Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes jumped by Alabama for top 2025 recruiting class

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has had a grip on the top 2025 recruiting class for a long, long time.

The Buckeyes run at the top is finished for now, and it’s nothing that they did to earn the drop to the second class.

Alabama took over the top spot in the 2025 team recruiting rankings on Wednesday after updates to recruiting player rankings elsewhere around the industry — not on the On3 player rankings.

So the Crimson Tide are now at the top of the rankings, followed by Ohio State, LSU, Auburn and Georgia to round out the top five. Oregon (seventh), USC (12th) and Michigan (14th) are the other Big Ten teams in the top 15.

The Buckeyes class is headlined by three five-star recruits: quarterback Tavien St. Clair, cornerback Devin Sachez and cornerback Na’eem Offord. Other top-100 recruits in the Ohio State class are linebacker Riley Pettijohn, safety Faheem Delane, offensive tackle Carter Lowe, wide receiver Quincy Porter, defensive end Zahir Mathis and running back Bo Jackson.

Jeremiah Smith added to watch list for Biletnikoff Award

Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is already the top pass-catching option for the Buckeyes offense. He’s beginning to be recognized as such.

Smith was added to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award on Wednesday, a sign that he’s turning heads nationally in his first season on campus. Smith currently has 32 catches for a team-leading 553 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. He also has a rushing touchdown this season.

Smith became the first Ohio State player in program history to catch a touchdown in each of the Buckeyes’ first six games of the season when he grabbed a score on Saturday night in the loss to Oregon. He has routinely dazzled with one-handed catches to go along with just solid receiver play.

Oh, and he has also been a very good perimeter blocker in the running game.

For that, he joined senior receiver Emeka Egbuka (40 catches, 526 receiving yards, six touchdown receptions) on the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award on Wednesday. Ohio State now has its two top pass-catching options on the list.

ICYMI: Pair of Buckeyes earn midseason All-American honors

Most of the country is now at the six-game mark, meaning college football is half-way over. With that in mind, the folks over at CBS Sports released their midseason All-America team, and a pair of Buckeyes players landed on the list.

Ohio State is tied with Texas and Iowa as the only three programs with two players on the midseason All-America team. The Buckeyes have two of the five Big Ten selections after six games — one on each side of the ball. Both are transfer additions.

On the offensive side of the ball, center Seth McLaughlin is a CBS Sports midseason All American at center. McLaughlin transferred in from Alabama after starting 25 games for the Crimson Tide during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He picked Ohio State after leaving Alabama last offseason, and he has proven to be among the best offensive linemen in college football — and potentially the best center.

Flip it over to the defensive side of things, and another Alabama transfer is on the midseason All-America team for the Buckeyes. Safety Caleb Downs earned the nod from the folks at CBS Sports. Even as the Buckeyes defense has had its fair share of struggles this season, Downs has been incredible for this defense. He had eight tackles and two pass breakups in the loss to Oregon on Saturday night.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Nebraska: 9 days
Ohio State at Penn State: 16 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 44 days
Big Ten title game: 51 days

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