These 6 Ohio players landed on USA TODAY's college football top 100

Ohio college football programs are well represented in a new ranking that highlights some of the nation's best.

Six players from Ohio-based programs made USA TODAY's top 100 college football players entering the 2026 season, including Buckeyes star Jeremiah Smith, who claimed the No. 1 spot overall.

The rankings were based on past production, future projections and NFL draft stock. Here's where the Ohio-based players landed.

Five of the six Ohio-based players suit up for Ohio State, while Cincinnati lineman Evan Tengesdahl is the lone Bearcat included in the rankings.

USA TODAY ranked Tengesdahl No. 100 after a standout season in which he did not allow a sack in pass protection and earned the highest run-blocking grade among Power Four guards from Pro Football Focus.

The publication noted that offensive guards rarely appear on top-100 player lists, making Tengesdahl's inclusion notable for Cincinnati. The senior from Dayton started all 13 games last season after seeing action in 11 games during his sophomore season.

97. Kenyatta Jackson Jr., DE, Ohio State

Jackson Jr. is a key piece of Ohio State's defensive line heading into the 2026 season. He is the unit's only returning starter after leading the Buckeyes with 6.5 sacks last season.

Jackson Jr. started all 14 games last year and stepped up with 28 total tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss. With his experience, Jackson is in line to take on a larger leadership role while anchoring Ohio State's pass rush.

Free safety Terry Moore, who transferred from Duke also made the list for the Buckeyes. Moore has flown under the radar for a transfer who was as heavily billed as any of the Buckeyes' pickups from January.

Moore returned to action with Ohio State after missing last season at Duke with a torn ACL and has spent the spring working back into form. He had four interceptions and five pass breakups in 2024, when he was recognized as a second-team All-American by the Action Network.

Jackson is one of Ohio State's most important players entering the season because of questions about depth at running back. As a freshman, he rushed for 1,090 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

The Buckeyes' offense will rely on the sophomore to replicate that production to help propel the offense against another challenging schedule.

Sayin returns for his second season as Ohio State's starting quarterback after finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting as a sophomore in 2025. USA TODAY highlighted Sayin's accuracy after he completed 77% of his passes last season.

The publication projects Sayin could take another step forward in 2026 after throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns with a 77% completion rate last season.

The junior wide receiver is the No. 1 player in the USA TODAY rankings, with the publication calling him one of the best players in college football since arriving at Ohio State in 2024.

Described as a generational prospect, the publication pointed to Smith's back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, his role on Ohio State's 2024 national championship team and his consensus All-American honors in 2025 as reasons for the top ranking.

In two seasons at OSU, Smith has accumulated 2,558 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns on 163 receptions in 29 games played.