Before Ohio State begins spring practice next week, we’re taking our first look at how Ohio State’s three-deep depth chart could stack up this season.
The following projection is based on how I think Ohio State’s three-deep depth chart at each position will stack up this fall, not necessarily how it will look when the Buckeyes begin spring practice on Monday. While the makeup of the depth chart could change at some positions with the possibility of roster additions and/or departures in the post-spring transfer window, the following projection is based on the roster as it currently stands entering spring practices.
For this depth chart projection, the listed 11 positions on offense and defense match the primary personnel alignments that Ohio State used on each side of the ball last season, though it is expected that Ohio State will use a variety of alignments on defense in 2025 under new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Three players are listed for each spot in the lineup on offense, defense and special teams unless Ohio State does not currently have three confirmed players on the roster at that position.
With just seven returning players who started more than half of Ohio State’s games last season – wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, center Carson Hinzman, right guard Tegra Tshabola, linebacker Sonny Styles, cornerback Davison Igbinosun and safety Caleb Downs – there’s plenty of uncertainty about how the Buckeyes’ depth chart will stack up in 2025. But here’s my best guess entering the spring of how it will ultimately shake out.
Quarterback
1. Julian Sayin
2. Lincoln Kienholz
3. Tavien St. Clair
All three scholarship quarterbacks will get a chance to compete for Ohio State’s starting quarterback job this spring and summer, but Sayin is the frontrunner. The five-star redshirt freshman still has plenty to prove after completing just five of 12 passing attempts in limited action last year, but he’s demonstrated star potential in practice and has been seen as the heir apparent to Will Howard since he arrived at Ohio State following a brief stay at Alabama.
Fellow five-star recruit St. Clair has the talent to push for the backup job as a true freshman, but it’s most likely he’ll start his career as the third-string quarterback behind some combination of Sayin and Kienholz as he acclimates to the jump from Bellefontaine to the Big Ten.
Running Back
1. James Peoples
2. CJ Donaldson
3. Bo Jackson
If I wasn’t forcing myself to avoid “or” cop-outs on this projection, it would probably be most accurate to list Peoples and Donaldson as 1A and 1B, as I expect them to operate as co-starters just as TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins did last year. Given Peoples’ upside and the buzz that’s already surrounding him entering spring, though, I’m projecting him to ultimately be Ohio State’s No. 1 running back this season, even though I expect Peoples and Donaldson to play nearly the same amount of snaps, provided that both remain healthy.
Jackson and fellow freshman Anthony “Turbo” Rogers could also push for playing time this season as both of them have the potential to add home-run hitting ability to Ohio State’s running back rotation. Jackson likely has the edge for the No. 3 running back spot, which Sam Williams-Dixon and Isaiah West will also compete for this spring, as Jackson is a midyear enrollee while Rogers won’t arrive until summer.
Wide Receiver (X)
1. Jeremiah Smith
2. Quincy Porter
3. David Adolph
Wide Receiver (Z)
1. Carnell Tate
2. Mylan Graham
3. Phillip Bell
Wide Receiver (Slot)
1. Brandon Inniss
2. Bryson Rodgers
3. De’zie Jones
Smith and Tate return as two of the best wide receivers in college football. Inniss can be penciled in as Ohio State’s new starting slot receiver and is also expected to be an impact player for the Buckeyes in 2025 as he replaces Emeka Egbuka in the lineup.
Graham is likely to be Ohio State’s No. 4 receiver and is another potential breakout star to watch as he goes through his first full offseason as a Buckeye, while Rodgers is also a candidate to earn snaps in the rotation. It’s not expected that any of this year’s freshman receivers will play the massive role immediately that Smith did, but Porter – the newest five-star prospect to join the unit – is the strongest candidate to push for first-year playing time.
Adolph will have a spot on the three-deep after earning a scholarship and playing regularly on special teams last season. Bell, Jones and Bodpegn Miller are all likely to redshirt as freshmen, but Jones and Bell are more likely to play right away than Miller because Miller will be learning a new position after playing quarterback in high school.
Tight End
1. Max Klare
2. Will Kacmarek
3. Bennett Christian
Klare should be an immediate starter for the Buckeyes and has the potential to be a major weapon for Ohio State’s passing offense after catching 51 passes for 685 yards and four touchdowns. Kacmarek should still see considerable playing time too, though, as he’s a better in-line blocker than Klare who also has the potential to make more plays in the passing game than he did in his first year as a Buckeye.
