Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency.
Has worked for three MLB teams.
Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’
With high school seasons ending across the country and college conference tournaments about a week away from beginning, it’s time for a full update on how the 2025 MLB draft is shaping up with a mini-mock draft and a fresh ranking of the top 150 prospects.
I mentioned a month ago in my last rankings update that this is viewed as a weaker draft than the 2024 class and that’s still the case. Last year’s final draft rankings had five players better than a 50 FV and 10 total players at a 50 FV or above. This year, as you can see below, has eight players as a 50 FV or better and no one above that tier. I’ll go into a little more detail about what this means below, but let’s get into the buzz about how the draft will play out with a mock draft.
This one is still wide open. Holliday is perceived as the most likely outcome right now from my industry conversations. (Here’s a look at Holliday from when I saw him this spring.) But Eli Willits has some industry buzz here and Seth Hernandez seems to be a real option while Jamie Arnold and Liam Doyle are seen as the two most likely college options should Washington go that route.
These players are all pretty closely packed on my rankings below so the Nats getting into the draft room to hash out which they think is best — along with weighing the asking prices of each prospect — will dictate how Washington plays this one.
This is going to shock you, but the Angels are being tied to college players who can move quickly. Arnold, Doyle, and Arquette are mentioned the most, but any of the college players in the top 12 of my rankings could be the guy with a strong finish and the right price tag.
The M’s are mostly being tied to Willits, Hernandez and Arnold, so I think they’ll end up with one of those three. Hernandez is seen as one of the best prep righties in a while, but that is also the riskiest position demographic in the draft by a mile due to performance and injury risks (think running backs in the NFL draft).
A weaker top of the draft with a rare prospect like Hernandez may be the only time Seattle would consider a prep righty this high, but the Mariners are taking a long look and the positive early returns on Ryan Sloan (a prep righty who was their second-round pick) from last year’s draft may be emboldening them, too. Here’s some video showing what I saw from Hernandez this spring.
The Nats and Rockies are widely viewed as the two most likely landing spots for Holliday — meaning he likely stops here if not off the board already on draft day; I’d say it’s a 75% chance he goes first or fourth. The possibility of Colorado floating Holliday an overslot number to get him here may change the math enough to take him out of consideration for the first pick.
The question is who is next on Colorado’s list if the Rockies don’t land Holliday. Teams picking in this area have said with confidence both that it will be whomever is still available of Doyle/Arnold and shortstop Aiva Arquette.
The Cards love to take college lefties historically and one of the three elite ones in this class is almost sure to be available here. Similar to Colorado, I think St. Louis takes Holliday if he gets here (though that seems unlikely given the Rockies’ interest), and their mix beyond that is a bit unclear.
Pittsburgh is believed to be locked in on Carlson (whose range seems to start here) and Aiva Arquette, with some other players also being considered. Carlson (here’s some video I took this spring) has a number of similarities with Konnor Griffin, the Pirates’ first-round pick last year, so the belief in the industry is he’s the pick if he’s here.
7. Miami Marlins — Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (Oklahoma)
Willits is in consideration at many of the picks above this but likely stops here or the next pick to Toronto. Miami is believed to be leaning toward hitters with a focus on contact ability, so Carlson, Willits and JoJo Parker get mentioned the most. Here’s a look at Willits from when I saw him this spring.
The Jays are sitting here waiting to see how the potential chaos in front of them will play out and to pick up what’s left. In this scenario it’s Arquette, but his safer player demographic means a lot of teams will be considering him above this pick. My ranking below has a top tier of eight players, and I’d bet only one or two of those players get here because that grouping is pretty consensus within the industry (and even more so if you include a couple from the next tier).
Seth Hernandez could end up here because isn’t a fit for a number of teams that don’t tend to take pitchers, older high school players or prep righties at high picks. But in this scenario, LaViolette fits the Reds’ history of taking the best player still on the board and is the pick in this scenario.
Chicago has been tied to yet another lower-slot lefty (Hagen Smith and Blake Larson last year, Garrett Crochet and Chris Sale in the past) in high schooler Kruz Schoolcraft at this pick, but he feels like more of a backup option than the primary target.
