Ohio State head coach Ryan Day already stands alongside four Buckeye legends who delivered the national championship. Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Jim Tressel, and Urban Meyer. He is also the only OSU coach besides Meyer to post multiple seasons with at least 13 wins. And this season’s loaded 12-1 team just gave its head coach another historic milestone to add to his record. 

“No. 2 Ohio State has no shortage of stars 🤩,” Big Ten Football shared on X on December 17. 

The 2025 Ohio State football team produced seven First-Team All-Americans – DE Caden Curry, S Caleb Downs, C Carson Hinzman, DT Kayden McDonald, LB Arvell Reese, WR Jeremiah Smith, and LB Sonny Styles. This ties the program record set by the 1974 Buckeyes, a Woody Hayes team that still lives in Ohio State records.  

These players’ productions back it up. Reese and Styles formed one of the most efficient LB pairings in the country, combining for 142 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks, five pass deflections, and an interception. McDonald anchored the interior with 57 tackles, eight for loss, and three sacks. Curry, coming off the edge, added 60 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks. Downs led Ohio State against both the run and the pass, finishing with 60 tackles, five for loss, a sack, two interceptions, and two pass breakups. 

On offense, Smith became the centerpiece, hauling in 80 receptions for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns. He enters the playoffs averaging 13.6 yards per catch and nearly 100 yards per game. Hinzman’s impact was quieter but no less critical, helping protect QB Julian Sayin, who was sacked just six times all regular season.

The last Ohio State team to place seven players on the First-Team All-American list came in 1974, with names like Archie Griffin and Neal Colzie headlining the group. That team finished No. 4 nationally after an 18-17 Rose Bowl loss to USC. This group carries the same historical weight, but with a chance to rewrite the ending rather than repeat it. And this isn’t just a one-time wonder. 

Under Ryan Day, Ohio State has produced 20 first-team All-Americans, six Heisman finalists, six major national award winners, and 50 NFL Draft picks, including 14 first-rounders. His teams have finished No. 1 nationally in total or scoring offense once, and No. 1 in various defensive categories five separate times. The development pipeline is real, and it keeps delivering. 

His record reflects that control. He owns a 70-10 career mark at Ohio State, is 24-9 against Top 25 teams, and has guided the Buckeyes to 10 championships in six seasons, including the 2025 CFP title run still in progress. He is also the only coach to reach the CFP four times since 2019. And yet, one blunder refuses to disappear.

What Ryan Day can learn from the Indiana loss

Ohio State’s 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship remains the single blemish fans refuse to let go. It was an old-school game decided by execution failures, not talent gaps. The Buckeyes struggled on third down, failed twice inside the 10-yard line, and surrendered five sacks in the first 35 minutes.

“That’s how you lose a game,” Ryan Day said afterward. 

The mistakes were specific and correctable. A fourth-and-1 QB sneak was overturned. A field goal was passed up and never recovered. Outside of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, the passing game vanished early. Tight ends and backs were slow to enter the plan. Against elite competition, that imbalance will be punished again. The loss matters because it exposed where Ohio State can still be squeezed. 

Their next test comes in the Cotton Bowl on December 31, where Ohio State will face the winner of Texas A&M and Miami. If the Buckeyes face the Aggies, third-down efficiency and explosive-play defense become immediate concerns. If it’s the Hurricanes, momentum and tempo control take priority. Either way, Indiana provided a warning without ending the season.

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