3 Ohio State Buckeyes Make Eye-Catching ESPN List

The Ohio State Buckeyes are coming off a national championship, and the scary part for the rest of the country is that many of their top stars are going to be back for another campaign in Columbus.

The team will be returning its best offensive player in Jeremiah Smith, who led the Big Ten Conference in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, setting multiple Ohio State freshmen receiving records throughout the 2025 season. They will also be bringing back Carnell Tate, a top-tier receiver, and they added Purdue star tight end Max Klare as well. Those three are going to create an unstoppable dynamic in Columbus.

The defense has weapons of its own as well. Caleb Downs, who transferred in last season after being a standout safety during his freshman season at Alabama, was pivotal in leading the secondary for Ohio State last season. The Buckeyes will also have Devin Sanchez, who was the best cornerback in the Class of 2025 per 247Sports rankings.

There's no shortage of star power at Ohio State, and ESPN recently confirmed that in a ranking of the top playmakers in college football. The World Wide Leader in Sports left out quarterbacks, focusing solely on the playmaking aspects.

Three Buckeyes (Smith, Downs and Klare) were mentioned. The most notable part of this breakdown is what one Power 4 offensive coordinator said of Klare.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg penned that the coordinator said that Klare would have been the "No. 1 tight end taken this year [in the NFL draft]." Now, that's some high praise.

Klare is getting recognition from all over.