The White Sox are right at the tail end of having access to a certain tier of player in this class, so I think they’ll be reactive to what’s happening above them. Their return from Boston for Garrett Crochet included Braden Montgomery who was LaViolette’s running mate in the Texas A&M outfield last year and the buzz is the current Aggies star has a landing spot here if he’s on the board.
Parker’s name was being whispered earlier this spring as the sneaky fourth-best prep position player in this class at a time that he was perceived as more of a late-first-round talent for most teams. That talk has gotten louder to the point that he seems to be the backup option for a number of teams once you get outside of the top five picks, so Parker is now just seen as the consensus next-best prep hitter, who should go somewhere between No. 5 and No. 15 on draft day. I do think the A’s will scoop him up here if he’s available as he fits their type.
This is where I’ll cut off the mock as the consensus top talents are gone and there are about a dozen players who start to come into play in the next few picks.
I mentioned above that the top of this draft is seen as weaker, though the depth is seen as strong. What this means functionally, in my mind, isn’t that this draft as a whole is bad, because it’s made up of thousands of players and the classes don’t vary that much year-to-year in terms of the number of good players.
A couple of scouts have mentioned the 2016 draft to me as a comp. At the time, the top of the draft was also seen as weaker (Mickey Moniak, Nick Senzel, Ian Anderson were the top three picks) and has played out that way, but the later rounds were so loaded in retrospect that, if those players were evaluated correctly given what we know now and went in the top ten picks, that draft would be seen as one of the better ones in recent memory.
I wouldn’t count on that level of impact late in this draft, but we could see something similar as many of those potential stars will go later and are ranked somewhere below now that I’ve expanded it to 150.
I rank players using the FV system so you can see where they’d slot into your team’s prospect list or a full MLB top 100 (more details on the scale are included at that link). The 50 FV tier usually runs from around 45 to about 120 on the overall pro prospects list.
Top 150 MLB draft prospects
50 FV Tier
1. Jamie Arnold (21.2), LHP, Florida State
Arnold has three above-average to plus pitches from a low arm slot in his fastball, sweeper and newly improved changeup. He’s added a shorter cutter-like breaking ball and has two shapes to his fastball, filling out his arsenal.
That was the main concern at this time last year when he was mostly just throwing a fastball and sweeper that moved so much he had trouble keeping them in the zone regularly. The movement his low slot creates is part of what makes his control (throwing it in the strike zone) better than his command (hitting spots), but when your stuff is this lively and angles are working in your favor, that’s workable and also improvable over time.
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Which MLB draft prospects could have star potential?
Kiley McDaniels provides some key prospects to look out for in the MLB draft, including Florida State’s Jamie Arnold and Seth Hernandez from Corona High School.
2. Eli Willits (17.6), SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (OK), Oklahoma commit
Willits is narrowly the best of this class of high school players in my mind. He’s an advanced hitter with a strong track record who is young for the class and regularly faces SEC competition due to his brother and father both being in the Oklahoma program.
He’s also a plus runner and good shortstop, so the lack of impact raw power due to his medium-sized frame doesn’t bother me; this kind of player is often underrated at this stage. Here’s some video from my look this spring and some longer thoughts on Willits.
Holliday has even stronger bloodlines (brother Jackson, father Matt) than Willits and comes with the conventional size and left-handed raw power that teams like to see with top-of-the-draft prep position players. He’s a solid defender who should be above-average defensively at third base, but he lacks the range/speed to stay at shortstop in pro ball.
The main concerns here are that Holliday’s summer performances have been just OK and he didn’t face much elite velocity this spring, so he may just be a .240ish hitter going forward. The rest of the profile isn’t in dispute, so he could actually be a .240 hitter and still be a really good big leaguer. Here’s some spring video I took and longer form thoughts.
Prep righties are the worst player demographic in the draft and some teams approach it with extreme caution; some have told me they won’t take a prep righty in the top 10 picks under any circumstances. Some teams that believe that are picking in the top 10 this year.
