{"id":227027,"date":"2025-10-15T17:35:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T17:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/227027\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T17:35:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T17:35:08","slug":"julian-sayin-kayden-mcdonald-and-caden-curry-lead-pro-football-focus-highest-graded-ohio-state-players-against-illinois","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/227027\/","title":{"rendered":"Julian Sayin, Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry Lead Pro Football Focus\u2019 Highest-Graded Ohio State Players Against Illinois"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFollowing Ohio State’s 34-16 road victory against No. 17 Illinois<\/a>,\u00a0we share the scores from\u00a0Pro Football Focus<\/a>, who\u00a0grades every player after every game based on how they perform on a snap-to-snap basis.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWe compiled the PFF grades for every Buckeye who played on either offense or defense in the Big Ten home\u00a0opener and highlight\u00a0the three\u00a0highest-graded players who played at least 10 snaps against the Fighting Illini. There are familiar faces in\u00a0the top three positions this week as it is comprised of the only three Buckeyes who have held the top spot this year.\n<\/p>\n

\t\tPFF’s Grading Scale<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tELITE<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tGOOD<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tABOVE AVG.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tAVG.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBELOW AVG.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tPOOR<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tVERY POOR<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t90-100<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t80-89<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t70-79<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t60-69<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t50-59<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t40-49<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBelow 40<\/p>\n

\t1. QB Julian Sayin\u00a0(86.0)<\/p>\n

\n\tA pattern has developed for the highest-graded Buckeye. Sayin was in the top spot last week, and for the third time this season, the\u00a0Buckeye with the best grade has been in that spot for back-to-back weeks.\u00a0Sayin’s overall offensive grade of 86\u00a0and passing grade of 84\u00a0against Illinois were the second-best in the Big Ten. With that, his offensive (90.5) and passing (91.0) grades\u00a0for the season are the highest among all starting conference quarterbacks.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\tPFF grade shows just how good Ohio State QB Julian Sayin has beenhttps:\/\/t.co\/65yXrEqEY8<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n

\t\u2014 BIGPLAY (@BIGPLAY) October 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\t2. DT\u00a0Kayden McDonald\u00a0(85.5)<\/p>\n

\n\tMcDonald returns to the top three\u00a0for the first time since his team-best Week 2 performance against Grambling State. His overall defensive grade of 85.5 was the highest among all Big Ten defensive tackles, and his score of 93.5 against the run was best in the conference and third-highest in the nation.\n<\/p>\n

\t3. DE Caden Curry\u00a0(79.0)<\/p>\n

\n\tCurry filled up the boxes on the stat sheet against Illinois with two\u00a0tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a fumble recovery and\u00a0a quarterback hit. His grades\u00a0pass rushing (81.8) and tackling (75.5) were the best among Ohio State defensive linemen.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED Sayin Has Quieter Game vs. Illinois<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\tExtra Points<\/p>\n

\t\tSonny Styles\u00a0earned a team-high grade in tackling (86.1).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tJermaine Mathews Jr.\u00a0led the Big Ten cornerbacks in pass rushing (89.8).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tBennett Christian\u00a0(40.2) had the lowest grade of any Buckeye, with Beau Atkinson (43.4) earning the lowest grade of any Ohio State defensive player.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tCarson Hinzman\u00a0was the team’s best pass\u00a0blocker with a grade of 83.7.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tPFFT<\/p>\n

\n\tSometimes the numbers and rankings from PFF don’t match the performances\u00a0we see on the field or the stat sheet. Last week, Caleb Downs passed the eye test and his numbers looked good. The future NFL player finished the game against Illinois tied for second on the team with nine tackles, seven of which were solo stops. Downs also played a key role in directing the defense.<\/p>\n

As good as his numbers were, the PFF staff found enough fault in his play to grade Downs as the weakest safety to play against Illinois and gave him the third-worst score (58.3) on the defense. Downs graded out well in run defense (77.8) and tackling (72.2) but was dinged in coverage (52.2) and pass rushing (56.6).\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\t\tPFF’s Weekly Top 3 Buckeyes<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tGAME<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t1<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t2<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t3<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tTexas<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDT Kayden McDonald
(82.4)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDT Will Smith Jr.
(80.7)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tCB Jermaine Mathews Jr.
(78.0)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tGrambling<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDT Kayden McDonald
(93.6)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tTE Jelani Thurman
(93.0)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tQB Lincoln Kienholz
(88.1)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tOhio<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDE Caden Curry (92.5)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tLB Sonny Styles (89.2)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tQB Julian Sayin (85.4)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tWashington<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDE Caden Curry (80.3)*<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tOL Carson Hinzman (80.3)*<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tOL Austin Siereveld (75.8)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tMinnesota<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tQB Julian Sayin (91.9)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tWR Carnell Tate (86.9)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tS Lorenzo Styles Jr. (84.8)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tIllinois<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tQB Julian Sayin (86.0)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDT Kayden McDonald (85.5)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDE Caden Curry (79.0)<\/p>\n

