Fresman Tracker: The 2024 Freshmen Are Cotton Bowl Champions

For the first time since the 2020 season, Ohio State will be playing for a national title. To get there, five true freshmen were used in the Buckeyes' 28-14 epic victory over Texas.

In the biggest game of his career, Jeremiah Smith was only targeted three times. Texas schemed to make Will Howard and Ohio State's offense defeat them using any of its weapons not named Jeremiah Smith. Half of the plan worked.

Smith finished the game with one catch for 3 yards and now has at least one catch in 15 straight games. With the Longhorns blanketing Smith, the Buckeyes used its other talented offensive players, and a championship-level defense, to win the game by 14 points. 

Texas making Jeremiah Smith work for every possession

1 REC for 3 YDS through three quarters. pic.twitter.com/vYrEpm9y7E

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 11, 2025

After his performance in the Rose Bowl, many people would have scoffed if you told them that Smith would finish the Cotton Bowl with as many tackles as receptions. Yes, when David Gbenda intercepted Howard's pass on the opening drive of the third quarter, Smith recorded his first collegiate tackle.

INTERCEPTION BY DAVID GBENDA#PMSCFPESPN2 #HookEm pic.twitter.com/jVVXgbT1wH

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 11, 2025

Eddrick Houston was the only freshman to see the field on defense. He played 14 defensive snaps and was in the center of a play that could have destroyed Ohio State's championship aspirations. 

With 8:45 remaining in the first half, Texas faced 2nd-and-10 from its own 20-yard line. On the play, Ewers threw the ball left to D.J. Moore for a benign 4-yard gain. On the other side of the play, The Longhorns' Cameron Williams, shoved Houston down to the ground and into JT Tuimolauo's left ankle.

The star defensive end would leave the game but would return after getting treatment on the bum ankle. 

Jaylen McClain was on the kickoff (five), kickoff return (three) punt return (three) and punt (one) teams. Payton Pierce participated on the kickoff (five) and kickoff return (three) units and Bryce West was on the kickoff team once.

Six Ohio State freshmen used a year of eligibility by playing in more than four regular-season games this year: Houston, McClain, James Peoples, Pierce, Aaron Scott Jr. and Smith. The rest of Ohio State’s freshmen all played in four games or fewer, preserving their four remaining seasons of eligibility. Under the NCAA’s redshirt rules, postseason games no longer count against a player’s redshirt eligibility, so all of Ohio State’s freshmen are eligible to play in the CFP without burning their redshirts.

(Note: The table does not include freshman walk-ons who have not yet played.)