Eric Boggs
Senior Day at Ohio Stadium is always emotional, but this year’s ceremony carries a special weight. Sixteen Buckeyes — all in their final year of eligibility — will take the field at The Shoe for the last time on Saturday when Ohio State hosts Rutgers. As they walk out to be honored before over 100,000 fans, this group of seniors will pause to reflect on their journeys, their impact, and the goals still ahead of them.
Jayden Fielding, who has been Ohio State’s steady presence at kicker, described the moment perfectly: sweet, but undeniably sad. For these seniors, The Shoe is more than a stadium. It’s the place where they grew into leaders, earned national championships, and forged lifelong bonds. Saturday marks the end of that chapter — at least at home — unless the Buckeyes earn the right to host a College Football Playoff game.
Ohio State announced that Eli Brickhandler, Collin Johnson, Dianté Griffin, Mason Maggs, Joey Velazquez, CJ Donaldson, Ethan Onianwa, John Ferlmann, David Adolph, Fielding, Tywone Malone Jr., Lorenzo Styles Jr., Will Kacmarek, Davison Igbinosun, Caden Curry, and Sonny Styles will all participate in the ceremony. Each represents a unique path, from walk-ons who carved out roles to high-profile transfers and homegrown stars who chose to finish their careers in Columbus.
While the recognition is meaningful, every senior made it clear this week that their story is far from finished. The Buckeyes sit at 10-0 with Michigan on deck, a Big Ten Championship within reach, and the possibility of three to four more College Football Playoff games after that. Their legacy will not be defined by Saturday’s farewell alone — but by whether they can help Ohio State secure the achievements that still elude them.
Caden Curry (pictured,) one of the emotional anchors of the team, put it bluntly. Last season’s national title was unforgettable, but this senior class still lacks something essential: Gold Pants and a Big Ten championship. He wants this group to be remembered as the class that did everything expected of a Buckeye — not just some of it. Fielding echoed that standard, emphasizing that this season is their chance to win it “their own way,” carrying forward the lessons learned from last year’s veterans while forging a legacy of their own.
This year’s senior class isn’t as large as the monumental group that departed after the 2024 national championship season, but its influence is undeniable. Eleven current starters are seniors, including Sonny Styles, Kacmarek, Malone, Igbinosun, Curry, Fielding, and Ferlmann. Only six have spent their entire careers at Ohio State, but all have helped steady the program after losing fourteen major contributors from a year ago.
Their leadership has been the backbone of Ohio State’s undefeated start. Ryan Day praised their maturity and focus, noting that leaders emerge not through seniority alone but through influence, accountability, and consistency. This senior group has embraced that responsibility, setting the tone for a roster loaded with younger stars.
Beyond the sixteen who will walk, an additional group of fourth-year players — including Bennett Christian, C.J. Hicks, David Adolph, Dianté Griffin, Brenten “Inky” Jones, and Mason Maggs — represent a 2022 class that could become the winningest four-year class in program history. If Ohio State wins out, they will finish with 52 victories, more than any group to wear the scarlet and gray.
Malone described what that would mean in one word: historical. To return from a national championship with a revamped roster and still push for another title speaks to the commitment and resilience of this senior class.
But as Kacmarek reminded everyone, none of that is guaranteed. Michigan looms, and with it the possibility of this group becoming the second straight senior class to leave Columbus without a win over the Wolverines or a Big Ten title. That awareness fuels their urgency — gratitude for the moment, but no sense of finality.
Sonny Styles, who has grown from a five-star recruit into one of the program’s defining leaders, hopes their legacy extends beyond wins and losses. He wants this class remembered not just as champions, but as men — good teammates, future fathers and husbands, people who represented Ohio State the right way. Football will define their stage, but not their worth.
Saturday will celebrate their journey, but the seniors know their story won’t be complete until the season ends. Expect them to soak in the applause as they run onto the field for the final time — and then immediately lock in on beating Rutgers and pushing toward the goals that will cement their place in Ohio State history.
As Ryan Day said, this weekend is about honoring them the right way — by playing for them, by fighting with them, and by finishing the season with the same uncompromising standard they’ve upheld from the moment they arrived.
