The Ohio State football team won the national championship by conquering the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Ohio State’s pistol team won its fifth straight national title, and the dance and cheer teams won national championships, too. Ohio State’s men’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis and women’s swimming and diving teams all won Big Ten championships, and the women’s hockey team played in its fourth straight national championship game.

Dozens of individual Ohio State athletes had standout seasons along the way. Today at Eleven Warriors, we’re highlighting the best of the best Buckeyes from the last 12 months.

We’ll start with an honor roll of athletes who didn’t quite make our top 20 rankings but still deserve special recognition for their excellence this past fall, winter or spring. Then, we’ll count down the 20 best Buckeye athletes of the year from 20 to 1.

The rankings, while undeniably subjective, took into account the individual accolades each athlete received, the impacts each of them made on their respective teams’ success and whether their performance over the past year was historic and/or record-setting.

Honor Roll

TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, Cody Simon and JT Tuimoloau, Football

I limited myself to ranking only five football players in the top 20, but I couldn’t write this article without giving four additional football Buckeyes some well-deserved recognition for their contributions to Ohio State’s title run.

Egbuka, Henderson and Simon were all captains for the national captains and had standout senior seasons in their leadership roles. Henderson led the Buckeyes with 1,367 yards from scrimmage and was a dynamic weapon throughout the year, highlighted by his 75-yard touchdown off a screen pass in the Cotton Bowl. Egbuka had a team-leading 81 receptions for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns on his way to setting Ohio State’s all-time receptions record for a career. Simon blossomed into one of the nation’s best linebackers as a fifth-year senior, leading the Buckeyes’ top-ranked defense with 112 total tackles.

Tuimoloau became the first-ever Ohio State defensive end to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors in three straight seasons as he had one of the most productive seasons ever for a Buckeye DE, recording 21.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.

Jaloni Cambridge and Cotie McMahon, Women’s Basketball

Cambridge and McMahon both earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the 2024-25 season. McMahon, who led the Buckeyes with 16.5 points per game, earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second straight year and was also an AP All-America honorable mention. Cambridge earned Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year honors as she averaged 15.4 points and 3.9 assists per game in her first season as a Buckeye.

McMahon left Ohio State after the season to transfer to Ole Miss, but Cambridge will enter her second season at OSU as a strong candidate to be one of the Buckeyes’ top athletes of 2025-26.

Bruce Thornton, Men’s Basketball

As has been the case in all of his first three years at Ohio State, Thornton was the bright spot in another disappointing season for the men’s basketball Buckeyes. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as he ranked seventh in the Big Ten in scoring (17.7 ppg) and eighth in the conference in assists (4.6 apg). 

His 3.15 assist-to-turnover ratio was the ninth-best in men’s college basketball last season, but it wasn’t enough to get Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament. Thornton enters his senior season at Ohio State still seeking his first appearance in the Big Dance.

Teah Chavez, Women’s Tennis

Chavez earned All-American and unanimous All-Big Ten honors as she went 26-9 in singles during the 2024-25 season. Ranked 18th in the year-end ITA singles rankings, Chavez won the ITA Midwest Region Most Improved Player award and led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten Tournament championship as their court one player throughout the postseason.

Jack Anthrop, Aidan Kim and Alexander Bernard, Men’s Tennis

Anthrop, Kim and Bernard all earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as they led Ohio State to its 19th consecutive Big Ten championship in men’s tennis.

Kim, a Florida transfer, was the Buckeyes’ No. 1 singles player and finished the year ranked eighth in the ITA singles rankings, earning All-American honors for making the Round of 16 at the NCAA singles championship. Anthrop led the Buckeyes with a 28-5 singles record for the season. Bernard went 20-11 for the season as Ohio State’s No. 1 singles player.

Emily Londot, Women’s Volleyball

Londot earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the fourth straight year as she ranked fourth in the Big Ten in kills (510) and 21st in the NCAA in points per set (5.09). She earned AVCA Northeast All-Region honors for a fifth straight year to conclude her Ohio State career, and was selected in the 10th pick of the Pro Volleyball Federation draft by the Omaha Supernovas.

Shane Wetzel, Men’s Volleyball

Wetzel earned first-team All-MIVA and honorable mention All-American honors as he led the Buckeyes with 399 kills and 472.5 points on their way to an 18-11 record. The junior opposite hitter ranked in the top 18 nationally for the season in both kills and points per set.

