UCLA is just weeks away from starting its second season in the Big Ten. After capturing seven Big Ten championships during their first year in the conference, the Bruins will look to build upon their inaugural year. Prior to the start of UCLA’s second Big Ten campaign, Daily Bruin sports will preview football, basketball and other top programs from each school.

Football
2024 record: 14-2, 7-2 Big Ten, National Champions
Coach: Ryan Day
Player to Watch: Jeremiah Smith

The 2024 Buckeyes were no joke.

Ohio State went 6-1 against AP top-10 teams and won all four of its College Football Playoff games by more than one score. Throw in a record-tying 14 NFL Draft selections in 2025, and it appears that the Buckeyes may have assembled one of the most talented collegiate football teams in the history of the sport.

And although the Buckeyes lost the majority of their starters, they retained two of their most talented athletes – wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs.

Smith – the No. 1 overall recruit in 2024, per 247Sports – had one of the most productive freshman seasons ever, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. He ended his true freshman year with five catches for 88 yards and a score in the national championship against Notre Dame.

Many have labeled Ohio State as Wide Receiver University, and Smith may become the best collegiate receiver yet. He still has two seasons of collegiate eligibility left before he can enter the NFL Draft, leaving ample opportunities for future growth.

Downs was a unanimous first-team All-American last season and is a contender for the Heisman in 2025. The former Alabama player is one of the most versatile and swift defensive backs in college football. Downs boasts the speed and tackling ability to reach gaps and tackle tailbacks before they touch the line of scrimmage, and he has the football IQ to read quarterbacks’ eyes in zone coverage or smother any pass catcher on the field in man-to-man schemes.

Former Buckeye quarterback Will Howard left Columbus, Ohio for the draft after a record-breaking season, and Julian Sayin will most likely replace him. Although Sayin has yet to register any starts, he was a five-star recruit in the 2024 recruiting class and flashed potential under center.

Smith and wide receiver Carnell Tate, who ranked 13th in the Big Ten in receiving yards with 733, while also logging four touchdown receptions, will support Sayin’s transition to the starting signal caller role. The Buckeyes also added tight end Max Klare from Purdue, who boasted 685 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 51 receptions.

With defensive units focused on mitigating Smith and Tate’s impact, Klare could cement himself as a reliable pass-catching target, which may help foster the Buckeye offense’s continued dominance on the national stage.

Men’s basketball
2024-2025 record: 17-15, 9-11 Big Ten
Coach: Jack Diebler
Player to Watch: Bruce Thornton

Inconsistency marred Ohio State’s 2024-2025 campaign.

The team proved they could battle with the nation’s top teams, earning victories against then-No. 19 Texas, No. 4 Kentucky and No. 11 Purdue. However, Ohio State exemplified its instability when suffering a 24-point loss to Maryland, a 38-point defeat to Auburn and a pair of three-game losing streaks.

The Buckeyes’ rebounding and playmaking shortcomings contributed to the squad’s struggles, ranking 12th and 16th in the Big Ten in rebounds and assists with marks of 33.7 and 13.2, respectively.

Despite the Buckeyes’ lack of facilitating and crashing the boards, they shot efficiently, boasting four double-digit scorers and the fourth-ranked 3-point percentage in the Big Ten with a 36.8% tally.

The Buckeyes are returning three of their top four scorers, including scoring leaders guard Bruce Thornton and forward Devin Royal. Thornton averaged 17.7 points per game while shooting 50.1% from the field and 42.4% from the arc. In the frontcourt, Royal led the squad in rebounding with 6.9 boards per game alongside 13.7 points per contest.

But the Buckeyes brought in a transfer class that only ranked No. 47 in the nation and did not secure substantial freshman recruits.

The most promising transfer is forward Brandon Noel, who averaged 15.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game across three seasons at Wright State. Center Christoph Tilly, who averaged 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game across his three-year stint at Santa Clara, joins Noel inside the perimeter. The pair should add firepower to an offense that lost its third-leading scorer in Micah Parrish and key depth pieces in Aaron Bradshaw, Meechie Johnson Jr. and Sean Stewart.

The Buckeyes are not bringing in any transfers that averaged double-digit points last season other than Noel.

And it is unlikely that the Buckeyes can compete in one of the country’s deepest conferences without a deep scoring arsenal to complement Royal and Thornton.

Women’s basketball
2024-2025 record: 26-7, 13-5 Big Ten, NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance
Coach: Kevin McGuff
Player to Watch: Jaloni Cambridge

UCLA and USC may have headlined the Big Ten last season, but Ohio State was the third musketeer.

The Buckeyes finished third in the conference during the regular season and clinched their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, losing to No. 5 seed Tennessee in the second round. Ohio State excelled on both sides of the court, posting the third-most points per game in the Big Ten with 78.3 and tying the conference-high steal per contest mark with a 12.2 tally.

Guard Jaloni Cambridge led the Buckeyes last season, averaging 15.4 points per game – second on the team and 16th in the Big Ten – along with 4.5 rebounds per contest. Cambridge will return to Columbus for her sophomore season, where she may shoulder the scoring load after forward Cotie McMahon – last year’s leading scorer, transferred to Ole Miss.

Although McMahon is not the only significant contributor the Buckeyes lost to the portal. Former guard/forward Taylor Thierry left the program to sign with the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.

The Buckeyes retained the third-leading scorer from last year, Chance Gray, who averaged 12 points per game but was slightly inefficient from the field, recording a 39.8% shooting clip. The squad also added guard T’yana Todd from Boston College, who averaged 13.7 points per game on a 45.9% long-range shooting percentage.

Todd may represent the perfect replacement for McMahon, who was one of the Buckeyes’ most efficient 3-point shooters last season, converting 37.4% of her perimeter attempts.

The Buckeyes still may struggle against star-studded lineups in Los Angeles, but they are capable of holding a top-five spot in the Big Ten and have a strong chance to make the Big Dance again after retaining most of their players from last season’s roster.