Ohio State’s third national title defense is set to get underway on Sept. 20 on the road in Fairfax, Va. against George Mason, a team that has qualified for the NCFA postseason each year since 2021.
The Buckeyes open camp on Aug. 26 with a healthy mix of returning players and fresh faces at every position. However, Ohio State will have to replace All-Americans Zach Davis and Jackson Rittman along the offensive line and find someone to fill the shoes of linebacker Christian Allen, who graduated last season as the program’s all-time leader in tackles.
Offensively, Ohio State returns two starters on the offensive line from its national championship team in 2024. Seniors center Cam Fries joins senior left tackle Dan Sankiewicz as the elder statesmen along the offensive front. Freshman Nathan Chavarria-Byrne figures to factor in along the offensive line while newcomers Nick Turner, Will Feeley and Hudson Reid will all be competing for playing time. Sophomore Liam Logan has worked hard in the offseason to put himself in a position to battle for a starting role while Daniel Zirkle – a starter on the offensive line in 2023 – will likely play significant time on both offensive and defensive lines in 2025.
At quarterback, Ohio State returns NCFA Second Team All-American Niko Pappas, whose 2024 season was cut short by injury. Prior to his injury, Pappas led the NCFA in almost every major passing and rushing category. He finished the 2024 season 49-of-83 passing for 778 yards and 11 touchdowns to zero interceptions. Despite missing the last three and a half games of the season, he still led the team in rushing yards, carrying 38 times for 392 yards and five scores on the ground. Providing depth and plenty of talent at the quarterback position is freshman Corbyn Aleshire from West Palm Beach, Fla. Aleshire was a dual threat QB in his time at King’s Academy in high school and has impressed throughout fall camp with both his arm and his decision making.
Regardless of who takes the QB reps for Ohio State, they will have plenty of weapons surrounding them. Aidan Donovan, the MVP of the 2024 NCFA National Championship Game, returns as a do-it-all tight end for the Buckeyes. In his first year of organized football in 2024, Donovan hauled in 17 passes for 268 yards and a pair of touchdowns, adding four touchdowns on the ground, including three in the national title win over Clayton State. At wide receiver, Bluffton University transfer DeSean Bonte is expected to be a downfield threat for the Buckeyes, as is Charlie Harlow who joined late in 2024 but made a splash down the stretch, earning significant playing time on both sides of the ball in the postseason. Keegan Lynch, who started multiple games for Ohio State last year is also expected to provide a spark in the receiver room along with newcomers Conlan Mayberry, Ricardo Washington, Joe Conklin and Mike Coley, with the ladder spending the last two seasons as a student assistant coach and videographer. Tommy Delaney, a do-it-all addition in the spring is also expected to earn significant playing time as a tight end and offensive guard.
At running back, the Buckeyes return juniors Ethan Young and Lucas Fenstermaker who combined for 91 carries and 430 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in 2024. Lake Erie College transfer Milan Jackson is expected to add explosiveness to a room that is expected to be one of the best running back units in the league.
On defense, Ohio State returns a plethora of starters in the front seven from a season ago. Reigning NCFA Defensive MVP Matt Humphreys returns as the leader in the defensive line room with 66 career total tackles, 14.5 sacks and three forced fumbles over two seasons. Adding to the depth on the defensive line is veteran Trey Jones who enters his senior season with 18 career sacks, just 4.5 away from the program record of 22.5. Jones posted nine sacks and 35 tackles a season ago, with 6.5 of those sacks coming in the last two games against Coppin State and Clayton State. Joining Humphreys and Jones at defensive end is Elijah Lowden, who posted a stellar freshman campaign in 2024 in which he posted 42 total tackles and four sacks to go along with a forced fumble. Adding depth on the defensive line are returners Elijah Askew, Daniel Zirkle and newcomers Cayden Humphreys and Aidan McLaughlin.
At linebacker, Tyler Beckman is the unquestioned leader of the back seven. The current team president, Beckman has accumulated 117 total tackles in his first two seasons with Ohio State, leading the team as a freshman in 2023. The Buckeyes are looking for production from a number of new faces at linebacker including freshmen Tyler Siegel and Brayden Beckman and sophomores Carlos Purnell, Tino BeVier and Anthony Irwin.
In the secondary, cornerback Joshua Clemons highlights a unit that is largely rebuilding. Clemons was featured as Ohio State’s top defensive back a season ago, posting 33 total tackles and routinely matching up against the opponents best receivers. Also returning is junior Reagan Little, who has accumulated 26 total tackles and three interceptions in his first two years with the Buckeyes as a corner. At safety, Ohio State is excited about incoming freshman and Air Force veteran Topaz Linton who is expected to bring a new level of physicality to the room. Newcomers Stosh Niezgoda, Tommy Roberts and Corey Adams are all expected to compete for starting roles in the secondary as well.
Finally on special teams, Ohio State has a number of players competing for jobs at both kicker, punter and long snapper including returning punter Liam Ahern and Damian Hanf, who spent last year on the practice squad and is expected to compete for the starting kicker job in 2025. Jacob Cramer, a late addition in fall camp is also expecting to compete for kicking duties.
The Buckeyes are set to open the season on Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. in Fairfax, Va. against George Mason. The Patriots are coming off of a 6-4 season in which they won their conference championship and reached the NCFA Semifinals.
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