed his black stripe this year, he’s already solidifying a spot on a loaded wide receiver two-deep.
TE Nate Roberts
Roberts could be fifth in the tight end pecking order come fall, but in the spring game, he displayed the talent that made him the No. 10 tight end in the recruiting class of 2025. Roberts hauled in four catches for 41 yards, the best being a seam route that snuck behind Ohio State’s linebackers for a big gain.
K Jayden Fielding
Fielding found his footing through a torn hip muscle in the College Football Playoff last season, going 4-of-4 on kicks inside of 50 yards. Now healthy, he appeared in peak form on Saturday, nailing all three of his field goal tries, the two longest each being from 43 yards away.
