Skull Session: Joel Klatt Ranks Ohio State No. 1 in Preseason Poll, Ross Bjork Puts “Everything On the Table” For Naming Rights and Jim Knowles Calls Caleb Downs a “Coach’s Dream”

By Chase Brown on August 6, 2024 at 5:00 am
Davison Igbinosun
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Ohio State's hotel check-in is complete.

Have a good Tuesday.

 “MY NO. 1 TEAM IS OHIO STATE.” This week, Joel Klatt revealed his preseason top 25 for the 2024 season. The Fox Sports college football analyst chose Ohio State as his No. 1 team, selecting the Buckeyes over Georgia, Texas, Oregon and Ole Miss. Klatt also ranked five of the team’s opponents in his top 25, including Oregon, Michigan (No. 7), Penn State (No. 10), Nebraska (No. 23) and Iowa (No. 24).

Here is how Klatt explained his decision to rank Ohio State No. 1 in the nation:

ON OHIO STATE VS. GEORGIA AT NO. 1

“The last couple of years, (success in college football) has shifted from talent to veteran talent. You have to add that veteran aspect. … When you look toward veteran talent, then it’s clear to me that the No. 1 team in the country should be — and is for me — Ohio State. So Ohio State is gonna be No. 1, and Georgia is gonna be No. 2. Now I know what Bulldog fans will say. They’re gonna think of this as a slight. But I can tell you this right now: these two teams are upper echelon. They are my favorites. I feel like they’re gonna face off in the national championship game, and I hope that they do because that’s a game I’d love to see. 

ON GEORGIA

“Georgia is excellent. Carson Beck is such a good player. They’ve won 46 of their last 48 games. Kirby Smart is, right now, the best coach in college football. As Nick Saban rides off into the sunset, Kirby Smart is the best coach in college football. They’ll have a Heisman-caliber quarterback to go with a defense that should be really good — as they are always. Their roster includes 16 former five-star recruits, 15 of which are on the defensive side. Now, they have to replace Brock Bowers, and on offense, I think there are some question marks. But this team is gonna be legit.

"Their schedule does them no favors.  Last year, they had one of the weakest schedules in all of the country, and now this year, they’re gonna open against Clemson in Atlanta, and then how’s this for a road start? At Alabama, at Texas, at Ole Miss, plus a home game against Tennesee. Those games are not gonna be easy, and yet, if there’s a team that can roll through there and be fine, it’s Georgia. The question will be, can they maintain a record through that schedule that gets them to the SEC Championship Game? Because I’m sure, they’re gonna want the bye to get healthy and win the conference and be one of the four teams that have a bye. But this is absolutely a playoff team. This team could lose three games and still make the playoff.”

ON OHIO STATE

“My No. 1 team is Ohio State. Five straight top-five recruiting classes mean that there’s no shortage of talent in Columbus, and then they brought in what I describe as the best transfer class in the country because of what they got. Caleb Downs at safety, Quinshon Judkins at running back, Will Howard at quarterback and what they brought back. This is the most important part for Ohio State. This feels eerily similar to what Michigan did last offseason which is all of their important contributors who had a decision to make about the NFL chose to go back to Michigan. Guess what happened in Columbus? Almost every one of the players who had a decision to make that wasn’t a bonafide top-four pick like Marvin Harrison Jr. came back to Ohio State.

"They have not just the talent but the veteran talent. They brought in Chip Kelly to run the offense. That run game is gonna be insane with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. And I think that Ohio State is gonna have the best defense in college football. They have a great front four, their linebackers are athletic, and they have the best secondary in all of college football. Not many people are scoring on Ohio State — not many. The one thing I think worries the Ohio State faithful? Michigan. Got to get over that one. Got to get over that one. Can you imagine the anxiety in Columbus if Michigan actually beats Texas in September? That would be crazy. That would be crazy.”

While Klatt sees Ohio State as the No. 1 team in college football, the Buckeyes ranked behind Georgia in the preseason Coaches Poll. According to an X post from Brad Crawford of 247Sports, that could be a good thing for Ohio State.

In other words, Georgia has been eliminated from winning the College Football Playoff this season. That makes Ohio State the preseason favorite to win it all.

Go Bucks.

 “WE HAVE TO PUT EVERYTHING ON THE TABLE.” In a recent conversation with Pete Nakos of On3, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said the school’s athletic department has evaluated – and will continue to evaluate – all options for new revenue sources as the revenue-sharing era begins in college sports. One of those revenue sources could even include naming rights to Ohio Stadium.

