Ohio State punched its ticket to the CFP National Championship Game and the Buckeyes' top players received high marks for their play.
Defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau earned Pro Football Focus’ highest grades for Ohio State's 28-14 Cotton Bowl victory over Texas, which also served as a semifinal for the College Football Playoff. Jordan Hancock, Quinshon Judkins and Cody Simon were among the other Buckeyes who earned high marks from PFF.
| ELITE | GOOD | ABOVE AVG. | AVG. | BELOW AVG. | POOR | VERY POOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90-100 | 80-89 | 70-79 | 60-69 | 50-59 | 40-49 | Below 40 |
While we all have our own opinions on who Ohio State’s best players were against the Longhorns, we compiled the PFF grades for every player from the Cotton Bowl below. We start by highlighting the Buckeyes who received the five best grades, excluding those who played fewer than 10 snaps.
The Top Five
1. DE Jack Sawyer (89.8)
With one iconic play, Jack Sawyer put Texas on ice and put his name in the echelons of Ohio State's greatest players. His strip sack of Quinn Ewers and the subsequent 83-yard fumble return for a touchdown – the longest fumble return for a touchdown for Ohio State since at least 1949 – earned Sawyer the highest grade (89.8) among all players in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Sawyer also earned the second-highest pass-rush grade (91.8) among all players in the CFP semifinals, slightly behind teammate Sonny Styles (92.3).
Ohio State EDGE Jack Sawyer vs Texas:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 11, 2025
1.0 Sacks
3 QB Hits
6 QB Pressures
91.8 Pass Rush Grade@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/tGQg59d2oQ
2. DE JT Tuimoloau (81.7)
The one-two punch for Ohio State on the field earned PFF's two highest grades on the team. Tuimoloau ended the game with seven tackles, one shy of his career-high. He also earned the second-highest grade for rush defense (80.3) of all the players in the CFP semifinals.
3. CB Jordan Hancock (78.4)
Speaking of career-highs, Hancock set his career-high with six tackles against Texas. His 82.9 grade in tackling and his grade of 75.1 in coverage were second and third among all players in the semifinals.
4. RB Quinshon Judkins (75.9)
Judkins' overall grade of 75.9 was the highest among all offensive players who played at least 10 snaps in the semifinals and his run-blocking grade (71.3) was the highest among all backs.
Judkins (75.1) and TreVeyon Henderson (77.2) were the highest-graded players in the run category. The duo accounted for Ohio State's three offensive touchdowns against Texas. Judkins had two on the ground and Henderson recorded Ohio State's second-longest bowl game receiving touchdown in program history with his 75-yard score seconds from the halftime break.
5. LB Cody Simon (74.2)
For the fifth time this season, Simon was one of Ohio State's five highest-graded players against Texas. The Buckeyes’ middle linebacker recorded seven tackles against the Longhorns.
| GAME | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | DE Caden Curry (83.9) | DT Tyleik Williams (81.8) | DE Jack Sawyer (81.2) | CB Denzel Burke (78.5) | S Lathan Ransom (77.8) |
| WMU | RB Quinshon Judkins (92.6) | QB Devin Brown (89.1) | LB Cody Simon (86.3) | DE Jack Sawyer (85.2) | DT Ty Hamilton (83.2) |
| Marshall | G Donovan Jackson (86.6) | OT George Fitzpatrick (86.3) | RB TreVeyon Henderson (85.3) | OT Zen Michalski (84.5) | RB Quinshon Judkins (79.7) |
