Ohio State is heading into next season with the kind of offensive firepower that usually makes preseason rankings look silly in hindsight.
The Buckeyes are coming off a disappointing finish to the 2025 season, but the expectation inside and around the program is still clear: they’re built to chase a national championship for the second time in three seasons. That belief starts with the talent on offense.
Jeremiah Smith is set for his final season in Columbus, and the source material makes the case that he’s the best player in the country at any position and a likely top-five pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Add in Julian Sayin entering his second year as the starting quarterback, and the ceiling gets even higher.
Still, not everyone is buying Ohio State as an elite unit. JD PicKell of On3 slotted the Buckeyes third nationally on his list of the best offenses, putting Miami at No. 1 and Oregon at No.
- That means he doesn’t even view Ohio State as the top offense in the Big Ten.
The ranking drew pushback for a few obvious reasons. PicKell is banking heavily on Darian Mensah arriving from Duke and continuing to produce at a high level, but the argument here is that Sayin is the better quarterback.
Oregon’s Dante Moore might have a case, but Ohio State’s edge is Smith, who gives the Buckeyes a weapon no one else in that conversation can match. The offense also has a former head coach calling plays, which only adds to the confidence around the unit.
There’s more reason to expect the Buckeyes to be even better up front, too. Four offensive linemen are back from last season, and Bo Jackson is set for his second year as the clear starter. Put that together and Ohio State looks like a team that should be difficult to slow down in any setting.
The schedule should give fans an early read on just how dangerous this offense can be. Ball State comes first in Week 1, and the Buckeyes could pile up points fast against the Cardinals.
Week 2 is the more revealing matchup, with a night trip to Austin to face Texas. If Ohio State can move the ball and score in bunches there, the debate about its offense should get a lot quieter.
The source material also points to Chris Henry Jr. as another potential difference-maker if he turns into the kind of player people expect. With that kind of talent spread across the roster, Ohio State is expected to keep winning at a high level despite a difficult schedule and remain in the College Football Playoff picture, powered in large part by its offense.
In Other News...
Ryan Days Biggest Recruiting Win Says Everything About Ohio State
Over the past decade, Ryan Day has made Ohio States recruiting operation one of the sports most reliable talent pipelines, and the payoff showed up in the programs 2024 national championship run. J.T. Tuimoloau, TreVeyon Henderson and Jeremiah Smith all arrived with major expectations and quickly became part of the core that helped carry the Buckeyes to the top, giving Day a track record that extends well beyond one signing class.
Smith, in particular, underscored how much recruiting can shape a title chase. His presence in the playoff was a reminder that Ohio States biggest wins often start long before kickoff, with the Buckeyes beating out plenty of competition to land elite players who can change the ceiling of the roster. And in this case, the story of how that final piece came together says plenty about why Days recruiting reputation has only grown stronger. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State May Be Watching A Pivotal 2027 WR Battle Slip Away
Monshun Sales has become one of the more intriguing names in the 2027 wide receiver class, and his recruitment is starting to take shape in a way Ohio State fans will recognize all too well. The 5-star from Lawrence North in Indiana has drawn heavy attention, with the Hoosiers leaning on former player Omar Cooper Jr. as part of their push and Texas staying active in the chase as well.
For Ohio State, the broader concern is less about one missed target than the ripple effect that can follow when elite receivers start choosing sides this early. Texas pursuit of Sales could also matter for another top 2027 name, Easton Royal, while the Buckeyes may be forced to keep their long-range focus elsewhere as the board continues to shift around them. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Commit Jamier Brown Just Got A Recruiting Snub Fans Will Hate
Ohio States 2027 recruiting class already looks loaded, with five-star names such as Marcus Fakatou, D.J. Jacobs and Jamier Brown giving the Buckeyes plenty of early star power. Brown has been one of the headliners in that group, and even after a recent adjustment in one major services rankings, he remains viewed by the rest of the industry as one of the top prospects in the class.
The bigger picture for Ohio State is that the Buckeyes are not done stacking elite talent around him. They are still in the hunt for more five-star additions, including David Gabriel Georges and Monshun Sales, with commitments expected by December, so Browns status is only one piece of a class that could keep getting stronger in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]