Ranking the Top 10 Individual Performances of the 2025 Ohio State Football Season

The 2025 season didn’t end the way the Ohio State Buckeyes hoped for, falling short in the journey towards the school’s first back-to-back National Championships.

Nonetheless, several of the Buckeye’s best enjoyed memorable performances throughout the year. We track down the 10 best:

1. Julian Sayin @ Wisconsin, Week 8

Sayin used the Badgers as a trampoline to jump right in the middle of the Heisman trophy debate, thanks to a memorable performance that included 36 completions out of 42 attempts, 393 passing yards -- his season best -- and four touchdowns without an interception.

Up to that point, Ohio State had been rolling over most of its opponents, with the exception of the Longhorns, but this was the game in which Sayin really took command and everything clicked for him.

2. Bo Jackson @ Michigan, Week 14

The sheer importance of this win can’t be overstated, as the Buckeyes were carrying a four-game losing streak to Ann Arbor.

Jackson amassed 117 on 22 carries and added four receptions for 49 yards while leading the Buckeyes to a dominant 27-9 victory to close out a perfect 12-0 regular season. Jackson's effort made him the first Ohio State player to rush for over 100 yards against Michigan since 2019, while his 166 total yards on offense were more than the whole Wolverine offense (163) on a day when the only thing missing was a score.

The Ohio State Buckeyes do not play football today.

But Bo Jackson is still bursting past the Michigan defense.pic.twitter.com/P8CGOI6Pwu
— Does Ohio State Play Football Today? (@DoBucksPlay2Day) December 2, 2025

3. Arvell Reese, Penn State, Week 10

The 38-14 dismantling of Penn State was the high point in the Buckeyes season; everything was firing on all cylinders. This was also the game that shot Reese into the NFL Draft Top-5 conversation.

Reese blew up the Nittany Lions offense to the tune of 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack. Although he had already racked up 5.5 sacks prior to this contest, it was here on the first day of November that people started talking about him as a full-time edge rusher at the next level.

4. Jeremiah Smith vs Miami, CFP Quarterfinals (Cotton Bowl)

Few things went right for Ohio State during their CFP elimination at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Smith wasn’t one of them.

The Buckeyes star wideout went off against his hometown Hurricanes, catching seven balls for 157 yards and a score. His 22.4 yards per reception that evening were his second best average all season long, trailing only a 23.8-yard per catch game against Grambling in Week 2.

5. Carnell Tate vs Minnesota, Week 6

Tate really came into his own against Minnesota, when he hauled in nine catches for 183 yards -- season bests for him -- and one score. This contest showed everyone that Tate could be a WR1 despite playing alongside such a dominant presence as Smith.

Carnell Tate was exceptional vs Minnesota. Nine catches for 183 yards and a TD pic.twitter.com/ZryE8RZHmg
— Jack Brentnall (@Jack_Brentnall) October 6, 2025

6. Jeremiah Smith vs Penn State, Week 10

Although Smith would deliver his best reception total against the Boilermakers one week later, catching 10 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown, he torched the Nittany Lions on an afternoon when everything went right for the Buckeyes.

Against Penn State, Smith tallied six receptions for 123 yards and found the end zone twice, one of three games with multiple touchdowns and one of three games averaging over 20-yards per catch.

7. Julian Sayin vs Penn State, Week 10

After the Badgers game and a bye week, Sayin stayed on fire with a second four touchdown exhibition. This time, he completed 20 of 23 attempts for 316 yards, and again didn’t toss a pick.

At that point in the season, Sayin had stringed together five straight games with no interceptions and 15 touchdowns, and looked well on his way to snatch Ohio State’s eighth Heisman Trophy, a quest that ultimately would fall short. This was also his fourth out of five games completing at least 80 percent of his throws.

9. Caden Curry @ Washington, Week 5

Curry looked unstoppable against the Huskies, recording season highs in total tackles (11), solo tackles (9.0), tackles for a loss (5.0) and sacks (3.0), on his way to a team-leading 11 sacks for the year.

Caden Curry was a beast against Washington #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/7QRKBzp3Md
— Buckeye Backers (@BuckeyeBackers) September 29, 2025

8. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. vs Penn State, Week 10

Have we mentioned just how good Ohio State looked against the Nittany Lions? Jackson led the defense with seven quarterback pressures, part of a four tackle performance that also included 2.5 tackles for a loss and 2.0 sacks. He also added one pass defended, for good measure.

10. Davison Igbinosun vs Texas, Week 1

An opening season 14-7 win over the top-ranked Longhorns seemed to point to great things for 2025.

Igbinosun shined bright on opening week with a team-leading 10 tackle performance that included a critical fourth down deflected pass in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter that helped preserve the win for Ohio State.

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