Skull Session: Zion Grady’s Commitment Kicks Off the Week in Buckeye Nation, Tavien St. Clair is the Real Deal and Justin Haire Calls Ohio State Baseball “A Sleeping Giant”

By Chase Brown on June 25, 2024 at 5:00 am
Zion Grady
X / @GradyZion
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Here is a great photo of a distinguished gentleman.

Have a good Tuesday.

 THANKS, NICK SABAN. At 11 a.m. on Monday, Buckeye Nation received excellent news to kick off their week: Four-star defensive end Zion Grady, the No. 6 edge and No. 66 overall prospect in 2025, committed to Ohio State, becoming the second top 100 defensive lineman (Zahir Mathis) to pledge his services to Larry Johnson in the class.

While I could talk about Grady’s talents in this section – the 6-foot-4, 235-pound defensive end has recorded 195 tackles, 46 tackles for loss, 49 quarterback hits and 33 sacks across his last two high school seasons – I will instead discuss how important Nick Saban’s retirement has been for the Ohio State football program.

It cannot be understated: Saban’s absence from Tuscaloosa has increased the Buckeyes’ strength tenfold.

Since the seven-time national champion head coach retired on Jan. 10, Ohio State added three Alabama transfers in offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin, safety Caleb Downs and quarterback Julian Sayin. The Buckeyes have also landed commitments from the top two prospects from Alabama in the 2025 class, cornerback Na’eem Offord and Grady – the latter was committed to the Crimson Tide before Saban’s retirement but chose to decommit on Jan. 17 – and could land the state’s third-best prospect, four-star defensive tackle Malik Autry, in the coming weeks.

Had Saban remained Alabama’s head coach this season, Downs and Sayin would still be on the Crimson Tide’s roster (McLaughlin was gone, gone, gone after that Rose Bowl performance), and Offord, Grady and Autry would join them next fall. That’s how much influence Saban had in the Alabama program and the Yellowhammer State.

But Father Time remains undefeated – not even Saban could beat him.

As a result, Ohio State’s recruiting presence in the South has increased, and the program will thrive for years to come.

Thanks, Nick.

 THE TRUTH. Folks, it's broken record time.

Tavien St. Clair is the real deal.

Here is what Bruce Feldman of The Athletic wrote about the Ohio State quarterback commit following his performance at the Elite 11 finals last week:

St. Clair passes the eyeball test. The 6-4, 225-pound Ohio State commit reminded me of another former Buckeyes commit: Dylan Raiola, who ultimately signed with Nebraska. Both are big-framed athletes who look like they’re 25, and both have tons of horsepower firing the football. St. Clair lived up to the hype during his week at the Elite 11. Unlike others, he was consistent all week, I’m told. One of the coaches said that if St. Clair can learn to play on time, he can be special at the next level: “He may not be quite as electric as Dylan, but he’s really smooth.”

“I think he’s a more gifted passer than Raiola by a little bit,” another coach said. “Dylan was more casual and cool. He looked like a grown man who you could tell had watched hours and hours of (Patrick) Mahomes and was like this big middle infielder slinging it around. Tavien looked more intentional.”

“I think Tavien had the best arm here,” a different Elite 11 coach said. “I think (his arm’s) a little better than Raiola’s, and he’ll be under less of a microscope in his situation. He can make some mistakes without everyone looking for him to be the savior of the program without a lot of good players around him.”

“He is an anomaly,” (former USC quarterbacks coach Yogi) Roth said. “He’s from an hour away from Ohio State, one of the greatest schools in the history of the game, and he’s never had a personal QB coach. He’s done it in a way I haven’t heard about in, like, 20 years.”

Yes! Yes! Yes!

2024 Division III Ohio state champion Bellefontaine incoming?

I think so!

 A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN. Last week, Ohio State baseball hired Justin Haire to be its next head coach. The Hamilton, Ohio, native and Bowling Green graduate had been a head coach at Campbell for the previous 10 seasons, winning 317 games, five Big South regular season championships and four Big South Tournament titles.

