CBS Sports names Ohio State duo as one of the top five in college football for 2025

USA Today

4 days ago

A college football team is made up of 22 individual starters on both sides of the ball (not counting special teams), and all must play in concert, do their jobs, and work together for unity and success. But some players are superstars while others are more role players, trying to hold up their end of the bargain. When you can get a duo working together on the same side of the ball, it can be even more of a treat to watch as each feeds off of each other and creates issues for opposing defenses.
CBS Sports took a look at some of the best tandems in college football and tried to identify the top five heading into the 2025 college football season. Anytime we're talking about the best of the best in college football, there's a good chance Ohio State is a part of that equation, and that's the case as well with what Carter Bahns came up with.
It's no secret that the Buckeyes have had an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position over the past few years, and that looks to be the case again. In fact, that's exactly where Bahns went as one of the top five tandems in college football, highlighting Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate as a dynamic duo. He sees them as the third best duo in college football this season.
"Jeremiah Smith was arguably the best wide receiver in college football as a true freshman. Imagine what he can do with a full year of experience under his belt," Bahns wrote. "The Ohio State superstar enjoyed one of the most prolific freshman seasons the sport has seen in some time with his Big Ten-best 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, which more than delivered on the insane expectations he generated ahead of his Buckeyes debut. The only uncertainty around his 2025 ceiling stems from the quarterback spot, where a new starter will rise to the top of the depth chart, most likely in the form of Julian Sayin.
"The Ohio State receiving corps was far from a one-man show in last year's national championship run, though, and it will not be in 2025, either. Carnell Tate was a terrific third option in Year 2 with the program and looks poised to flirt with the 1,000-yard threshold himself as he picks up a greater share of the target load. After all, he managed to accumulate 733 yards in a room that featured high-volume weapons in Smith and Emeka Egbuka."
We couldn't agree more. There are ways to take one guy more or less away in a game plan at the receiver position by bracketing and shading coverage that way, but when you have another guy that's also a dangerous option, then he can often get the benefit of added attention. Look for Tate to benefit from all the traffic running Smith's way in 2025 and have a breakout campaign for the world to see.
So, who does Bahns have above Smith and Tate? No. 1 is the Penn State running back tandem of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, followed by linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and defensive end Colin Simmons of Texas at No. 2. The other two tandems rounding out the top five are Clemson defensive linemen T.J. Parker and Peter Woods at No. 3, and quarterback Sam Leavitt and receiver Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State at No. 5.
We can't wait to see Ohio State unleash Tate alongside the proven commodity Smith brings this fall.
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