I also feel somewhat strongly about prep righties in general — but for Hernandez specifically — that we may be looking at an exception. His measurable athleticism, standout position-player performances and elite changeup all point to things that the typical prep righty doesn’t possess. Hernandez tickles the triple digits in most outings, his curveball is now flashing above average, and his changeup is plus-plus — have a look at what I saw this spring and some longer thoughts.
5. Billy Carlson (19.0), SS, Corona HS (CA), Tennessee commit
Hernandez’s high school teammate is how you draw up a prep shortstop prospect: solid performances with the bat, above-average to plus bat speed and raw power, a plus defender, an 80-grade arm and clear twitchy athleticism in all aspects (take a look and read longer thoughts).
Carson will need to tone down his swing mechanics a bit in pro ball, but the big hesitation for teams is his age. The track record of prep position players of this age (he turns 19 just after draft day) suggests, in short, that they tend to be overrated at draft time because they’re facing exclusively younger competition at a point when age is very important. On the other hand, Carlson looks like Bobby Witt Jr. if his build and tools were just taken down a notch. In a weaker draft, that upside is very attractive.
6. Liam Doyle (21.0), LHP, Tennessee
7. Kade Anderson (21.0), LHP, LSU
I’ll group these two college lefties together. Both are carving up the SEC but go about it very differently. Doyle offers power stuff and intensity on the mound with some relief risk because of how he does it. Anderson has a much smoother, true starter look with four above-average pitches and above-average command.
Traditionally, scouts prefer the clear starter in this kind of situation at the top of a draft, but Doyle’s pitch data and improvement have some teams thinking he could be a big league starter in short order, with a backup plan of impact reliever, while Anderson likely takes a more conventional path.
8. Aiva Arquette (21.7), SS, Oregon State
Arquette is clearly the best college position player but is generally seen as having a slight contact/approach question and is so big (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) that most evaluators think he’ll slide over to third base as a pro.
He has plus raw power and is performing well (albeit against slightly lesser competition), so he is being mentioned in conversations all over the top 10, but has more in common with Braden Montgomery (12th overall pick last year) or Christian Moore (eighth overall pick) than the top college position players who went in the top seven picks of last year’s draft (Jac Caglianone, Nick Kurtz, Charlie Condon and J.J. Wetherholt).
Parker is seen alongside Willits as the highest probability hitter in the top tier of this year’s prep class, which is driving his rise up the board. He has roughly average raw power and speed and can stick in the infield, but likely isn’t a long-term shortstop. Parker isn’t seen as having a huge upside, but if a year from now he looks like a plus-plus hitter who will hit 15-20 homers while playing a solid second or third base, that concern will seem a little silly. Here’s some video from my spring look at him.
10. Kyson Witherspoon (20.9), RHP, Oklahoma
Witherspoon remade his delivery and is getting Dylan Cease comparisons due to his build, mid-to-upper-90s velocity and three breaking ball shapes. He has pared down his arsenal of late to a four-seamer, cutter and curveball. There are still some questions about his command and if he has a true second plus pitch behind his heater, but on some days both of those concerns seem misguided.
11. Steele Hall (17.9), SS, Hewitt-Trussville HS (AL), Tennessee commit
I’m pretty sure I’ll be the high guy on Hall, but I’m good with that. He’s a plus-plus runner who will stick at shortstop and is somewhere in the Trea Turner/Anthony Volpe/Jett Williams spectrum of smaller shortstops with real speed and real ability to lift the ball to maximize power at a young age. Being among the youngest players in the draft after reclassifying only helps the case here.
12. Jace LaViolette (21.6), CF, Texas A&M
Opinions on LaViolette have been up and down a lot this year, but on the right day scouts see a 6-foot-6 plus runner who can play center field at least for now, has plus-plus raw power and is performing in the SEC. On the other hand, some evaluators see a long-term corner outfield with long arms that make him streaky offensively and will limit him to being a .240 hitter at best — more in line with non-peak Adam Dunn or Joey Gallo. That’s still a good player, but a flawed one.
