HERE TO STAY
Ohio State, Ryan Day agree in principle on a new seven-year contract worth $12.5 million per year.
It's never too early to look ahead to the 2025 college football season, right?
Just over two weeks after Ohio State won the national championship, there have already been plenty of changes for the Buckeyes. Jim Knowles, Justin Frye and Chip Kelly have departed Columbus. OSU will also lose 15 players in The Buckeye 20, Eleven Warriors' list of the top 20 Buckeyes from this past season.
But even with all those losses, plenty of talent is returning to Columbus for the 2025 season. That all starts with Jeremiah Smith, arguably the best player in college football and the face of the sport heading into next fall. So is do-it-all safety Caleb Downs, arguably the best defensive player in college football. The Buckeyes have plenty of unproven talent as well, including Julian Sayin, the frontrunner to be OSU's starting quarterback in 2025.
With that, Smith – who is tied for the fourth-best odds (+1400) – and Sayin – who has the seventh-best odds (+1650) – are among the players with the best odds of winning the Heisman Trophy next season, according to DraftKings and FanDuel. Downs (+20000 on DraftKings, +18000 on FanDuel) and running back CJ Donaldson Jr. (+20000 on DraftKings) are the only other Buckeyes listed.
| PLAYER | ODDS |
|---|---|
| 1. QB ARCH MANNING, TEXAS | +800 |
| 2. QB GARRETT NUSSMEIER, LSU | +850 |
| 3. QB CADE KLUBNIK, CLEMSON | +1200 |
| T-4. WR JEREMIAH SMITH, OHIO STATE | +1400 |
| T-4. QB DREW ALLAR, PENN STATE | +1400 |
| 6. QB NICO IAMALEAVA, TENNESSEE | +1600 |
| 7. QB JULIAN SAYIN, OHIO STATE | +1650 |
| 8. QB DANTE MOORE, OREGON | +1850 |
| T-9. QB CARSON BECK, MIAMI (FLORIDA) | +2000 |
| T-9. QB LANORRIS SELLERS, SOUTH CAROLINA | +2000 |
Let's take a look at the four Buckeyes who are on the board:
Jeremiah Smith (+1600 on DraftKings, +1200 on FanDuel)
Smith not only outplayed the high expectations that were placed on him before his freshman season, but he did so while leading Ohio State's stacked wide receivers room. Totaling 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns while also adding a touchdown on the ground, the star freshman was arguably the best receiver in college football in his first year in Columbus.
Although he will have a first-year starter behind center and a first-year play-caller Brian Hartline leading OSU's offense in 2025, Smith should continue to flourish as he proved time and time again that he can make big plays no matter where he catches the ball, whether it be behind the scrimmage or on a deep ball.
Julian Sayin (+1500 on DraftKings, +1800 on FanDuel)
While Sayin completed only five of 12 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown in four games as a freshman, he was the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, which gives the 6-foot-1, 203-pound quarterback plenty of potential to lead Ohio State's offense.
It helps that he will likely have the best group of wide receivers and tight ends in the country in his first year leading the Buckeyes. With one year of development under Ryan Day, newly promoted quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler and former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, Sayin has the tools and the knowledge to be the next great quarterback for Ohio State, but now has to prove it on the field.
Caleb Downs (+20000 on DraftKings, +18000 on FanDuel)
Downs will be the best defensive player in college football entering the 2025 season. An all-around safety who can line up anywhere on the field besides the defensive line, Downs proved that time and time again in his first year as a Buckeye, especially during Ohio State's incredible four-game run to the national championship in the first 12-team CFP.
He finished with 82 tackles (eight for loss), two interceptions, six pass breakups and a punt return touchdown this past season and will likely improve on those numbers in 2025. That said, a player who only plays on defense has never won the Heisman, so Downs’ chances of winning the trophy remain a long shot unless he also plays some snaps on offense – a possibility Ryan Day teased last season, though it never actually happened in a game.
Either way, Downs will have to make plenty of big-time plays on defense and score some touchdowns in one phase of the game or another to have a chance to win college football's most prestigious individual award next season. That said, I wouldn't put it past a player as talented as Downs to do just that.
CJ Donaldson Jr. (+20000 on DraftKings)
Donaldson seems to be on the board simply because he has a chance to be Ohio State's starting running back, and that position always gets plenty of attention in Columbus.
After a season that featured TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins at running back, the Buckeyes will have a new-look backfield in 2025. While James Peoples received some snaps as a freshman and will continue to do so – and even possibly start – next season, Donaldson has the experience and track record to carry a big part of the load as well.
In three seasons at West Virginia, the 6-foot-2, 238-pounder totaled 421 carries for 2,058 yards and 32 touchdowns including 163 carries for 734 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2024. He might not have breakaway speed, but Donaldson will run an opponent over, which could make him a perfect pairing with Peoples in OSU's backfield.
The Buckeyes haven't had a Heisman winner since 2006, when Troy Smith brought the award back to Columbus. Since Archie Griffin won back-to-back trophies in 1974 and 1975, Ohio State has had just two Heisman Trophy winners: Smith and Eddie George (1995).
Ohio State has had at least one Heisman finalist in five of the last seven seasons, with Marvin Harrison Jr. being the last Buckeye to earn a trip to New York in 2023. C.J. Stroud (2021 and 2022), Justin Fields (2019), Chase Young (2019) and Dwayne Haskins (2018) are the other Buckeyes who were finalists over the last seven years.