Emma Peschel, Women’s Hockey

Peschel helped lead Ohio State to its fourth straight national championship game appearance as one of the nation’s best defensemen. The Buckeye junior earned first-team All-WCHA and second-team All-American honors as she led Ohio State with 42 blocked shots and scored 34 points from the back line.

Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Men’s Hockey

With 17 goals and 23 assists, Fontaine was the leading scorer for Ohio State’s best men’s hockey season from an overall record standpoint in seven years. Fontaine – who would certainly be near the top of a ranking of the Ohio State athletes with the best names – tied for fifth in the Big Ten with 40 points and led the Buckeyes to the Big Ten Tournament final with an overtime game-winner as part of a two-goal effort against Penn State in the semifinals.

Tristan Jankovics and Tomas Navikonis, Men’s Swimming

Navikonis and Jankovics were Ohio State’s top performers at the Big Ten men’s swimming and diving championships, where Navikonis won conference gold in both the 100 free (41.55) and 200 free (1:31.01) while Jankovics won the Big Ten title in the 400 individual medley (3:35.31).

Jankovics followed that up by winning the silver medal at the NCAA championships as the second-place finisher in the 400 IM, breaking his own school record with a time of 3:34.98, while Navikonis earned honorable mention All-American placement in the 200 free as well as the 4×50, 4×100 and 4×200 freestyle relays.

Sienna Angove and Mila Nikanorov, Women’s Swimming

Angove and Nikanorov led Ohio State to its fifth Big Ten women’s swimming and diving championship in six years. 

Angove won the 400 IM (4:03.92) and scored points in five different events at the conference meet, then followed that up with an eighth-place finish in the 400 IM at the NCAA meet to earn All-American honors. Nikanorov scored points in four events at the Big Ten championship, including a second-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle, then earned All-American honors in two different events with sixth-place finishes in both the 500 free (4:36.68, an Ohio State record) and the 1650 free (15:51.95).

Leah Bertrand, Women’s Track and Field

Bertrand wrapped up Ohio State’s year in sports with an excellent performance at this past weekend’s NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, finishing fourth in the 200-meter dash (22.6 seconds) and fifth in the 100 (11.21) to earn All-American honors in both events.

The senior sprinter broke multiple school records in her final season as a Buckeye, setting Ohio State’s 100-meter dash record (10.92 seconds) during the outdoor season and 60-meter dash record (7.19) with her third-place run at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

The Cheer and Dance Teams

It’s hard to single out individual athletes from cheerleading and dance routines, but the entire teams deserve recognition for their victories at this year’s UCA/UDA College Nationals. The cheerleading team won the national championship in the game day competition – where they showed off the same skills they utilize inside Ohio Stadium during football games – while the dance team won gold in the D1A Jazz competition at College Nationals.

20. Bobby Van Buren, Men’s Lacrosse
19. Siggi Magnusson, Men’s Soccer

Magnusson and Van Buren are both in the top 20 for the same reason: They were first-team All-American defenders for Big Ten championship teams.

Van Buren led the way for Ohio State men’s lacrosse to be one of the nation’s best defensive teams as the Buckeyes won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships. Magnusson led the way for Ohio State men’s soccer to be one of the nation’s best defensive teams as those Buckeyes also won Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles and earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before making a run to the College Cup semifinals.

18. Luciana Perry, Women’s Tennis

Perry earned All-American honors for the second year in a row as she became just the second player in Ohio State women’s tennis history to make the quarterfinals of the NCAA singles tournament. As just a sophomore, Perry became the first player in program history to make the Round of 16 at the NCAA singles tournament twice.

Perry also won the singles title at the ITA Midwest Regionals, then went 18-3 in singles matches during the dual match season to finish the year with a 32-7 record. She earned unanimous All-Big Ten honors, helped lead Ohio State to the Big Ten Tournament title and finished the year ranked ninth among all singles players in women’s college tennis.

17. Blaine Simpson, Pistol

A freshman from Sidney, Ohio, Simpson won the national championship in sport pistol and finished second in the individual aggregate at this year’s Intercollegiate Pistol Championships, helping lead Ohio State’s most dominant team to its fifth straight title.

16. Donovan Jackson, Football

Jackson was arguably the most important player of Ohio State’s national championship run. His successful midseason shift from left guard to left tackle saved the Buckeyes’ offensive line after Josh Simmons’ season-ending injury – and made him a first-round NFL draft pick in the process as he allowed zero sacks in Ohio State’s final eight games of the season, even while facing some of the nation’s best edge rushers in the College Football Playoff.