| MSU | TE Bennett Christian (84.6) | WR Jeremiah Smith (80.0) | S Caleb Downs (79.6) | CB Jordan Hancock (79.1) | WR Emeka Egbuka (76.8) |
| Iowa | DT Ty Hamilton (91.3) | DE Jack Sawyer (89.3) | DT Tyleik Williams (86.6) | WR Emeka Egbuka (76.3)* | C Seth McLaughlin (76.3)* |
| Oregon | S Lathan Ransom (78.0) | QB Will Howard (75.2) | WR Emeka Egbuka (74.5) | DE JT Tuimoloau (73.8) | S Caleb Downs (73.2) |
| Nebraska | WR Carnell Tate (80.7) | OT Josh Fryar (77.7) | CB Jordan Hancock (76.5) | TE Bennett Christian (75.0) | G Donovan Jackson (74.5) |
| PSU | CB Davison Igbinosun (78.0) | RB TreVeyon Henderson (77.9) | LB Cody Simon (76.9) | DE JT Tuimoloau (74.6) | QB Will Howard (74.3) |
| Purdue | DE JT Tuimoloau (91.7) | S Lathan Ransom (90.1) | WR Jeremiah Smith (80.6) | QB Will Howard (80.4) | RB TreVeyon Henderson (78.7) |
| Northwestern | DE Jack Sawyer (91.8) | QB Will Howard (90.5) | LB Cody Simon (82.2) | RB Quinshon Judkins (79.7) | LB Sonny Styles (77.6) |
| Indiana | QB Will Howard (85.7) | WR Emeka Egbuka (85.4) | LB Cody Simon (81.4) | S Lathan Ransom (75.2) | RB TreVeyon Henderson (74.9) |
| Michigan | LB Arvell Reese (91.2) | DE Jack Sawyer (88.6) | DT Kayden McDonald (80.6) | S Caleb Downs (76.1) | DT Tyleik Williams (74.2) |
| Tennessee | DE JT Tuimolau (88.3) | RB TreVeyon Henderson (85.6) | QB Will Howard (84.9 | DE Jack Sawyer (79.4) | WR Jeremiah Smith (77.9) |
| Oregon | WR Jeremiah Smith (94.5) | DT Eddrick Houston (79.3) | DT Tyleik Williams (77.0) | S Caleb Downs (75.5) | RB Quinshon Judkins (75.3) |
| Texas | DE Jack Sawyer (89.8) | DE JT Tuimoloau (81.7) | CB Jordan Hancock (78.4) | RB Quinshon Judkins (75.9) | LB Cody Simon (74.2) |
| *Egbuka and McLaughlin tied for 4th | |||||
Offensive Ratings by Position
Quarterbacks
Will Howard: 67.2 (60 snaps)
Running Backs
Quinshon Judkins: 75.9 (32 snaps)
TreVeyon Henderson: 69.8 (31 snaps)
Wide Receivers
Carnell Tate: 66.8 (48 snaps)
Emeka Egbuka: 63.6 (51 snaps)
Bryson Rodgers: 59.1 (2 snaps)
Jeremiah Smith: 55.4 (56 snaps)
Brandon Inniss: 48.7 (5 snaps)
Tight Ends
Bennett Christian: 83.5 (9 snaps)
Will Kacmarek: 71.1 (36 snaps)
Gee Scott Jr.: 62.0 (27 snaps)
Offensive Line
Donovan Jackson: 74.1 (60 snaps)
Carson Hinzman: 65.2 (60 snaps)
Luke Montgomery: 62.9 (60 snaps)
Josh Fryar: 58.4 (60 snaps)
Austin Siereveld: 57.2 (17 snaps)
Tegra Tshabola: 50.4 (43 snaps)
| QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DE | DT | LB | CB | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Howard | Quinshon Judkins | Carnell Tate | Will Kacmarek | Donovan Jackson | Jack Sawyer | Eddrick Houston | Cody Simon | Jordan Hancock | Caleb Downs |
| 67.2 | 75.9 | 66.8 | 71.1 | 74.1 | 89.8 | 72.7 | 74.2 | 78.4 | 71.1 |
Defensive Ratings by Position
Defensive Ends
Jack Sawyer: 89.8 (64 snaps)
JT Tuimoloau: 81.7 (45 snaps)
Caden Curry: 59.5 (8 snaps)
Mitchell Melton: 58.1 (8 snaps)
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 41.2 (18 snaps)
Defensive Tackles
Eddrick Houston: 72.7 (14 snaps)
Kayden McDonald: 65.2 (7 snaps)
Tyleik Williams: 64.3 (49 snaps)
Hero Kanu: 62.8 (7 snaps)
Ty Hamilton: 59.4 (57 snaps)
Linebackers
Cody Simon: 74.2 (70 snaps)
Arvell Reese: 68.7 (6 snaps)
Sonny Styles: 62.9 (70 snap)
C.J. Hicks: 60.0 (1 snaps)
Cornerbacks
Jordan Hancock: 78.4 (63 snaps)
Denzel Burke 66.1 (28 snaps)
Jermaine Mathews Jr. 65.2 (47 snaps)
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 63.3 (11 snaps)
Davison Igbinosun: 60.2 (65 snaps)
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 71.1 (71 snaps)
Malik Hartford: 60.0 (1 snap)
Lathan Ransom: 47.9 (71 snaps)
