Ohio — Mid-American
HC
John Hauser · Peden Stadium · Athens, OH · 24,000 cap
PPA off / def
0.21 / 0.12
2025
Class rank
#107
class of 2026
Returning PPA
63%
returning production
| 2025 |
OSU W 37–9 | Columbus |
| 2010 |
OSU W 43–7 | Columbus |
| 2008 |
OSU W 26–14 | Columbus |
| 1999 |
OSU W 40–16 | Columbus |
2026 schedule
2025 results (9–4)
Statistical comps — 2025 Ohio's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (19 in / 16 out)
| Incoming |
|---|
| CJ Dawson | IOL | ← Gardner-Webb | ★★★ |
| Preston Bowman | WR | ← Kentucky | ★★★ |
| Tyler Gillison | EDGE | ← Michigan State | ★★★ |
| Sandro Malicevic | OT | ← Eastern Illinois | ★★★ |
| Riley Palmeter | TE | ← Marian | ★★★ |
| KJ Sejour | CB | ← Chattanooga | ★★★ |
| Darren James-Hamilton | S | ← Elon | ★★★ |
| Trumain Lawson | OT | ← LIU Post | ★★★ |
| + 11 more |
Origins
Solich came from Nebraska after being fired for winning nine games and gave Athens the best decade it has had. The oldest university in the state, and one that treats the MAC title game as the ceiling it can actually reach.
Founded 1804 · The first university chartered in the Northwest Territory · first football 1894 · defined by Frank Solich
All-time record
All-time
348–409–9
1905–2025
Win %
46.0%
92 seasons played
Winning seasons
37
40% of seasons
By level: ii/iii 5–9 (1905–1940) · D-III 1–4 (1916–1922) · FBS 342–396–9 (1945–2025)
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | Mid-American |
| 1968 | 10 | 1 | Mid-American |
| 2023 | 10 | 3 | Mid-American |
| 2022 | 10 | 4 | Mid-American |
| 2011 | 10 | 4 | Mid-American |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1905 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 376 | 64% |
43% | 72 of 136 | 6.3 | 13% |
| 2nd down | 277 | 60% |
48% | 19 of 136 | 6.8 | 18% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 48 | 81% |
73% | — | 6.3 | 13% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 47 | 55% |
45% | — | 6.5 | 15% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 63 | 30% |
17% | — | 4.4 | 8% |
| 4th down | 26 | 58% |
58% | — | 5.7 | 12% |
155 drives · 31% ended in points · 7.2 plays and 41.4 yards per drive · 1.19 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 8 | Northern Illinois |
Duncan Brune run for 66 yds for a TD (David Dellenbach PAT MISSED) |
66 | 6.10 |
| 3 | Ohio State |
Parker Navarro pass complete to Chase Hendricks for 67 yds for a TD (Brack Peacock PAT MIS… |
67 | 5.17 |
| 11 | Miami (OH) |
Rodney Harris II 49 Yd pass from Parker Navarro (David Dellenbach Kick) |
49 | 4.86 |
| 14 | Buffalo |
No Huddle #86 J.Bruno rush middle for 48 yards gain to the BUF10 (#32 L.Sperling), 1ST DOW… |
48 | 4.17 |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan |
End of 3rd quarter. |
72 | 4.08 |
| 6 | Ball State |
Parker Navarro pass complete to Rodney Harris II for 23 yds for a TD (David Dellenbach KIC… |
23 | 4.07 |
| 1 | Rutgers |
Parker Navarro run for 28 yds to the RUTG 33 for a 1ST down |
28 | 3.56 |
| 8 | Northern Illinois |
Parker Navarro pass complete to Caleb Gossett for 21 yds to the NIU 43 for a 1ST down |
21 | 3.55 |