Ryan Day finally got over the big hump and won his first National Championship at Ohio State when the Buckeyes recently defeated Notre Dame.

The college football world doesn’t stand still and the Buckeyes watched that first hand with Jim Knowles taking the same position at Penn State. Ohio State now has to look toward the future and try to find a way to repeat its 2024 success.

New names like Jeremiah Smith and Quinshon Judkins excelled for the Buckeyes on offense in 2024. Other new names are going to pop up in 2025 that may not be heavily known right now.

3 Buckeyes who can be a breakout star on offense in 2025

WR Brandon Inniss

Innis was Ohio State’s fourth option at wide receiver in 2024, which they don’t ask a ton out of production wide. As a true sophomore, Inniss caught 14 passes for 176 receiving yards and a touchdown. With losing Emeka Egbuka to the NFL, Ohio State is going to need someone to step up in the slot.

The 6-foot Inniss is the perfect kind of player to give defense headaches from the slot. Inniss is a problem once he gets the ball in his hands in space, which is why Ohio State has used him as a returner in the past. Inniss is going to be the No. 3 option for the wide receiver room in 2025 and a big boost in production. A player that has waited his dues without transferring.

RB James Peoples

Ohio State loses two NFL-level running backs with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins off to the NFL. Sam Williams-Dixon opted to transfer, so Peoples is the only returning player in the room in 2025. Peoples had 197 yards and two touchdowns on 49 carries in 2024.

Ohio State went out and got CJ Donaldson in the transfer portal and he may be the primary back, but Peoples is also going to be a very key back for Ohio State’s offense too. Being the only returning player in the system helps his cause.

QB Julian Sayin

If you are the starting quarterback at Ohio State, you are going to have a chance to put up some big numbers thanks to the weapons around you. That will be the case even with a true sophomore under center next fall if Sayin is to win the job, which all signs point toward him being the guy.

Sayin is a former Elite 11 winner who is a very good processor with the football. Sayin is accurate with the football and has good arm talent. Sayin was the No. 1 QB in the country in his class and Nick Saban recruited him for a reason. Since he is known by most because he is a high-level recruit, 2025 could serve as a coming-out party for Sayin.

Joel Klatt sends warning to the rest of college football about Ohio State’s 2025 team

They’ll be a problem again.