Ohio
Deep Ohio State football talent pool produces impressive 14 NFL draft picks
Woody Hayes famously believed, “You win with people.” The Old Man was not wrong, but to win at the highest level of college football, you win with people drafted into the NFL.
Ohio State led all schools with seven players selected in the first two rounds of the April 24-26 NFL Draft, including four in the first round, the most for the program since 2016. Not coincidentally, the Buckeyes won the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship. As much as OSU preaches about The Brotherhood, it takes more than strong team chemistry to hoist the CFP trophy. It takes elite talent. And lots of it.
Proof? Check out which schools had the most first-round draft picks. Ohio State (4), Georgia, Texas, Michigan (3), Alabama, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State (2), Arizona, Boise State, Colorado, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Missouri, North Dakota State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, North Carolina.
Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Penn State and Boise either had first-round byes or advanced to the second round of the playoff. Tennessee made the field; Alabama, Miami and Ole Miss nearly did.
What happened to Michigan, which had three first-round picks? 1. Well, the Wolverines did defeat the eventual national champions, which fans of the Maize and Blue are only too happy to remind everyone; and 2. UM had to play without Connor Stalions. A year earlier, the Wolverines won the natty with seven players drafted in the first three rounds, which led all schools. They also led with 13 total picks. And the three first-rounders this year played starring roles on the championship team.
Notre Dame is an exception. The Fighting Irish had no player selected in the first round and only two selected in the first three rounds, which cover the first two days of the draft. Credit ND coach Marcus Freeman with doing more with less, at least compared to Ohio State, Georgia and Texas.
Another way to analyze it: Ohio State has the most first-round picks (95) and third most wins (732) since the draft was instituted in 1936, according to Statmuse.com. Southern California is second with 85 first-rounders and ninth in wins (660), while Alabama is third (85) and leads FBS with 749 wins. Rounding out the top five is Notre Dame (71, fourth most wins with 690) and Miami (68 and 15th most wins with 609).
Majority of OSU early picks were five-star recruits
Not for nothing, four of Ohio State’s seven picks in the first two rounds were rated as five stars coming out of high school by 247sports.com. Maybe OSU recruiting coordinator Mark Pantoni is the real brains behind the Buckeyes’ draft-day success? Or maybe it is offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, who, in the spring of 2021, had the following wide receivers in his room: Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Four years removed and all six were first-round draft picks. Take away Williams, who transferred to Alabama, and you still have five OSU receivers drafted in the top 20 since 2022. Wowza.
Not to be outdone, Ryan Day’s draft day resume is impressive in its consistency. This is the third time since Day took over from Urban Meyer in 2019 that the Buckeyes have seen at least three players go in the first round. In 2020, it was Chase Young, Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette; in 2023, C.J. Stroud, Paris Johnson and Smith-Njigba; and in 2025, Egbuka (19th to Tampa Bay), Donovan Jackson (24th to Minnesota), Tyleik Williams (28th to Detroit) and Josh Simmons (32nd to Kansas City).
Buy Ohio State posters, books, gear from CFP title win
Ohio State finished the three-day draft with 14 players selected, tying the school record set in 2004. After the four first-rounders, Quinshon Judkins (Cleveland), TreVeyon Henderson (New England) and J.T. Tuimoloau (Indianapolis) went in the second, followed by fourth-round picks Cody Simon (Arizona), Lathan Ransom (Carolina) and Jack Sawyer (Pittsburgh). Ty Hamilton (L.A. Rams), Jordan Hancock (Buffalo) and Denzel Burke went in the fifth, while Will Howard (Pittsburgh) got picked in the sixth.
Buckeye Nation can now drool over what is coming next. Safety Caleb Downs almost certainly will be a first-round pick next April. Linebacker Sonny Styles also could jump into the first round, and possibly wide receiver Brandon Inniss if he has a big 2025 season. After that, sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has another year in Columbus before becoming a first-round pick in 2027.
Buckeyes still talented enough to compete for national title
Sprinkle in a handful of second- and third-round picks over the next two seasons, and there is no reason to think Ohio State won’t compete for another national championship next year. The talent is there, as long as the starting quarterback, most likely Julian Sayin, is good enough to eventually get drafted.
The biggest concern? Defensive line, where OSU needs to replace four top-150 picks. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has developed his guys into strong run stoppers and, at times, dangerous edge rushers. He’ll need to keep it going for the Buckeyes to be a top-10 defense in 2025.
