# The 22 Greatest Ohio State Football Players of All Time

> Heisman winners, Lombardi linemen and a few modern stars still building their case, all in scarlet and gray. Era bias is half the fun here.

*By YPB Team · Published October 27, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-22-greatest-ohio-state-football-players-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Chris Spielman** — score 1000/1000
   Linebacker who won the 1987 Lombardi Award.
2. **Nick Bosa** — score 943/1000
   Defensive end who followed his brother as a dominant Buckeyes pass rusher.
3. **Troy Smith** — score 927/1000
   Quarterback who won the 2006 Heisman and beat Michigan three times.
4. **Justin Fields** — score 800/1000
   Quarterback who led the Buckeyes to two College Football Playoffs.
5. **Hopalong Cassady** — score 800/1000
   Halfback who won the 1955 Heisman Trophy.
6. **Archie Griffin** — score 799/1000
   Running back and college football's only two-time Heisman winner, in 1974 and 1975.
7. **Ezekiel Elliott** — score 709/1000
   Running back who ran for 246 yards in the 2015 national title game.
8. **Keith Byars** — score 709/1000
   Running back who led the nation in rushing in 1984 and was Heisman runner-up.
9. **Bill Willis** — score 600/1000
   All-American tackle on the 1942 national champions and a pro football pioneer.
10. **Orlando Pace** — score 466/1000
   Dominant left tackle and two-time Lombardi Award winner in the mid-1990s.
11. **Jim Parker** — score 466/1000
   Guard who won the 1956 Outland Trophy before a Hall of Fame NFL career.
12. **James Laurinaitis** — score 466/1000
   Three-time All-American linebacker and 2007 Butkus winner.
13. **C. J. Stroud** — score 466/1000
   Quarterback who was a two-time Heisman finalist in 2021 and 2022.
14. **Eddie George** — score 466/1000
   Running back who won the 1995 Heisman with 1,927 rushing yards.
15. **Les Horvath** — score 466/1000
   Ohio State's first Heisman winner, in 1944.
16. **Cris Carter** — score 466/1000
   Sure-handed receiver in the mid-1980s before a Hall of Fame NFL career.
17. **Chic Harley** — score 0/1000
   Three-time All-American of the 1910s whose fame built Ohio Stadium.
18. **Chase Young** — score 0/1000
   Defensive end who set the school sack record in 2019 and was a Heisman finalist.
19. **Marvin Harrison Jr.** — score 0/1000
   Receiver who won the 2023 Biletnikoff Award.
20. **A. J. Hawk** — score 0/1000
   Linebacker who won the 2005 Lombardi Award.
21. **Joey Bosa** — score 0/1000
   Pass rusher and two-time All-American on the 2014 national title team.
22. **Jeremiah Smith** — score 0/1000
   Receiver whose record freshman season helped win the 2024 national title.

Tags: american-football, players, college football, ohio state