Listing only three tight ends is tough with how deep Ohio State is at tight end this year, but Christian gets the nod here over Jelani Thurman – though Thurman could push for some playing time, too – because of his blocking ability and leadership, with Ohio State tight ends coach Keenan Bailey referring to Christian last week as the top leader of his unit.
Left Tackle
1. Ethan Onianwa
2. Carter Lowe
3. Deontae Armstrong
Right Tackle
1. Phillip Daniels
2. Ian Moore
3. Jayvon McFadden
Onianwa is the clear frontrunner to start at left tackle after transferring to Ohio State from Rice. Daniels gets the pre-spring nod to be Ohio State’s starting right tackle as he also brings starting experience with plenty of upside from Minnesota, though he’s expected to face competition this spring from Moore, who impressed coaches and teammates in practice as a freshman last year.
Barring any further portal additions, Armstrong, Lowe and McFadden will fill out the depth chart behind them as the only other offensive tackles on the roster. Armstrong will likely start spring as the second-team left tackle over the true freshmen, but Lowe – a top-75 overall prospect – has the talent to assert himself as Ohio State’s future beyond Onianwa at the position.
Left Guard
1. Luke Montgomery
2. Gabe VanSickle
3. Devontae Armstrong
Center
1. Carson Hinzman
2. Joshua Padilla
3. Jake Cook
Right Guard
1. Tegra Tshabola
2. Austin Siereveld
3. Julian Goines-Jackson
None of Ohio State’s returning offensive linemen were dominant enough last year that they should be immune from competition, but Montgomery, Hinzman and Tshabola all played well enough as Ohio State’s starting interior linemen in the CFP for the Buckeyes to win a national championship, making them the frontrunners to lead Ohio State’s interior offensive line in 2025.
Siereveld could also push for a starting job at guard after rotating with Montgomery and Tshabola last season, with Tshabola also being a candidate to slide back outside to tackle if necessary. Padilla could also push Hinzman at center entering his third year at Ohio State, with Hinzman having the flexibility to kick back to guard if needed, though Hinzman seems poised to be the leader of Ohio State’s interior offensive line with one-and-a-half seasons of starting center experience under his belt.
Armstrong and Cook are the only other scholarship offensive linemen on the roster, so walk-on Goines-Jackson fills out the three-deep.
Defensive End
1. Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
2. C.J. Hicks
3. Joshua Mickens
Defensive End
1. Caden Curry
2. Logan George
3. Zion Grady
Jackson and Curry are finally in line to become starters after waiting their turn behind Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, but they’ll face competition this spring from George and Hicks. If Hicks makes a smooth transition to playing on the edge and George makes a successful jump from the FCS ranks, Ohio State should have a strong four-man defensive end rotation.
Mickens could be a sleeper to push for a spot in the rotation in his third year at Ohio State and Grady has the talent to push for playing time as a freshman.
Hicks projects to play primarily as a standup edge defender rather than as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end. Jackson has the athleticism to play that role for some of his snaps, as well, while Mickens, Grady and fellow freshman Epi Sitanilei could also provide depth at rush linebacker if that becomes a significant role in Matt Patricia’s defense.
Defensive Tackle (3-Tech)
1. Eddrick Houston
2. Jason Moore
3. Tywone Malone Jr.
Defensive Tackle (Nose)
1. Kayden McDonald
2. Will Smith Jr.
3. Eric Mensah
Houston and McDonald are the clear frontrunners to start as the only returning defensive tackles who played more than 100 snaps last season.
Moore and Malone give Ohio State two solid candidates to back up Houston at 3-technique, with Moore getting the edge in this projection based on his upside entering his third year at Ohio State. Hero Kanu’s transfer departure leaves Smith as the top candidate to back up McDonald at nose tackle entering spring, but the lack of proven depth at defensive tackle could put Ohio State in the market for another DT in the post-spring transfer window.
Will Linebacker
1. Sonny Styles
2. Payton Pierce
3. TJ Alford
Mike Linebacker
1. Arvell Reese
2. Riley Pettijohn
3. Garrett Stover
Reese looks like the clear choice to succeed Cody Simon as Ohio State’s middle linebacker with his impressive play as OSU’s No. 3 LB last season. He’ll join Styles in OSU’s starting lineup, but Pierce is also a candidate to see significant playing time in three-linebacker packages and as the top backup at both linebacker positions, as James Laurinaitis said last week that Pierce was one of Ohio State’s top three linebackers alongside Styles and Reese.