Woody was right. You win with people … who can make a living playing football.
Sports columnist Rob Oller can be reached at roller@dispatch.com and on X.com at@rollerCD.
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Ohio
No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.
Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.
Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.
Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.
Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.
Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Up next
Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.
Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.
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Ohio
Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, $4.25 million in rebate settlement
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio is part of a multistate lawsuit settlement against home improvement store Menards.
According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Ohio and nine other states reached the settlement with Menards, a Wisconsin-based home-improvement retail store, over allegations of deceptive rebate advertising.
The 10-state led investigation revealed that Menards would give shoppers the impression that they were getting an immediate discount while shopping through its advertising, when in fact, savings actually came in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.
The investigation raised concerns with Menards’ marketing strategy and sales practices, alleging the following of the company:
- Advertised 11% off or 11% off everything that suggested an instant price cut, even though customers received only a rebate on future purchases.
- Listed prices already at an 11% discount, reinforcing the idea that shoppers were getting an in-store discount.
- Failed to clearly explain the important limits of the rebate program, burying key details in the fine print.
- Tell customers that Rebates International was a separate company handling rebates, even though it is operated by Menards itself.
The settlement, announced Thursday, included an agreement by Menards that it would, in part, discontinue ads suggesting immediate discounts, clearly explaining the rules, limits, and conditions of its rebate program, and offer customers an easier path towards claiming rebates, both in person and online, among other changes.
In addition, Menards will pay participating states $4.25 million in fees, of which $365,173.05 will go toward the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.
Ohio
Ohio State dominate latest power ranking as nine Buckeyes rank inside Top 50 players
The honors continue to roll in for this Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
From young players ready for another College Football Playoff run next season to players hungry for one more run starting December 31 before the NFL Draft, this Ohio State Buckeyes team is loaded with talent headed into their seventh playoffs appearance since the CFP era began in 2014.
Five defensive players and four offensive players headlined a class of extremely talented Buckeyes. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza took the No. 1 spot to go along with his Heisman and Maxwell honors.
An offensive Ohio State Buckeye took the No. 2 spot right behind Mendoza.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith takes the No. 2 spot
Jeremiah Smith was ranked behind Mendoza along with his gun-slinging sophomore quarterback. Julian Sayin was the second-highest ranked quarterback on the list at No. 5.
“Smith caught 80 balls for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but that doesn’t really tell the story…Smith commands double-teams constantly, draws the attention of everyone’s best corner, and has every defensive coordinator he faces scheming to slow him down. And none of it has mattered.”
ESPN’s David Hale
Smith is expected to have one more dominant season with the Buckeyes next season where fans hope to see him paired next to five-star recruit Chris Henry Jr. Senior wide receiver Carnell Tate has been an impressive receiving mate for Smith the past two seasons. Tate caught 48 passes, nine touchdowns, and had 838 yards. He ranked No. 26 in the rankings.
Offensive tackle Austin Siereveld ranked No. 44 as well.
The defense takes over
All five of Ohio State’s defensive players on the list ranked inside the top-22. Junior linebacker Sonny Styles sat at No. 21 to kick things off for the defense. The Buckeyes have had the best defense in college football for the entire season and these are the names that have made it happen. Projected first round NFL Draft Arvell Reese took the No. 16 spot.
“A new set of stars emerged to lead the nation’s No. 1 defense this fall, and Reese was undeniably front and center. He has thrived under new coordinator Matt Patricia, recording 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the edge position and finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles…Reese was named Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year and recorded a sack in six of Ohio State’s first eight games of the season.”
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg
Defensive linemen Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry ranked at No. 13 and No. 11 respectively. Safety Caleb Downs was the highest ranked defensive Buckeye at No. 7. Downs is a simply a lockdown player who can play corner or safety while still being able to tackle at a high level. If he chooses to declare for the NFL Draft after the season is over, he’ll be slated to go within the top 10 in most mock drafts.
Opposing quarterbacks only targeted downs 20 times for the entire season. Only nine passes were caught on his watch as the primary defender.
“The longest completion he gave up was 17 yards. A 14-yard completion in the second quarter of the Big Ten title game was the first one he’d given up in nearly two months. There is not a more lockdown corner in the country than Downs.”
ESPN’s David Hale
The Ohio State Buckeyes are waiting for the winner of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoffs this Saturday at 12:00pm Eastern on ABC/ESPN.
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