Ohio State football recruiting: Ryan Day's 2 incoming freshmen make waves as Buckeyes stack up 2025 roster

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the reigning national championships but their 2025 roster will look much different from the one that took the field last year. Several impact starters are likely to be in the NFL next season and Day will be relying on new players and freshmen.

Two freshmen who have been making waves are five-star defensive back Devin Sanchez and four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn. Both are expected to compete for starting jobs in 2025. On3 Sports' Pete Nakos reported about the Buckeyes' freshman and also shared inputs that he received from his colleague Steve Wiltfong.

“Riley Pettijohn and Devin Sanchez are doing very, very well," Nakos wrote on Sunday. "The freaks of the crew. (Strength) Coach Mick (Mariotti) has called them dudes’ dudes. Devin has the length, athleticism, and mindset, too. He’s all about it.”

Pettijohn finished his senior season in 2023 with 136 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, 1 interception, 15 QB hurries, and 1 FG block. Sanchez, meanwhile, was a shutdown corner in high school and is looking to parlay that into success in college. Ohio State will be without Cody Simon at LB and Denzel Burke is leaving from the cornerback group which creates openings for Pettijohn and Sanchez.

Ryan Day says there will be stiff competition for Ohio State's QB1 for the upcoming season

Entering 2025, the Ohio State Buckeyes don't have a clear-cut answer at quarterback. Will Howard is off to the NFL and Julian Sayin, Lincoln Keinholz and five-star freshman Tavien St. Clair will compete for the starting job.

“These guys are going to compete their tail off,” Day said on 97.1 The Fan, via On3. “And we have some good quarterbacks in the system, and, you know, I shared with all of them that you know now, this was the week leading up to the national championship game that you had an opportunity to watch. And so you got to really utilize that, because that’s exactly what we’re looking for in a leader here at quarterback."

"We have some really talented guys in that room, and, you know, looking forward to see what the competition brings.”

Ohio State will open its 2025 college football season on August 30 against Texas. The Buckeyes have notable games against Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Washington.