Coming off winning a National Championship, Ohio State is ranked 3rd in the initial AP poll. Ohio State is facing a season where they lost 8 starters on defense, and 8 of these starters were drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft. They must also replace 6 starters on offense. Some of the impact players on offense include quarterback Will Howard, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, and running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day has recruited well, so the players replacing these starters are talented, but are just lacking game experience.
THE FIRST COLLEGE FOOTBALL AP POLL OF THE SEASON HAS ARRIVED 🤩 pic.twitter.com/AoCElqAh6v
— ESPN (@espn) August 11, 2025
The quarterback is the biggest question mark on the Ohio State team. Quarterbacks Julian Sayin and Lincoln Keinholz are both vying for the job. Sayin is the more natural thrower of the football, while Kienholz is more of a runner. Day has not been named a starter yet, but most people around the program expect it will happen this week. The favorite to win the quarterback job is Sayin.
Birm on his pod with Austin today said people he spoke to who was at the scrimmage Saturday said they're not close to choosing a QB.
— JBook. (@JBook_37) August 11, 2025
Their update:
* Sayin had the best throws of the day.
* Kienholz performed better in team drills and led the offense down the field.
* Neither…
The strength of the Ohio State team is that they have one of the best offensive players in the country in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. He, along with wide receivers Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, make up an impressive group of wide receivers. On defense, they also have one of the best defensive players in the country in Safety Caleb Downs. Surrounding him will be a largely inexperienced defense, having to replace those 8 starters from last year.
The specific concern for Ohio State is replacing 4 defensive line starters. At defensive end, I think they'll be fine with a talented group of returning players in Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry. Plus, transfer portal addition Beau Atkinson looks like a difference maker already. The concern is the defensive tackle position. Ohio State has Kayden McDonald and Eddrick Houston penciled in as starters. Houston already is hurt and has a minor injury, which shouldn't prevent him from playing this year, but if he misses any time, the depth behind him and McDonald is a concern.
Ohio State opens week 1 when they face Texas, which is ranked 1st in the AP poll. So, you will have a 1 vs. 3 ranked game week 1, which is rare for the 1st weekend of College Football. Playing Texas will be a good test for an Ohio State team that will have a quarterback to make their 1st career start. It will be a great test for them, as much hyped quarterback Arch Manning will be starting for Texas.
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