Texas and Ohio State both lost a lot this offseason, but who got hit harder?

One of the main reasons the CFP world struggles to find a true favorite for the 2025 season is that the top teams from 2024 lost a tremendous amount of talent.

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The AP Poll shared this idea, lumping Texas, Penn State, and Ohio State in one of the closest three-team first-place races in the history of the poll. Penn State rose in the rankings compared to where they ended in 2024, and where they entered the year, as a result of a large wave of continuity between last year’s semifinal team and the one trotting out this season. They basically only lost two important players.

Ohio State and Texas, however, saw a much larger shift. The two teams combined to have 26 players drafted into the NFL, with another four starters between the two teams signing as UDFAs. Overall, a whopping 36 of the 64 players to play double-digit snaps in the Cotton Bowl are no longer on the rosters of the two teams.

So, with upwards of 60% of production and snaps gone from the two seasons before, what team actually got hit harder by the draft?

Texas likely suffered the biggest loss of either team with Kelvin Banks Jr. going top 10 in the NFL Draft, but the Buckeyes sweep pretty much everything else: one more first-rounder, three more top-50 picks, and two more total selections. Most of the UDFAs mentioned were cut, though Texas’ Isaiah Bond and Bill Norton seem the most solidified out of the bunch. Win for Texas, I guess.

The NFL believes that Ohio State lost more talent than the Longhorns did. Even with Banks hurting Texas’ offensive line production, the Buckeyes lost two of their own to the first round. Thought Texas was a bit thin at RB entering the offseason? Try losing both of your ball carriers from last season to the NFL.

But what about college production?

This chart shows every player that played over 250 snaps in 2024 (sorry, Morice Blackwell) who is no longer on either team’s roster. Ohio State has 17 such players, while Texas lost 19. By quantity standards, Texas did lose more—more total players and more total snaps played at the University of Texas than at Ohio State. But let’s dig a bit deeper.

While Texas lost more players with over 2,500 snaps in their career, Ohio State lost more players with over 2,000 snaps, 1,500 snaps, and 1,000 snaps. Texas lost eight players with under 1,000 snaps, and only two of them were full-time starters in 2025, depending on how you view Bond.

Ohio State also lost a better quality of player. PFF grades are far from gospel, but the average OSU player that left was over four points higher graded. They lost more players with a grade north of 80 (seen as a great player), over 75 (good player), and players seen as above average, or a 70 grade. Yes, Texas lost more total players, but on average, Ohio State sent better players to the NFL and more impactful ones to their overall team on a total snap and PFF grade scale.

This isn’t to say Texas didn’t lose anything. As we said, Banks was the best player to head to the NFL, and Texas lost two elite players in the secondary, but a lot of infrastructure is built in place.

Both teams lost a late-round QB? Texas is filling it in with Arch Manning in year three, who should be better than year-two Julian Sayin.

Both teams lose their interior defensive line? Texas brought in five transfers to address the problem, while Ohio State looks thin.

OSU has a better group to shore up lost snaps from guys like Egbuka and Scott in the passing game, but Texas’ overall ascending talent looks superior at positions like RB, EDGE, and in the secondary.

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Both of these teams were torn to shreds by the NFL, but Ohio State might’ve been hit worse. More high-tier NFL talent and more elite CFB players went pro from the Buckeyes, leaving Texas to potentially upgrade at spots that saw lesser-skilled players graduate or take their shot at the NFL. There are still the factors of Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs that could be true game-breakers for the Buckeyes, but Texas likely found the upper hand amid the NFL’s plundering of the 2024 Cotton Bowl rosters.