Skull Session: Joel Klatt Ranks Ohio State No. 1 in His Post-Spring Top 25, Men’s Basketball Continues to Climb Preseason Polls and Terry McLaurin Has Lunch With Magic Johnson

By Chase Brown on May 7, 2024 at 5:00 am
Jack Sawyer
Adam Cairns / USA TODAY Sports
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Something BIG is coming...

Have a good Tuesday.

 SEINFELD OR FRIENDS? Some of the Eleven Warriors staff members and I had a conversation on Sunday about potential Ohio State poll questions for the website this week. The discussion was short because our ideas were few and far between. And, to some extent, that’s to be expected. It’s the offseason, after all. Ohio State news is few and far between.

Forced to think outside the box, we asked a non-Ohio State question that we thought 11W readers would have some fun with: What’s the best 90s sitcom? Is it “Seinfeld,” “Friends,” “Home Improvement,” “Married… With Children,” “Frasier,” “Fresh Prince,” “Cheers”?

Here’s how the participants answered:

Poll

I voted for Friends. 

*ducks*

I like Seinfeld — it’s without question one of the greatest television shows of all time — but Friends was the first 90s sitcom I ever watched. Therefore, it holds a special place in my heart. There’s something about Ross, Chandler, Joey, Rachel, Monica and Phoebe loungin’ on the couches at Central Perk that speaks to me!

Something about that must also speak to Michael Good, the associate director of creative media for Ohio State football. Over the weekend, Good posted a fun Friends-themed video of the Ohio State creative team, which also included some clips involving Emeka Egbuka, Donovan Jackson Jack Sawyer and some other Buckeyes.

 HE WAS NUMBER ONE!  In a recent episode of “The Joel Klatt Show,” Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt ranked Ohio State as the No. 1 team in his post-spring top 25. Klatt placed the Buckeyes ahead of Georgia, Texas, Oregon and Ole Miss in the top five, while Utah, Alabama, Michigan, Penn State and Missouri rounded out the top 10.

Here is how Klatt explained the decision:

“With the offseason Ohio State had and the roster it will put on the field, to me, makes them number one. I will start with Ohio State, not on the offensive side but on the defensive side. The defense for Ohio State is what makes them the number one team in the country. They will be the best defense in the country. I think that Ohio State will have as good a defense as we’ve seen in a long time — maybe back to the 2021 Georgia team. This has draft picks littered all over it in the next two drafts. They all come back. They worked really hard to maintain this roster, and this defense will be an elite defense. It may not be a team that scores the amount of points that we’re used to seeing a Buckeye team score, but the defense will be incredible. When you have a defense like that, it will allow for some growing pains for Will Howard or somebody else. It will also allow growing pains for the offensive line, Chip Kelly, the run game. It will be like, ‘Dang, it’s tough to beat this team because they don’t give up any points.’ The defense will be incredible. They had 11 key players to pass on the NFL. Eleven. Eleven key players passed on the NFL and came back to make a run at a title. Eight of those players are on defense. 

“Chip Kelly’s impact on the run game cannot be overlooked. … They have not reached their potential in the run game over the past couple of years — maybe since Trey Sermon ran wild in the COVID year. Chip Kelly will fix that. They’re going to be a better run team. He runs the ball effectively wherever he’s been. He’s got the best backfield in the country in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. I know there are question marks on the offensive line, but Chip Kelly has run the ball with question marks on the offensive line before, and he’s done it with less talent than TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. These two guys are elite. That means the quarterback doesn’t have to be elite, which means Will Howard or Devin Brown or one of the young guys, the quarterback doesn’t have to go out there and be the centerpiece of this team or this offense. That’s an important part of trying to break in a quarterback, in particular in Columbus, where expectations can weigh heavy on the head coach and the quarterback.”

As I have said with all the positive preseason polls and roster breakdowns for Ohio State, none of it matters unless the Buckeyes beat Michigan, win a Big Ten championship and win a national title. Still, I'll admit it — it's nice to see and hear people talk about how great the Local Team can be in 2024. I'll admit it! It's nice!

 MOVING ON UP. Buckeye Nation should expect the Ohio State men’s basketball team to be ranked in the top 25 at the start of next season. That’s what Jeff Borzello of ESPN believes, at least. In an updated release of his preseason top 25, Borzello placed the Buckeyes at No. 21 behind Texas and ahead of Xavier…

… Remember when Sean Miller was a candidate to become Ohio State’s head coach?

Wild times.

Under Jake Diebler, the man Ohio State chose over Miller, Dusty May and some other notable names, Borzello wrote that the Buckeyes “lost a lot to the portal but landed their fair share of transfers” before mentioning Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart. Borzello believes all four players will insert themselves into the starting five with Bruce Thornton, whom Diebler called “a player you want to build around” in an interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports last week.

A lineup of Thornton, Johnson, Parrish, Stewart and Bradshaw offers “tremendous upside,” Borzello wrote. It also creates a deep bench with the likes of Evan Mahaffey, Devin Royal, Taison Chatman, Austin Parks, Juni Mobley, Colin White and a transfer to be added later.

All of that said, No. 21 (or somewhere in the 20s) feels appropriate for Ohio State entering 2024-25. After back-to-back years where the Buckeyes spent most of the season outside the top 25, that would already be a massive improvement. But that’s also no reason to celebrate. The roster with “tremendous upside” will still have to go out there and win games, and that won’t come easy for an unproven coach with an unproven roster — especially once the Big Ten schedule begins.

 MAGIC’S NEXT ASSIST. When the Washington Commanders introduced Josh Harris and his partners as the franchise’s new owners last summer, select Commanders players were seen at the ceremony. One of them was former Ohio State wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

McLaurin, Washington’s third-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, met several powerful entrepreneurs at the event, including NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, one of the franchise’s new minority owners. Bryan Manning of USA TODAY caught their introduction on camera. He said McLaurin expressed his admiration for Johnson as an athlete and businessman, and that McLaurin mentioned his desire to have Johnson become a mentor. Johnson appreciated the gesture and promised that the two would have lunch in the future.

Nine months later, Johnson followed through on that promise.

Before I continue, I have to include the top response under Johnson’s post because it is hilarious and true.

Five years ago, McLaurin created the Terry McLaurin Foundation, which “seeks to help underserved children become the best version of themselves by providing them with the tools to succeed in the classroom and society,” according to its website. McLaurin’s connection with Johnson will help his foundation continue to thrive — and I have to imagine McLaurin’s other entrepreneurial endeavors will improve, too.

I love that this interaction occurred, and I hope to see more follow-up interactions in the future.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “I'll Be There For You” - Bon Jovi.

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