“We are so excited to welcome Justin Haire and his family to Ohio State to lead our baseball program into a new era,” incoming athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement. “Coach Haire’s successful career as a head coach and track record of winning games in the NCAA Tournament made us stand up and take notice, and his deep Ohio roots are an added bonus. We believe Ohio State baseball can be a Big Ten contender and make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament under Justin’s leadership, and we are fired up for him to start here in Columbus.”

While Bjork’s statement illustrated his aspirations for the Ohio State program under Haire’s guidance, the new head coach did not mention his desires for the Buckeyes in a press release. Rather, Haire said he was “eager to contribute to the success and growth of Ohio State baseball.”

Still, in a recent interview with Colin Gay of The Columbus Dispatch, Haire revealed some of his goals for the program and school he’s loved since childhood.

In the interview process, Haire said incoming Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork made it clear he wanted a coach who is “excited about the program how it is, and has a vision of how we can grow it organically and sustainably.” 

Haire said Bjork did not sugarcoat the baseball program’s standing compared to past programs the athletic director has been a part of. 

“A big piece of knowing who you are is knowing who you’re not,” Haire said. “Mr. Bjork’s been at Texas A&M and Ole Miss. He’s been in some of those SEC places. And he was just very honest, like, ‘Hey, we’re wanting to compete and be at that highest level. But the resources are not that. The NIL capability for baseball is not the same as it is at some of those SEC places.’ ”

Bjork is already beginning to make his mark on Ohio State athletics. 

While his tenure as athletic director officially begins July 1, Bjork has already been instrumental in the hiring of Jake Diebler to lead the Ohio State men’s basketball program, Miami University’s Kirin Kumar as OSU’s new softball coach and Haire. And while Haire said that reality brings pressure, “it’s a good pressure.” 

“Of all the people that were interested in this job, that understand that Ohio State baseball is a sleeping giant and ready to, hopefully, turn the corner, (Bjork) gave me this opportunity,” Haire said. “And he believes in me and what will eventually be our staff, and the vision that we have. Because I think he has a vision for what he thinks it might look like too.” 

If Ohio State baseball is a sleeping giant, Haire’s goal is simple: Wake up the giant.

To do that, Haire plans to identify the right players for his program, keep the best Ohio high school baseball players in the state and develop a program that is “an avenue for pro ball,” he told The Dispatch.

“We’re tasked with trying to leave this place better than how we found it every single day,” Haire said. “And today’s day one of what I hope is a very long career here of trying to do that every single day.”

Godspeed, Coach Haire.

Godspeed.

 THE VOICE(S) OF THE BUCKEYES. Many thanks to Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge for the #content of this section. Because Matt is a humble person, he said, “No need to mention me – just happy to get the word out there,” but here I am mentioning him because he does so much behind-the-scenes work for 11W that deserves more recognition than it receives.

In case I don’t mention it enough, thanks for all you do, Matt.

In August, Ohio State football radio announcers Paul Keels and Jim Lachey will both be named the 2024 Agonis Club Person of the Year at the club's annual banquet and celebration at Villa Milano in Columbus.

Keels has worked for WBNS radio and has been the “Voice of the Buckeyes” since 1998. For the past 25 years, Keels’ informative, soothing announcing has been a treat for Ohio State football and men’s basketball fans. The Cincinnati native is a five-time NSMA Ohio Broadcaster of the Year and is a member of the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Lachey was an All-American offensive lineman for Ohio State as well as an All-Pro and Super Bowl champion for the Washington Redskins in the 1980s. The St. Henry, Ohio, native began his broadcast career with the Buckeyes in 1997, and he has been the perfect compliment to Keels on gamedays ever since.

When reflecting on Keels and Lachey’s broadcasting careers, many will remember their epic call at the end of the 2003 BCS National Championship Game.

The “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” was incredible.

I’m sure several Ohio State fans had the same reaction as the Buckeyes’ defense made their goal-line stop and helped the program claim its seventh national championship.

To purchase tickets for the Agonis Club Person of the Year dinner, click here.

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