45 FV Tier
13. Gavin Fien (18.2), 3B, Great Oak HS (CA), Texas commit 14. Wehiwa Aloy (21.4), SS, Arkansas 15. Marek Houston (21.2), SS, Wake Forest 16. Slater de Brun (18.1), CF, Summit HS (OR), Vanderbilt commit 17. Kayson Cunningham (19.0), SS, Johnson HS (TX), Texas commit 18. Josh Hammond (18.8), 3B, Wesleyan Christian HS (NC), Wake Forest commit 19. Xavier Neyens (18.7), 3B, Mount Vernon HS (WA), Oregon State commit 20. Daniel Pierce (18.9), SS, Mill Creek HS (GA), Georgia commit 21. Gage Wood (21.5), RHP, Arkansas 22. Tate Southisene (18.8), SS, Basic HS (NV), USC commit 23. Sean Gamble (18.9), 2B, IMG Academy HS (FL), Vanderbilt commit 24. Gavin Kilen (21.2), SS, Tennessee 25. Ethan Conrad (21.0), RF, Wake Forest 26. Ike Irish (21.6), C, Auburn 27. Brendan Summerhill (21.7), CF, Arizona 28. Tyler Bremner (21.2), RHP, UC Santa Barbara 29. Jordan Yost (18.5), SS, Sickles HS (FL), Florida commit 30. Luke Stevenson (21.0), C, North Carolina 31. Mason Neville (21.5), CF, Oregon 32. Cam Appenzeller (18.5), LHP, Glenwood HS (IL), Tennessee commit 33. Kruz Schoolcraft (18.2), LHP, Sunset HS (OR), Tennessee commit 34. Cam Cannarella (21.8), CF, Clemson
I’ll stay as the high guy on Fien as I believe in what I saw last summer (above-average-to-plus hitter, plus power, great performances, decent shot to stick at third base), despite a tough spring. Aloy and Houston are the rare college true shortstops, but Aloy has real contact/chase questions while Houston can look like Dansby Swanson at times but his offensive upside is in question. Among college hitters, Irish and Neville are rising while Kilen is getting a shot to play shortstop now for the Volunteers.
The real intrigue in this pack, as it was during the loaded 2023 draft, is the prep position players — mostly infielders. There is probably a star or two in this group, though I said that for the 2023 draft and there may be more in that group. De Brun has some Corbin Carroll elements to his game, Hammond looks like the Blue Jays’ version of Josh Donaldson and Cunningham may be the best pure hitter in the whole draft and he’s a plus runner who can play the infield. Neyens may have the most raw power in the whole draft. Pierce is a scout favorite for his athleticism, makeup and defense, while Southisene and Gamble have big upside but contact questions.
40+ FV Tier
35. Caden Bodine (21.6), C, Coastal Carolina 36. Aaron Watson (18.5), RHP, Trinity Christian HS (FL), Virginia commit 37. Marcus Phillips (21.0), RHP, Tennessee 38. Zach Root (21.4), LHP, Arkansas 39. Alex Lodise (21.4), SS, Florida State 40. Matthew Fisher (19.3), RHP, Evansville Memorial HS (IN), Indiana commit 41. Landon Harmon (18.8), RHP, East Union HS (MS), Mississippi State commit 42. Cade Obermueller (22.0), LHP, Iowa 43. Patrick Forbes (20.9), RHP, Louisville 44. Brock Sell (18.7), CF, Tokay HS (CA), Stanford commit 45. Nick Becker (18.6), SS, Don Bosco HS (NJ), Virginia commit 46. Riley Quick (21.1), RHP, Alabama 47. Alec Blair (18.7), CF, De La Salle HS (CA), Oklahoma commit 48. Max Belyeu (21.5), RF, Texas 49. Anthony Eyanson (20.8), RHP, LSU 50. J.B. Middleton (21.6), RHP, Southern Miss 51. Dax Kilby (18.6), SS, Newnan HS (GA), Clemson commit
Watson is the most complete and advanced prep pitcher in the class behind Hernandez. Fisher offers a nice mix of polish and stuff while Harmon offers high-octane stuff with less feel. Phillips has an iffy arm action but extremely lively stuff. Sell is probably unsignable, but top 100 hoops recruit Blair might be signable for the right price with some Cody Bellinger vibes to his game. Quick was a four-star offensive tackle recruit in high school and has plus stuff but below-average feel. Eyanson and Middleton are rising college starters while Kilby could sneak into the top 30-40 picks due to a great swing and strong athletic testing.
