Ohio State Football Drops Unexpected Academic Bombshell—What It Means for the Team’s Future

Four months off the gridiron and still Ohio State manages to snag a massive W — and no, it’s not from a last-second touchdown or a defensive shutout. This time, the Buckeyes pulled off a nearly unheard-of feat in college football: they’re the only Division I program to earn a flawless Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1,000. Think about that—while most are celebrated for their highlights and trophies, Ohio State’s football squad just nailed the academic equivalent of a perfect game. So here’s my question: can we start calling the Buckeyes not just a football powerhouse, but also the “Harvard of the Midwest”? The APR isn’t just some number slapped on a report card—it’s a holistic measure tracking eligibility, retention, and graduation over multiple years. Combine that with last season’s national championship glow? Yeah, the Buckeyes are winning in more ways than one, and honestly, it’s refreshing to see a top-tier football program where brain and brawn coexist. Curious how they did it? Dive into the full scoop below. LEARN MORE.

It’s been four months since their last game and it will be another five months until their next one, but the Ohio State football team got another big win this week.

On Tuesday, the Ohio State Buckeyes announced that their football program was the only one to achieve an Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 1,000 this year. The APR tracks a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship.

“NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate data shows Ohio State and its student-athletes and athletic programs continue to perform at an outstanding level in the classroom,” the school announced in a press release.

“In the 21st year of APR data for most teams, the scores provide a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for academic eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team’s academic performance. The most recent APR scores are based on a multi-year rate that averages scores from the 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years.”

Ohio State football 🏈 is the only Division I football program with an APR score of 1,000‼️

The APR accounts for academic eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.

🔗: https://t.co/HLOiVWJJAF | @OhioStateFB

— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) May 6, 2025

Ohio State Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. John Davidson praised the football program and all of the other athletics teams that achieved either perfect or exceptional scores this year and over multiple years. 

“After maintaining record-high Graduation Success Rate numbers in the autumn, OSU’s student-athletes continue to impress with this year’s APR scores,” Davidson said. “Half of our programs hold perfect single-year marks, more than half achieved a multi-year score above 990/1000, and our national champions in football boast the only perfect multi-year score in the sport across NCAA Division I.

“At a time when media attention is myopically focused on money in college athletics, our student-athletes consistently demonstrate that academic opportunity through sport is still at the heart of the enterprise,” Davidson said. “Their success is a tribute not just to their hard work but to an athletics culture embraced by coaches, administrators, and support staff that holds education to be a primary goal.”

Ohio State fans are certainly pleased with the results as well. Just about everyone is praising the team for their achievements off the field:

“Some could call us the Harvard of the Midwest,” one user declared.

“Best program in america,” wrote another.

“Wow, talk about an impressive culture!!! Ohio State is winning at everything,” a third wrote.

It’s a good time to be a Buckeyes football fan, that’s for sure.

Related: College Football World Reacts To Ohio State Academic News