The Buckeyes prepare to hoist the College Football National Championship trophy after defeating Notre Dame 34-23 on Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Credit: Carly Damon | Asst. Photo Editor
In summer 2015, the Ohio State football team was fresh off a national championship and wanted to build on its momentum.
With arguably the best roster in the country, the Buckeyes weren’t just aiming to defend their title — they were looking to earn a second straight.
But that title never came.
Ten years later, the Buckeyes are the defending national champions once again, and they have a prime opportunity to learn from the past and start a dynasty.
As difficult as it might be to believe, summer 2025 could be a true inflection point for the program. If the correct steps are taken, this period of time may be remembered as the beginning of something special — or even dynastic — rather than a return to normalcy.
It appears as though the current team is already determined to avoid the pitfalls the program encountered a decade ago.
“The 2015 [team] had more talent, but they were a little undisciplined, and what they did, we don’t want to become a story like that,” offensive lineman Carson Hinzman said in an April 3 interview with The Lantern.
In order for the 2025 Buckeyes to overcome a championship hangover and extend their reign, coaching and development will both be crucial.
The biggest hindrance to the success of the 2015 Buckeyes was coaching turnover on offense. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Herman left to become the head coach at the University of Houston, and running backs coach Stan Drayton left for the same position with the Chicago Bears.
Tim Beck and Ed Warinner jointly replaced Herman on the offensive side of the ball, and Tony Alford stepped in as running backs coach. The offense regressed significantly in 2015, averaging 77.5 fewer yards and 8.3 fewer points per game compared to 2014.
The 2025 team faces a similar challenge, as the Buckeyes were forced to replace offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and offensive line coach Justin Frye.
The replacements that head coach Ryan Day selected — Brian Hartline, Matt Patricia and Tyler Bowen, respectively — will play a fundamental role in ensuring the 2025 Buckeyes don’t backslide following their championship.
Day is now tasked with doing what former Alabama head coach Nick Saban mastered while at Alabama: sustaining dominance, regardless of change.
Saban, widely regarded as the greatest coach in college football history, lost top assistants nearly every season. And still, his savvy hiring decisions were conducive to championship-level football every year.
In building his own legacy and hoping to propel Ohio State to a comparable level of recognition, Day’s new coaches will have to succeed.
Equally important will be the emergence of players who’ve waited in the wings. This season, Buckeye fans will finally see what has been going on “under the hood” while established veterans have been the starters.
Wide receiver Brandon Inniss, linebacker Arvell Reese and defensive linemen Caden Curry, Kenyatta Jackson and C.J. Hicks are just some of the many players who have waited their turn. Now, they’ll be called on to perform at a championship level if the Buckeyes hope to secure a repeat title.
These Buckeyes will need to take the necessary steps this summer to become some of the team’s best players and leaders, both on and off the field. If Ohio State is built to be a championship program that endures beyond just one great season, these veterans must now be ready to be starters.
According to previous Lantern reporting, one message is currently thriving in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center: The 2024 Buckeyes are national champions, and the 2025 team has won nothing. Last year, many of the aforementioned players were rotational pieces; this summer, they’re being tasked to lead.
Still, it’s a tough reality to lose 17 starters and be expected to simply reload. That’s the difference between great teams and dynasties, though.
Teams like LSU in 2019 and Michigan in 2023 are examples of great champions who pushed all their chips in for that singular year. But they also seemed to accept the reality of being mediocre the following season, which they both were.
It’s not exactly a revelation to say coaching and development matter every year. What is noteworthy, though, is just how much they matter for Ohio State right now.
This summer, the Buckeyes will learn a lot about themselves. If the coaching and development deliver, we could be witnessing the start of something different in Columbus — something that resembles a dynasty for years to come.