In the 40 FV tier below, keep an eye on low-slot lefty Fernsler as a rising prep prospect who could sneak into the top 40 picks.
40 FV Tier
52. Charles Davalan (21.6), LF, Arkansas 53. Andrew Fischer (21.0), 3B, Tennessee 54. Jack Bauer (18.5), LHP, Lincoln Way East HS (IL), Virginia commit 55. Jaden Fauske (18.7), RF, Nazareth Academy HS (IL), LSU commit 56. Uli Fernsler (17.9), LHP, Novi HS (MI), TCU commit 57. Devin Taylor (21.5), LF, Indiana 58. Mason Pike (18.9), RHP/SS, Puyallup HS (WA), Oregon State commit 59. J.D. Thompson (21.8), LHP, Vanderbilt 60. Korbyn Dickerson (21.7), CF, Indiana 61. Taitn Gray (17.8), C, Grimes Community HS (IA), Oregon commit 62. Angel Cervantes (17.8), RHP, Warren HS (CA), UCLA commit 63. Ethan Petry (21.0), 1B, South Carolina 64. Dean Curley (21.1), 3B, Tennessee 65. Daniel Dickinson (21.5), 2B, LSU 66. Mitch Voit (20.9), 2B, Michigan 67. Drew Faurot (21.7), 2B, Florida State 68. Dean Moss (19.1), CF, IMG Academy HS (FL), LSU commit 69. Easton Carmichael (21.7), C, Oklahoma 70. Kyle Lodise (21.8), SS, Georgia Tech 71. Kane Kepley (21.3), CF, North Carolina 72. R.J. Austin (21.6), CF, Vanderbilt 73. Malachi Witherspoon (20.9), RHP, Oklahoma 74. Joseph Dzierwa (21.1), LHP, Michigan State 75. Brian Curley (22.0), RHP, Georgia 76. Cade Crossland (21.4), LHP, Oklahoma 77. Michael Lombardi (21.9), RHP, Tulane 78. Lucas Franco (18.1), SS, Cinco Ranch HS (TX), TCU commit 79. Briggs McKenzie (18.8), LHP, Corinth Holders HS (NC), LSU commit 80. A.J. Russell (21.0), RHP, Tennessee 81. Ben Jacobs (21.1), LHP, Arizona State 82. Henry Godbout (21.7), 2B, Virginia 83. Aiden Stillman (18.6), LHP, Trinity Prep HS (FL), Virginia commit 84. Rory Fox (21.4), RHP, Notre Dame 85. Ethan Moore (18.8), SS, Oak Park & River Forest HS (IL), Tennessee commit 86. Trent Caraway (21.2), 3B, Oregon State 87. Shane Sdao (21.8), LHP, Texas A&M 88. Brandon Compton (21.7), LF, Arizona State 89. Michael Oliveto (18.4), C, Hauppauge HS (NY), Yale commit 90. Max Williams (20.9), RF, Florida State 91. Tanner Franklin (21.0), RHP, Tennessee 92. Jared Spencer (22.0), LHP, Texas 93. Sean Youngerman (21.0), RHP, Oklahoma State 94. Sam Horn (21.8), RHP, Missouri 95. Nelson Keljo (21.9), LHP, Oregon State 96. Gustavo Melendez (17.8), SS, Colegio La Merced HS (PR), Wake Forest commit 97. Mason Morris (21.9), RHP, Ole Miss 98. Jason Reitz (21.0), RHP, Oregon 99. Griffin Hugus (21.4), RHP, Miami 100. Kaleb Wing (18.5), RHP, Scotts Valley HS (CA), Loyola Marymount commit 101. Quentin Young (18.2), 3B, Oaks Christian HS (CA), LSU commit 102. Cam Leiter (21.4), RHP, Florida State 103. Micah Bucknam (21.9), RHP, Dallas Baptist 104. Brady Ebel (17.9), 3B, Corona HS (CA), LSU commit 105. Johnny Slawinski (18.3), LHP, Johnson City HS (TX), Texas A&M commit 106. Brayden Jaksa (18.4), C, Irvington HS (CA), Oregon commit 107. Ben Abeldt (21.6), LHP, TCU 108. Josiah Hartshorn (18.4), LF, Orange Lutheran HS (CA), Texas A&M commit 109. J.T. Quinn (21.1), RHP, Georgia 110. James Ellwanger (21.0), RHP, Dallas Baptist 111. Chase Shores (21.0), RHP, LSU 112. Marcos Paz (18.7), RHP, Hebron HS (TX), LSU commit 113. Kade Elam (19.0), 3B, Corbin HS (KY), Louisville commit 114. Nathan Hall (21.9), CF, South Carolina 115. Cooper Flemming (18.9), SS, Aliso Niguel HS (CA), Vanderbilt commit 116. Aidan West (18.1), SS, Long Reach HS (MD), North Carolina State commit 117. Nico Partida (18.7), SS/RHP, Pearland HS (TX), Texas A&M commit 118. Cam Tilly (21.0), RHP, Auburn 119. Matt Barr (19.5), RHP, Niagara County JC (NY), Uncommitted 120. Jayden Stroman (18.1), RHP, Patchogue-Medford HS (NY), Duke commit 121. Kaeden Kent (21.9), SS, Texas A&M 122. Henry Ford (21.0), LF, Virginia 123. Griffin Enis (18.8), CF, Corinth HS (MS), Duke commit 124. Reagan Ricken (18.8), RHP, Great Oak HS (CA), LSU commit 125. Cooper Underwood (18.5), LHP, Allatoona HS (GA), Georgia Tech commit 126. Brock Ketelsen (18.0), CF, Valley Christian HS (CA), Stanford commit 127. Ethan Frey (21.3), C, LSU 128. Omar Serna (18.4), C, Lutheran South Academy HS (TX), LSU commit 129. Antonio Jimenez (21.1), SS, UCF 130. Ryan Weingartner (21.0), SS, Penn State 131. Cade Kurland (21.3), 2B, Florida 132. Colin Yeaman (21.2), SS, UC Irvine 133. Chris Arroyo (20.9), 1B, Virginia 134. Xavier Mitchell (19.0), LHP, Prestonwood Christian HS (TX), Texas commit 135. Brent Iredale (22.0), 3B, Arkansas
35+ FV Tier
136. Josh Owens (18.5), SS, Providence Academy HS (TN), Georgia Southern commit 137. Ethan Grim (18.0), RHP, Governor Mifflin HS (PA), Virginia Tech commit 138. Jaiden LoRe (18.4), SS, Corona Del Sol HS (AZ), BYU commit 139. Dom Fritton (22.2), LHP, North Carolina State 140. Coy James (18.3), SS, Davie County HS (NC), Ole Miss commit 141. Tim Piasentin (18.3), 3B, Foothills Composite HS (CAN), Miami commit 142. Tre Phelps (21.0), RF, Georgia 143. Jordan Martin (18.5), RHP, Jefferson City HS (MO), Arkansas commit 144. Ryan Mitchell (18.5), SS, Houston HS (TN), Georgia Tech commit 145. William Patrick (19.0), CF, St. Frederick HS (LA), LSU commit 146. Michael Winter (18.0), RHP, Shawnee Mission East HS (KS), Dartmouth commit 147. Colby Shelton (22.6), SS, Florida 148. Ty Harvey (19.0), C, Inspiration Academy HS (FL), Florida State commit 149. Brett Crossland (18.9), RHP, Corona Del Sol HS (AZ), Texas commit 150. Nick Dumesnil (21.3), CF, Cal Baptist
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Julian Sayin had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State got a couple of key stops in the red zone and the third-ranked Buckeyes opened the defense of their national championship with a 14-7 victory over top-ranked Texas on Saturday.