Pettijohn’s talent and college-ready skill set make him a strong candidate to quickly earn his way onto the two-deep as a freshman, though Stover will likely begin the spring as OSU’s No. 4 LB. Duquesne transfer Ty Howard could also be in the mix for a backup linebacker job, but I’m betting on both of Pettijohn and Alford to earn playing time on special teams and spots on the three-deep in year one.
Cornerback
1. Davison Igbinosun
2. Aaron Scott Jr.
3. Jordyn Woods
Cornerback
1. Jermaine Mathews Jr.
2. Devin Sanchez
3. Dianté Griffin
Nickel Cornerback
1. Lorenzo Styles Jr.
2. Bryce West
3. Miles Lockhart
Ohio State ideally wants its starting nickelback to be able to play both cornerback and safety like Jordan Hancock did, so I’m projecting Styles as a starter for now since he’s the top candidate to be able to play that hybrid role. If Sanchez proves he’s too good to keep off the field as a freshman, however, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Mathews kick inside – at least in three-cornerback situations – to make room for Sanchez in the lineup and put Ohio State’s three best cover corners on the field together. At a minimum, I expect Sanchez to earn some playing time in rotation with Igbinosun and Mathews.
Scott and West project to be top backups in their second year as Buckeyes. It’s unlikely that anyone behind them will push for significant playing time this year, as Lockhart didn’t play any snaps last season and Woods is a developmental freshman enrolling in the summer while the rest of Ohio State’s cornerbacks are walk-ons.
Free Safety
1. Caleb Downs
2. Malik Hartford
3. Leroy Roker III
Strong Safety
1. Jaylen McClain
2. Faheem Delane
3. Keenan Nelson Jr.
Spring Position Previews
While Hartford is also a candidate to start at safety this year, McClain projects as the more natural fit to replace Lathan Ransom at strong safety assuming Downs continues to primarily play free safety. Either way, I expect both Hartford and McClain to have a role this season as a three-safety package could be a prominent part of Patricia’s defense if Ohio State continues to move Downs closer to the line of scrimmage regularly like it did down the stretch of last season.
Delane is another highly touted freshman who looks like a strong candidate to earn an immediate spot on the two-deep and potentially push for a role with the first-team defense this season. Roker and Nelson could also push for the fourth spot on the safety two-deep in their second year as Buckeyes, though neither played any defensive snaps last season.
Kicker
1. Jayden Fielding
Ohio State will need to add at least one more kicker to its roster for depth, but Fielding is the only returning kicker from last season and will likely retain his starting job after making all four of his field goal attempts in the final three games of Ohio State’s national championship game run.
Punter
1. Joe McGuire
2. Nick McLarty
3. Anthony Venneri
McLarty will likely get another chance to win the punting job this offseason given his status as a scholarship player, but the big-legged redshirt freshman must show more consistency than he did last offseason to unseat the incumbent McGuire.
Long Snapper
1. John Ferlmann
2. Morrow Evans
Ferlmann is back for his third and final season as Ohio State’s starting long snapper. Evans, a redshirt freshman, will be Ferlmann’s backup in 2025 while preparing to take over the starting duties in 2026.
Kick Returner
1. Mylan Graham
2. Carnell Tate
3. Brandon Inniss
Who will handle kickoff returns is a mystery entering spring practice, so I’m borrowing the idea of using Graham in this capacity from my colleague Andy Anders. He has the explosiveness and shiftiness to be a dynamic kick returner, and putting him in that role could be a way to get him more touches as Ohio State’s No. 4 receiver.
Tate and Inniss also have the skill sets to be effective kickoff returners should Ohio State prefer to have a more experienced player in that role, especially if it chooses to prioritize cleanly catching the kickoff over actually returning it.
Punt Returner
1. Caleb Downs
2. Brandon Inniss
3. Bryson Rodgers
Downs proved his dynamic ability as a returner last season when he scored Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown in 10 years, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Downs and Inniss split punt return duties again this season as they did for much of last season. Rodgers seems like a logical candidate to be next in line should Ohio State choose to have Downs and/or Inniss focus on their defensive/offensive responsibilities.
