Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka reflects on how Buckeyes rallied from Michigan loss to win national championship
Two days after Thanksgiving, Ohio State the state championship hopes seemed all but over.
The Buckeyes, ranked second in the nation at the time, were three-touchdown favorites at home against bitter rival Michigan.
Despite the Wolverines being the reigning national champions, this year’s team was nowhere near last season’s team. So it should have been an easy win for OSU.
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Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, left, with the national championship trophy after the game against Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
But they lost, calls for Ryan Day to be fired grew louder, and there were serious doubts about what the Buckeyes would be able to do in College Football Playoffs.
They quickly got over it and dominated every team in their path en route to the national championship earlier this week.
Emeka Egbuka has gone 0-4 against the Wolverines in his career. He admitted in a recent interview with Fox News Digital that he “would have to think about” trading his new national title for a win over the Wolverines, given that those games are “almost equal” to a championship.
If the playoffs had remained at four teams, a loss would have ended the Buckeyes’ title hopes, and they would have been playing, in Egbuka’s words, “another meaningless bowl game.” But with the expansion to 12 teams, the Buckeyes had a chance for revenge, and they took it.
“It was definitely tough to be able to walk into the building the next day and look my brothers in the face and my coaches in the face knowing that we didn’t accomplish what we set out to do,” Egbuka said.
“But, you know, we had to make a choice at that point, because we knew we were going to be in the playoffs. We could have just rolled over and died, or we could have said, ‘We have a chance to be able to finish this the right way.’ So we all came together as brothers and we said, ‘We’re going to do this thing.'”
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuk (2) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the CFP National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
The anger over the loss lingered after the game, when the members both teams fought after Michigan players placed the UM flag at midfield. The pressure was on Day, but Egbuka admitted that the short memory comes from just meeting the players, not necessarily anything Day did.
“It wasn’t too much that Coach Day said. To be honest, we did a lot of meetings with the players. Just the leadership in our team and our seniority really shined,” Egbuka said.
“When you look at some of the greatest teams in college football history, they all have great leadership. They all have great seniors, and those are actually the ones you remember being on the team. We really took that to heart.
“We knew the team was going to come through us. Coach Day is a phenomenal coach, but there’s only so much he can do. We’re the ones on the field. We’ve got to come out and play. And we just had to infuse our mindset into the rest of the team because that’s what great leaders do and that’s what we tried to do at that point.”
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Egbuka was a part Celsius base six. The energy drink teamed up with Egbuka, Travis Hunter and four other college stars as part of a loaded preseason roster. Egbuka said his record-breaking season, during which he became OSU’s all-time receiving leader, would not have been possible without his daily 200 milligrams of caffeine in the morning.
“Ever since our partnership, the product has been great. It gives me energy and fuel all the time. The fuel I get from it and everything and it just helps me start my days. I mean, this has probably been the most intense season of my life.
“When it comes to meetings and working out, I wake up early every day and I don’t get home until, you know, 9, 10 p.m. That’s hard to do with little energy, so I think the Celsius has really helped me with that.”
There isn’t much time to celebrate, though. After the parade on Sunday, Egbuka will be in NFL Draft mode and will have to start training for the next month.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuk (2) celebrates after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the CFP National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
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This is practically a non-existent season for him, but Egbuka is ready for it.
“I am. I’m ready for this next chapter in my life. It’s important to take breaks and rest. So I have a few days to spend with loved ones before NFL practice. But that’s the life I signed up for.
“So, I can’t complain too much. I’m just grateful to be in this position. A lot of people don’t get to come here.”
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