It was the fourth time the No. 1 team in the AP preseason poll has met the previous season’s national champion in the opener. The defending champ has won the last three.
“Just a gritty win to start the season,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We just felt like in Week 1, we didn’t want to beat ourselves. We took that into consideration with everything that we did.”
Arch Manning completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Longhorns.
Texas was 1 of 5 on fourth down, including being stopped twice in the red zone. Manning was stuffed at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal by Caden Curry and Lorenzo Styles Jr. on a QB sneak in the third quarter.
The Longhorns were driving for a tying touchdown late in the game but Jack Endries was stopped by Caleb Downs 1 yard short of a first down to end hopes of a comeback.
“Ultimately, not good enough. Obviously you don’t want to start off the season 0-1,” Manning said. “They’re a good team. I thought we beat ourselves a lot, and that starts with me. I’ve got to play better for us to win.”
Sayin was 13 of 20 passing for 126 yards. His best pass of the day came with 13:08 remaining in the game, when Tate beat Texas cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau for the long score. Tate juggled the ball before pulling it down in the end zone to put the Buckeyes up by two touchdowns.
CJ Donaldson opened the scoring midway through the second quarter on a 1-yard run up the middle to cap a 13-play, 87-yard drive that took eight minutes off the clock. The Buckeyes benefitted from a pair of penalties, including a face mask call on Colin Simmons that wiped out an incomplete pass on third-and-4.
Texas finally got points with 3:28 remaining in the fourth quarter when Manning connected with Parker Livingstone on a 32-yard touchdown.
The Longhorns defense forced a three-and-out, giving Texas a chance to tie.
After an entertaining Week 0 appetizer and a smattering of games Thursday and Friday, it’s time for Week 1 of the college football season to finally kick off. And the game to start off the first full Saturday of the season couldn’t be much better.
It’s the Texas Longhorns vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes. It’s the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the preseason AP poll facing off. It’s a College Football Playoff rematch and Arch Manning’s first major test as starter against the defending national champions.
Needless to say, it’s going to be good.
We’ll be keeping track of Texas-Ohio State — and any other notable happenings that might pop up — as the college football season returns. Here’s everything that’s going on across Week 1 in college football:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just as it was the first time, Lee Corso’s final headgear pick was Brutus Buckeye.
Corso selected the third-ranked Buckeyes to beat top-ranked Texas on his final appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday.
He made the prediction on the 50-yard line at Ohio Stadium 16 minutes before kickoff, quite a change from the first time in 1996 when it was done in the parking lot outside the Horseshoe.
“To everyone who has been a part of the journey, thank you,” Corso said during the opening segment of Saturday’s show.
It was the 46th time Corso donned Brutus Buckeye’s head. Ohio State is 31-14 the previous occasions.
Coach Ryan Day gave Corso an Ohio State helmet with a buckeye leaf on it for each time he chose the Buckeyes. Day also gave Corso an additional sticker to put on in case he picked the Buckeyes.
An area restaurant also made an 85-pound cake of Brutus’ head.
Corso, who turned 90 on Aug. 7, has been a part of “GameDay” since its start in 1987 and has made pregame shows entertaining under a simple philosophy: “Football is just the vehicle. It’s entertainment, sweetheart.”
The three-hour show was a celebration of Corso more than a finale. Besides looking back at Corso’s career, the show analyzed Saturday’s key games and included an interview with Bill Belichick, who makes his debut with North Carolina on Monday night against TCU.
It was the 26th time “GameDay” was in Columbus. It was outside Ohio Stadium on Oct. 5, 1996, where Corso’s popular headgear prediction segment began.
Corso donned Brutus Buckeye’s head before Ohio State faced Penn State, and the rest is history.
Corso has worn 69 schools’ mascot headgear and has dressed up as Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish leprechaun, the Stanford tree, and Founding Fathers James Madison and Benjamin Franklin.
He has a 66.5% winning rate on his headgear predictions (286-144), which is much better than his 73-85-6 mark in 15 years as a coach at Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois.