Leadership, hard work earns four Buckeyes captain status for 2025 season

COLUMBUS — Ohio State needed to replace nearly all of its leadership from last year’s veteran-laden, battle-hardened national championship-winning roster.

The Buckeyes have decided on who will lead the team in its title defense.

The program named its captains Saturday following the second scrimmage of training camp. Hard work, dedication and a full offseason of proof led linebacker Sonny Styles, safety Caleb Downs, offensive lineman Austin Siereveld and wide receiver Brandon Inniss to earn the honors of leading the Buckeyes this season.

Last year’s group of captains, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson, defensive end Jack Sawyer and linebacker Cody Simon, were all seniors who had been in the program for at least four years. This group of captains is younger, but the leadership qualities haven’t changed.

The catalyst for this captain group is Styles, who also became the sixth Buckeyes leader to earn the distinction of wearing the No. 0 jersey on Saturday. He’ll lead the defense from his post at linebacker.

He spoke during Big Ten Media Days about the leadership of this much younger, but ultra talented team ahead of training camp’s opening.

“There’s just so many guys you can name,” Styles said of the leadership in the locker room. “Like a bunch of great men, a bunch of guys do things the right way and are also talented to go with it.”

Ohio State clearly agreed, keeping its captains group from four last year to four this fall. The Buckeyes are going to need all of that experience and leadership from its veterans after losing so many voices from a season ago.

Now the program has landed on who those new voices will be. The Ohio State captains are set for 2025.