Jeremiah Smith

Ohio State’s 2025 season has been defined by dominance in every phase of the game, but this week’s recognition across both academics and national awards underscores just how complete the Buckeye program has become. A school-record 61 Ohio State football players earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, a staggering accomplishment that highlights not only the program’s depth of talent, but also its commitment to excellence off the field. Even more impressively, many of the Buckeyes’ biggest stars—players who shoulder massive expectations on Saturdays—are the same ones leading the charge academically.

Quarterback Julian Sayin, receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, defensive standouts Caleb Downs, Arvell Reese and Kayden McDonald, and linebacker Sonny Styles—arguably the seven best players in scarlet and gray this season—all earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition by maintaining GPAs of 3.0 or higher. Several additional starters, including Brandon Inniss, Will Kacmarek, Austin Siereveld, Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, Tywone Malone Jr., Jermaine Mathews Jr., Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Jaylen McClain, also made the list. With freshmen and new transfers ineligible, only 12 eligible Buckeyes did not earn the honor, a testament to the culture Ryan Day has established inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Across all fall sports, 137 Ohio State athletes were recognized, including three who carried perfect 4.0 GPAs. The academic achievements alone would be enough to celebrate—but this week brought even more validation of the Buckeyes’ elite standing on the national stage.

For the fourth time in program history, Ohio State placed three players in the top 10 of the Heisman Trophy vote. Receiver Jeremiah Smith finished sixth, safety Caleb Downs finished ninth, and quarterback Julian Sayin is headed to New York as one of four finalists for college football’s most prestigious award. Ohio State is the only school with multiple top-10 Heisman finishers in 2025, cementing what Buckeye fans have known all season: no program in the country fields more superstar talent.

Smith is the lone wide receiver in the top 10, powered by 80 catches, 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns—production that has him in strong contention for the Biletnikoff Award. Downs, who leads the nation’s top-ranked defense, continues to rack up accolades, including the Lott IMPACT Trophy and finalist nods for both the Thorpe and Bednarik Awards. Sayin, who shattered the NCAA single-season completion percentage record, will join Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love at Saturday’s Heisman ceremony in New York. While Mendoza is expected to win after Indiana’s Big Ten Championship victory, Sayin is projected to finish among the top finalists, a remarkable achievement for a sophomore.

This marks the first time since Alabama’s trio in 2020 that any school has produced three top-10 Heisman finishers, and Ohio State now becomes the only program to do it four different times. In a season filled with defining wins, historic performances and championship contention, the Buckeyes have shown that elite character and elite production go hand in hand.

For Ohio State and its fans, the message is clear: the standard in Columbus isn’t just about winning big games—it’s about setting the bar for what a premier college football program should be, academically, athletically and nationally.