“So Safelite is exclusive for the field naming. It’s the field name,” Bjork said. “But in and around the perimeter of the stadium, adjacencies to the field, things like that. I’ve been saying, ‘Look, we have to put everything on the table.’ Naming rights to the stadium. The jersey patch conversation. We have to work with our partner, Nike, in that conversation.

“If we’re breaking the glass now and we’re going to put the window back, let’s get it all on the table so we can put the window back in the right position. Everything has to be on the table right now to analyze. That doesn’t mean we’re going to do it. It just means, let’s at least answer the question. Here’s the value. Is this the right thing to do? Yes or no. If it’s not, OK, fine. If it is, how do we pursue it? Or how does it fit in?”

From March to July, I commended Bjork for his work as a special advisor to Ohio State president Ted Carter and now-former athletic director Gene Smith. Though I have not mentioned it in recent Skull Sessions, I would also commend him for the work he’s completed in the five weeks since he became the Buckeyes’ ninth athletic director.

However, if Bjork ever approved a name change to Ohio Stadium, I would have to snatch back those commendations like T.I. in ATL.

Why?

I’ll let Ryan Day explain.

“Over 100 years ago, there was a crazy idea to build a 65,000-seat stadium called the Horseshoe,” Day told Rick Pizzo of Big Ten Network last month. “They used money not from the state of Ohio or not from the school itself, but from the community to raise over a million dollars to build the stadium.”

The people of Ohio built the stadium when the state and school didn’t want to fund it. Hence the name, Ohio Stadium – one that should never change, no matter how much money the school could make in selling the rights.

 “A COACH’S DREAM.” It’s no secret that Ohio State’s coaches love Caleb Downs. In March, Day called him an “exceptional talent” and Chip Kelly called him “an impressive dude.” Five months later, Jim Knowles added to the staff’s abundant praise, calling the Alabama transfer defensive back a “coach’s dream.”

“He understands everything. He picks up everything. He takes the meeting room to the field. He’s locked in during meetings. He takes great notes. He’s a pro,” Knowles said after Ohio State’s second preseason practice last week. “Aside from what he does on the field, making all the adjustments and knowing where to go, he really has a great effect on the guys in the meeting room, too.”

As a freshman at Alabama, Downs recorded 107 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble in 14 games for the Crimson Tide. For his performance, he earned first-team All-SEC honors and was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year.

This winter, Ohio State did all it could to land Downs, as Day and Knowles believed could be the final piece to the Buckeyes’ stacked defense, which also features JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams and Denzel Burke, among others.

“When we went to talk to Caleb after he entered the portal, I like to say my interview with Caleb Downs was harder than my interview with Coach Day,” Knowles said. “He was extremely intricate and detailed about the defense, and fortunately for us, I was able to have all the answers that he needed.”

Thanks be to Knowles, the Mad Scientist.

I cannot wait to see Downs in an Ohio State uniform on Saturdays.

 THIS AND THAT. Another Skull Session, another This and That™.

You know the drill.

Now that walk-on cornerback Andrew Moore has graduated from THE Ohio State University, freshman defensive end Eddrick Houston has taken over as the Buckeyes’ social media representative during fall camp. Over the weekend, Houston asked Ohio State fans who attended practice to share what makes them Buckeyes.

Houston has also continued Ohio State’s “Cold Talks” series. In two episodes, Houston has asked his teammates what Olympic sport they would compete in and whether or not they could beat specific teammates in arm-wrestling competitions.

Former Ohio State offensive lineman Dawand Jones continues to live his best life this offseason. After being named the honorary starter at The Honda Indy 200 last month, Jones attended WWE SummerSlam at Cleveland Browns Stadium. I’m told he didn’t enter the ring this time around, but I would certainly like to see the 6-foot-8, 374-pound tackle climb through the ropes at some point – perhaps using the “Big Thanos” moniker?

Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh responded to the NCAA notice of allegations draft ESPN reported on over the weekend. Here was his statement:

"Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. I was raised with that lesson. I have raised my family on that lesson. I have preached that lesson to the teams that I've coached. No one's perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and make it right. Today, I do not apologize. I did not participate, was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations. So for, it's back to work and attacking with an ethusiasm unknown to mankind."

Sure, Jan.

That's all, folks!

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Lies, Lies, Lies" - Morgan Wallen.

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