The top five Ohio State Football records that have been broken in the past 10 seasons

The list of Ohio State football offensive records that have been broken over the past ten seasons of play has been impressive. Coming up with a list of just five is next to impossible when you literally have a dozen or more to choose from, all of which have been on the offensive side of the ball. That being said, here is the list of the top five Ohio State records that have fallen based on probability, the record that was broken, and who held the record before it fell.

#5 Chris Olave – career receiving touchdowns

From the moment Chris Olave burst onto the scene against That Team Up North in 2018, it was clear that the 3-star from California was going to be special. I jokingly compared him on The OHIO Podcast to my 1994 6th-grade purple silk dance shirt, saying he was just as smooth as my drip back in the mid-’90s. Joking aside, Olave had much more game than I did at the Mount Vernon Middle School Dance.

Olave improved each and every single season and when he returned for his senior year, there was a chance he could cement himself as an all-time great in the record books for the Ohio State football program. He did just that setting the all-time touchdown receptions record at 35.

The old record of 34 was held by David Boston, which stood for 23 seasons. It should be noted that Boston set that record having only played for three seasons and during an era of Buckeye Football when throwing the ball was not the top priority.

#4 Trey Sermon – single-game rushing yards

I can still remember screaming at the television for Ryan Day to call a running play during the 2020 Big Ten Championship game against Northwestern. It was evident that the Wildcats couldn’t stop the run and every time Trey Sermon touched the football, he was ripping off double-digit runs.

This game, and this record in particular, seems to get lost in the shuffle for several reasons. First, it was during a game when there were no fans in attendance outside of family because of COVID. Second, Sermon was a transfer from Oklahoma who played only one season for the Buckeyes.

That being said, it became apparent in the second half of the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game that when Day began to finally call more rushing plays, Sermon had a good chance of setting a new single-game rushing record, which he did when he finished with 331-yards, passing Eddie George’s 314 against Illinois in 1995.

I still look back at that 1995 game that Eddie had and remember it as magical. For one, it solidified the Heisman for him. We should celebrate this record for Sermon in the same light, but given the circumstances that surround him breaking that record, it does feel slightly hollow.

#3 Jaxon Smith-Njigba – single-game receiving yards

This might be the most improbable record on this entire list. Not because it was hard to break, but how it was broken and by how much. Terry Glenn’s 253-yards receiving against Pitt in 1995 has been in jeopardy of being broken many times by several Buckeyes, especially during the past seven seasons since Ryan Day has been the play caller. Jaxon Smith-Njigba came very close earlier in the 2021 season against Nebraska but fell a few yards short.

He broke Glenn’s record in the final game of his sophomore season during the 2022 Rose Bowl against Utah, thanks in large part to an Ohio State defense that was struggling, giving the offense plenty of opportunities to throw the football.

Senior Chris Olave and junior Garrett Wilson also chose to sit the game out, which also gave Smith-Njigba more opportunity while being flanked on either side by freshmen Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka.

No one on the Utah defense could stop him and C.J. Stroud found himself in a zone. When the game was all over, Smith-Njigba finished with 15 receptions (which is also a record and one he set earlier in the season against Nebraska) and an impressive 347 yards, which shattered Glenn’s record by 94 yards!