In recognition of his excellent play at both left tackle and left guard, Jackson earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the third straight year as well as first-team All-American honors from numerous media outlets. The Minnesota Vikings selected him with the 24th pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

15. Jazmyn Burns, Softball

Ohio State’s offense was the best in the nation in Kirin Kumar’s first season leading the program, and Burns was a big reason why. A first-team All-American, Ohio State’s catcher set Ohio State and Big Ten records by hitting 25 home runs, tied for the fifth-most in the NCAA this season. She also ranked fifth nationally in slugging percentage (1.006) and tied for eighth nationally in batting average (.455).

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, they’ll have to replace Burns in next season’s lineup as she transferred to Texas Tech following the season.

14. Joy Dunne, Women’s Hockey

Ohio State ranked second in the country in goals last season – behind only Wisconsin, the team it lost to in the national championship game – and Dunne was the biggest reason why. She ranked third in the NCAA with 29 goals and sixth in the nation with 62 total points.

A second-team All-WCHA honoree, Dunne was also a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, the top individual honor in women’s college hockey. With two more seasons at Ohio State still to go, Dunne is on pace to become the Buckeyes’ all-time leader in both goals and points if she continues to be as productive as she was in 2024-25.

13. Kary Hollenbaugh, Women’s Golf

Hollenbaugh tied a school record by winning four different tournaments this year, earning medalist honors at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge, the Spartan Suncoast Invitational, the Clemson Invitational and the Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational. 

She also earned a second-place finish at the Big Ten championship, finished 34th at the NCAA championship and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open. The junior from New Albany finished at even or under par in seven of Ohio State’s 11 stroke play tournaments and led the team with a scoring average of 71.15. In recognition of all of that, Hollenabugh earned first-team All-American honors from Golfweek.

12. Caleb Fyock, Men’s Lacrosse

Fyock – who might have the best nickname of any Ohio State athlete, “Big Tasty” – was the nation’s best goaltender this season, leading the NCAA with a 61.2% save percentage (the best by a Buckeye goalie in the 21st century) and earning first-team All-American honors. 

The 6-foot-2, 297-pound sophomore also earned Big Ten Specialist of the Year honors as his dominance in net led the Buckeyes to their first-ever Big Ten championship.

11. Kailyn Dudukovich, Women’s Soccer

Dudukovich was one of the most prolific scorers in all of women’s college soccer, tying for second nationally with 19 goals during the 2024 season. She earned first-team All-American and unanimous All-Big Ten honors and led the Buckeyes to a 14-6-3 season that culminated with a run to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

Dudukovich finished her four-year Ohio State career with 44 goals and 98 total points, breaking the program records in both categories.

10. Ruby Remati, Artistic Swimming

Remati started her year by helping Team USA win a silver medal in the team competition at the Paris Olympics, America’s first Olympic medal in artistic swimming in 20 years. The junior from Massachusetts followed that up by winning the national championship in A figures at the Collegiate Championships, where she was also a part of Ohio State’s second-place trio, third-place team and fourth-place duet routines that earned the Buckeyes a third-place finish in the national standings.

9. Will Howard, Football

Howard was a Buckeye for only one season, but he sure made the most of it. The Kansas State transfer proved to be exactly what Ohio State needed at quarterback as he broke Ohio State’s single-season completion percentage record (73%) while providing exemplary leadership for the Buckeyes along their journey to a national title.

By the end of the season, Howard made a strong case for being the best quarterback in all of college football with his outstanding play in the College Football Playoff, in which he completed 82 of 109 passing attempts for 1,150 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions to lead Ohio State to wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame.

RELATED Will Howard’s Transfer to Ohio State Proved To Be A Perfect Pairing For Both Sides

8. Jack Sawyer, Football

Like Howard, Sawyer was both one of the best players and best leaders for the Ohio State football team throughout the 2024 season, providing constant disruption up front for the Buckeye defense while serving as a team captain. Also like Howard, he took his game to another level in the CFP to lead the Buckeyes to a national championship.

Across four CFP games, Sawyer tallied 13 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a jaw-dropping seven pass breakups. He cemented his standing as one of Ohio State’s best athletes of the year when he made one of the greatest plays in school history by strip-sacking Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, recovering the fumble himself and running it all the way to the opposite end zone for an 83-yard scoop-and-score touchdown that secured a Cotton Bowl and punched the Buckeyes’ ticket to the national championship game.

