CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2025 Ohio

9–⁠4 (6–⁠2 Mid-American Conference), coached by Brian Smith, then John Hauser (interim, bowl game).

Schedule and results

Ohio in 2025, game by game: lost at Rutgers 31–34; won vs. West Virginia 17–10; lost at No. 1 Ohio State 9–37; won vs. Gardner-Webb 52–35; won vs. Bowling Green 35–20; lost at Ball State 14–20; won vs. Northern Illinois 48–21; won at Eastern Michigan 28–21; won vs. Miami (OH) 24–20; lost at Western Michigan 13–17; won vs. Massachusetts 42–14; won at Buffalo 31–26; won vs. UNLV 17–10+28−28Lost 31–34 at Rutgers-3RutgersWon 17–10 vs. West Virginia+7West VirginiaLost 9–37 at No. 1 Ohio State-28No. 1 Ohio StateWon 52–35 vs. Gardner-Webb+17Gardner-WebbWon 35–20 vs. Bowling Green+15Bowling GreenLost 14–20 at Ball State-6Ball StateWon 48–21 vs. Northern Illinois+27Northern Illino…Won 28–21 at Eastern Michigan+7Eastern MichiganWon 24–20 vs. Miami (OH)+4Miami (OH)Lost 13–17 at Western Michigan-4Western MichiganWon 42–14 vs. Massachusetts+28MassachusettsWon 31–26 at Buffalo+5BuffaloWon 17–10 vs. UNLV+7UNLV
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 28atRutgersL 31–⁠3455%
Sep 6vsWest VirginiaW 17–⁠1067%
Sep 13at1Ohio StateL 9–⁠3722%
Sep 20vsGardner-WebbW 52–⁠3588%
Sep 27vsBowling GreenW 35–⁠2071%
Oct 4atBall StateL 14–⁠2076%
Oct 18vsNorthern IllinoisW 48–⁠2179%
Oct 25atEastern MichiganW 28–⁠2173%
Nov 4vsMiami (OH)W 24–⁠2061%
Nov 11atWestern MichiganL 13–⁠1761%
Nov 18vsMassachusettsW 42–⁠1494%
Nov 28atBuffaloW 31–⁠2665%
Dec 23Bowls & playoffvsUNLVFrisco BowlW 17–⁠1048%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat UNLV 17–⁠10 in the Frisco Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 2nd in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 4th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 93 on file).

Record
9–⁠4
Conference
6–⁠2 tied for 2nd in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
361–⁠285
Coach
Brian Smith, then John Hauser (interim, bowl game)
Elo
1632 +25 this season
SP+ rating
-4.0 No. 84 of 136; offense No. 98, defense No. 61, special teams No. 129
SRS
−3.5 No. 83 of 136 in FBS
Returning
65% of last season’s EPA, No. 19 of 134
Recruiting class
No. 121 roster talent No. 126 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Scott Isphording
Defensive coordinator
John Hauser
Captains
Parker Navarro, D.J. Walker, Davion Weatherspoon and Adonis Williams Jr.
Offense
Spread option
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense44th of 136
  • Defense34th of 136
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted74th of 136
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted60th of 136
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1344%1.2144th of 136
Defense0.0342%1.2534th of 136
Opponent-adjusted0.08 off
0.09 def		41% off
45% def		—74th off
60th def

Passing and running

Pass successDepth of targetDeep throwsLine yardsStuffed
Offense49%11.3 yds19%3.509%
Defense43%9.5 yds14%3.2016%
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.5own 3012% allowed
Defense2.8own 2915% caused

CORE rating -2.1, 75th of 136 (offense 2.1, defense 4.2).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsParker Navarro QB2,375 yds
Passing touchdownsParker Navarro QB14 TD
Rushing yardsSieh Bangura RB1,392 yds
Rushing touchdownsSieh Bangura RB15 TD
Receiving yardsChase Hendricks WR1,037 yds
Receiving touchdownsChase Hendricks WR7 TD
TacklesJalen Thomeson S86 tkl
SacksJay Crable DB6 sacks
InterceptionsCameron Hollobaugh LB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2025 class

Ike Ackerman DE★★★No. 645
Drayden Pavey DL★★★No. 728
Mike Taylor Jr. RB★★★No. 1540
Jermaine Minnis LB★★★No. 2272
Hype Grand QB★★★No. 2281

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2025 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.838
Running backs23.00.843
Offensive line13.00.826
Defensive line43.00.848
Linebackers23.00.824
Defensive backs13.00.824
Athletes and specialists23.00.813
Whole class133.00.834

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 112

The 2025 roster

112 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2025 line; 57 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 21

The 2025 portal
Tim Carpenter QB★★★from Tulsa
Alfred Jordan Jr. WR★★★from Idaho State
Anas Luqman DE★★★from Arkansas–Pine Bluff
Cameron Hollobaugh LB★★★from Walsh
Ronald Jackson Jr. S★★★from Old Dominion
Shedrick Rhodes Jr. OT★★★from Rutgers
Sieh Bangura RB★★★from Minnesota
Pius Odjugo DL★★★from Central Michigan
Andres Dewerk OT★★★from App State
Evan Herrmann DE★★★from Vanderbilt
Josh Waite OL★★★from Shippensburg
Caleb Chamberlin S★★★from Air Force

And 9 more, lower-rated or unrated.

Transfers out 16

Bradley Weaver DL★★★★to Rutgers
Cam Rice DL★★★to Maryland
Shay Taylor LB★★★to Charlotte
Bralen Henderson DL★★★to Missouri
Cecil Doggette Jr. DL★★★to Florida Atlantic
Kadin Schmitz LB★★★to Charlotte
Stellan Bowman LB★★★to Charlotte
Parker Startz DE★★★to Charlotte
Joseph Habinowski OL★★★to Middle Tennessee
Andrew Erby OL★★★to Bucknell
Bryce Butler TE★★★no new school on file
Sinn Brennan DE★★★no new school on file

And 4 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2025 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Western Michigan7–⁠110–⁠4
Ohio6–⁠29–⁠4
Toledo6–⁠28–⁠5
Miami (OH)6–⁠27–⁠7
Central Michigan5–⁠37–⁠6
Kent State4–⁠45–⁠7
Akron4–⁠45–⁠7
Buffalo4–⁠45–⁠7
Eastern Michigan3–⁠54–⁠8
Ball State3–⁠54–⁠8
Bowling Green2–⁠64–⁠8
Northern Illinois2–⁠63–⁠9
Massachusetts0–⁠80–⁠12

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.