\n\t*Curry and Hinzman tied for first against Washington.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\tOffensive Ratings By Position<\/p>\n

\tQuarterback<\/p>\n

\n\tJulian Sayin: 86.0\u00a0(65\u00a0snaps)\n<\/p>\n

\tRunning Backs<\/p>\n

\n\tC.J. Donaldson: 65.6\u00a0(31 snaps)
Bo Jackson:\u00a061.5\u00a0(20\u00a0snaps)
Isaiah West: 55.3\u00a0(3\u00a0snaps)
James Peoples:\u00a052.0\u00a0(13\u00a0snaps)\n<\/p>\n

\tWide Receivers<\/p>\n

\n\tCarnell Tate:\u00a072.9\u00a0(50\u00a0snaps)
Jeremiah Smith:\u00a067.4\u00a0(50\u00a0snaps)
Mylan Graham:\u00a064.2\u00a0(8\u00a0snaps)
Brandon Inniss:\u00a057.7\u00a0(34 snaps)\n<\/p>\n

\tTight Ends<\/p>\n

\n\tNate Roberts: 74.8 (8 snaps)
Max Klare: 64.6\u00a0(36\u00a0snaps)
Jelani Thurman:\u00a063.8\u00a0(9 snaps)
Will Kacmarek:\u00a062.2\u00a0(43\u00a0snaps)
Bennett Christian:\u00a040.2\u00a0(20\u00a0snaps)\n<\/p>\n

\tOffensive Line<\/p>\n

\n\tJoshua Padilla: 67.5 (14 snaps)
Austin Siereveld: 66.4\u00a0(65\u00a0snaps)
Carson Hinzman:\u00a064.8\u00a0(65\u00a0snaps)
Phillip Daniels:\u00a062.0\u00a0(65\u00a0snaps)
Luke Montgomery: 58.9\u00a0(65\u00a0snaps)
Tegra Tshabola:\u00a058.3\u00a0(51\u00a0snaps)\n<\/p>\n

\t\tPosition Bests (10+ Snaps)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tQB<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tRB<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tWR<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tTE<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tOL<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDE<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDT<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tLB<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tCB<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tS<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tJulian Sayin<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tC.J Donaldson<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tCarnell Tate<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tMax Klare<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tJoshua Padilla<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tCaden Curry<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tKayden McDonald<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tSonny Styles<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDavison Igbinosun<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tJaylen McClain<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t86.0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t65.6<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t72.9<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t64.6<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t67.5<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t79.0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t85.5<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t71.5<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t78.0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t68.1<\/p>\n

\tDefensive Ratings by Position<\/p>\n

\tDefensive Ends<\/p>\n

\n\tCaden Curry:\u00a079.0\u00a0(60\u00a0snaps)
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.:\u00a066.3\u00a0(12\u00a0snaps)
Logan George:\u00a059.4\u00a0(3\u00a0snaps)
Joshua Mickens:\u00a059.4\u00a0(2\u00a0snaps)
Epi Sitanilei:\u00a059.1\u00a0(2\u00a0snaps)
Beau Atkinson:\u00a043.4\u00a0(24\u00a0snaps)\n<\/p>\n

\tDefensive Tackles<\/p>\n

\n\tKayden McDonald:\u00a085.5\u00a0(39\u00a0snaps)
Jason Moore:\u00a074.5\u00a0(13\u00a0snaps)
Will Smith Jr.:\u00a070.8\u00a0(31\u00a0snaps)
Tywone Malone Jr.:\u00a062.7\u00a0(47\u00a0snaps)
Jarquez Carter:\u00a058.5\u00a0(5\u00a0snaps)\n<\/p>\n

\tLinebackers<\/p>\n

\n\tSonny Styles:\u00a071.5\u00a0(69\u00a0snaps)
Payton Pierce: 66.7\u00a0(23\u00a0snaps)
Arvell Reese:\u00a065.1\u00a0(64 snaps)
Riley Pettijohn: 61.9\u00a0(2\u00a0snaps)\n<\/p>\n

\tCornerbacks<\/p>\n

\n\tDavison Igbinosun: 78.0\u00a0(53\u00a0snaps)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 66.4\u00a0(67\u00a0snaps)
Devin Sanchez: 65.4\u00a0(65 snaps)
Bryce West:\u00a063.6\u00a0(5\u00a0snaps)
Miles Lockhart:\u00a061.8 (2 snaps)
Aaron Scott Jr.:\u00a053.0 (19 snaps)\n<\/p>\n

\tSafeties<\/p>\n

\n\tJaylen McClain: 68.1\u00a0(72 snaps)
Leroy Roker III:\u00a062.6\u00a0(9\u00a0snaps)
Faheem Delane:\u00a061.2\u00a0(2\u00a0snaps)
Caleb Downs:\u00a058.3\u00a0(72 snaps)\n<\/p>\n