7. Makenna Webster, Field Hockey and Women’s Hockey

Webster ranks as Ohio State’s top female athlete of 2024-25 because of her excellence across two different sports.

Ohio State’s female recipient of the 2025 Big Ten Medal of Honor, Webster started her year in field hockey by earning second-team All-American honors, ranking in the top eight nationally with 16 goals and 42 total points for the 2024 season as she led the Buckeyes to a 14-5 campaign – its best record in 14 years. She followed that up by helping lead the women’s ice hockey team to its fourth straight national championship game appearance as she scored 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) in just 30 games.

Makenna Webster was a star for two different Ohio State teams in 2024-25. (Photo: Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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6. Marcus Klemp, Pistol

Klemp was the individual aggregate champion at the Intercollegiate Pistol Championships, finishing second in both sport pistol and air pistol to top the final leaderboard. His efforts not only won him an individual national championship but led Ohio State to its fifth straight team national championship, giving Klemp – a freshman from Montana – the distinction of being both the top individual and the leader of the top team in his sport.

5. Kameron Nelson, Men’s Gymnastics

Nelson made gymnastics history during the regular season when he became the first gymnast in the world – at any level – to land two triple-back somersaults in the same floor routine.

Congratulations to Kameron Nelson on making history as the first gymnast in the WORLD to compete two triple backs in a floor routine

What an incredible accomplishment after all of the work hes put in!!#GoBucks | @B1GGymnastics pic.twitter.com/YqZwmuj0In

— Ohio State Men’s Gym (@OhioStateMGYM) January 12, 2025

The Ohio State senior followed that up by winning the NCAA championship in the vault, becoming the first Buckeye gymnast in six years to win a national championship. He also earned a third-place finish at the national meet in floor to become a two-event All-American.

4. Caleb Downs, Football

Downs was expected to be the best safety in college football last season from the moment he transferred to Ohio State from Alabama, and he lived up to that expectation and then some. Even on a defense loaded with standout seniors, Downs became the immediate star of the top defense in the country as the Buckeyes built their 2024 defense around him.

Downs earned unanimous All-American honors as he recorded 82 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and six pass breakups and ran a punt back 79 yards against Indiana for Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown in a decade. Whether he was lined up in deep centerfield or attacking closer to the line of scrimmage, Downs made an impact on every play as Ohio State led the country in both points and yards allowed per game last season.

3. Jesse Mendez, Wrestling

Mendez makes the top three of our list of Ohio State’s top athletes for the second year in a row after he defended his NCAA wrestling championship in the 141-pound weight class.

He faced a bit more adversity in his path to this year’s title than he did last year, as he missed the podium at Big Ten championships with losses to Nebraska’s Brock Hardy and Penn State’s Beau Bartlett, but he redeemed himself by beating Bartlett and Hardy in succession to claim the national crown. With his title defense, Mendez became just the sixth wrestler in Ohio State history to win multiple national championships.

2. Michael Adedokun, Men’s Soccer

Adedokun was the best player in men’s college soccer last season, becoming the first-ever Buckeye to win the MAC Hermann Trophy, soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman.

The senior midfielder from Nigeria led the Buckeyes with 11 goals and 11 assists, tying him for the seventh-most points in the nation in 2024. His excellence in the middle of the field led Ohio State to one of its greatest seasons in program history as the Buckeyes went 16-2-4, won both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships and made the College Cup for just the second time ever.

1. Jeremiah Smith, Football

As great as all the athletes on this list were this year, picking Ohio State’s top athlete of the year wasn’t a hard choice.

Smith rapidly became the biggest star in Ohio State sports as he obliterated OSU’s freshman receiving records, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns on his way to earning Big Ten Receiver and Freshman of the Year honors. By the end of the season, Smith was the most feared and respected receiver in college football as he dominated in some of Ohio State’s biggest games of the year, including back-to-back 100-yard, two-touchdown games against Tennessee and Oregon in the CFP.

No. 4 capped off his historic freshman year and solidified his standing as Ohio State’s best athlete of 2024-25 by catching a 56-yard deep ball from Will Howard late in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame that effectively clinched the national championship.

Now, Ohio State’s best athlete of 2024-25 will look to be even better in 2025-26 as he enters his second year as a Buckeye with two more seasons at the collegiate level still to come.