Skull Session: Jeremiah Smith is the Best Player in College Football and Ohio State’s Nonconference Games Against Texas, Grambling State and Ohio Cost the School $3.4 Million

Welcome to the Skull Session.

Braylen Nash and his family are Family Feud champions!

2nd best Fast Money score of this season so far!! (1st player) pic.twitter.com/gj1Te0eFKY
— Family Feud (@FamilyFeud) May 15, 2025

Have a good Friday.

ANOTHER TOP 100. In the Thursday Skull Session, I featured an article from ESPN in which Max Olson ranked the top 100 offseason transfers in college football. He named four Buckeyes: Max Klare (No. 16), Beau Atkinson (No. 33), Ethan Onianwa (No. 35) and CJ Donaldson (No. 65).

Today, in the Friday Skull Session, I will feature an article from On3 in which Clark Brooks ranked the top 100 players in college football entering the 2025 season. He named three Buckeyes: Jeremiah Smith (No. 1), Caleb Downs (No. 3) and Carnell Tate (No. 48). Here’s what Brooks said about Smith and Downs:

.@On3sports Impact Top

1 @Jermiah_Smith1
3 @caleb_downs2 pic.twitter.com/pDOQCjlAlE
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 15, 2025

No. 1 - Jeremiah Smith

No need to overthink this one. Smith was spectacular as a freshman and has all the makings of a future star. He has the size (6’3, 215), the speed (former Florida state champion in the 110 and 400 meter hurdles), and skill (did you not watch any college football last year?) to be the next phenom at the position and rule the sport for the next two years. While his counting stats speak for themselves, he also kicked ass in a very efficient manner. Half of his targets last year either moved the chains or resulted in points. Plus, no returning P4 receiver boasts a higher yards/route run (3.13).

No. 3 - Caleb Downs

Safety ordinarily isn’t considered the most impactful position. So seeing one inside the top three in this list should scream how talented Downs is. He lines up all over – at centerfield, in the box, on the flank or nickel – wherever his team needs him. Fittingly, Downs can lock receivers down one-on-one, plug run lanes, and be a general nuisance to offensive play callers on any given snap. Moreover, each of the last two years – playing for two of college football’s biggest brands – he finished among PFF’s top-10 highest-graded safeties.

Just three in the top 100?!

From The Ohio State?!

Well, I guess that's what happens when 14 Buckeyes get drafted and three more become undrafted free agents from the previous team.

(MIGHT AS WELL BE) ANOTHER TOP 100. Pro Football Focus’ Max Chadwick agrees with Brooks that Smith and Downs are two of the best players in college football –but, then again, who doesn’t?

This offseason, Chadwick ranked the top 10 returning players at each position, naming Smith as the No. 1 wide receiver and Downs as the No. 1 safety. He also sees greatness in Max Klare and Sonny Styles, whom he named as the No. 3 tight end and No. 6 linebacker in the sport. Here’s what Chadwick wrote about the quartet of Buckeyes:

The Defending Champs Return Four Top 10 Starters for the 2025 Season pic.twitter.com/M0RkILqDcB
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 14, 2025

Jeremiah Smith

Rank: No. 1 wide receiver

Smith entered Columbus as the highest-rated recruit from the 2024 class and the highest-rated wide receiver recruit in Ohio State history. Suffice it to say, the Florida native faced sky-high expectations.

And he lived up to them. Immediately.

As a true freshman, Smith was the most valuable receiver in college football, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. His 89.8 PFF receiving grade in 2024 ranked third and is more than four points higher than any other returning wideout. He also led the Power Four with 15 receiving touchdowns while trailing only Tetairoa McMillan in receiving yards (1,311). Smith is an athletic freak at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds with an incredibly refined skill set for someone who turned 19 years old in November. Not only is he the best returning receiver in college football, but he’s the best returning player in college football.

Caleb Downs

Rank: No. 1 safety

Downs is the top returning player at his position for the second year in a row, joining an exclusive list of players: Trevor Lawrence, Derek Stingley Jr. and Brock Bowers. Lawrence, Stingley and Bowers went on to become top-15 NFL draft picks, an achievement Downs seems poised to accomplish next April. He projects as the top player in the 2026 NFL Draft right now. Downs, who transferred from Alabama last offseason, has been the most valuable safety in college football over the past two seasons, according to PFF’s Wins Above Average metric. His 91.7 PFF overall grade in that span ranks second among FBS safeties, while his 91.2 PFF coverage grade places third. Downs is also a fantastic run defender, leading all players on this list with 35 run-defense stops and an 88.5 PFF run-defense grade since 2023.

Max Klare

Rank: No. 3 tight end

The first of four transfers on this list, Klare is back in his home state of Ohio after a very productive season at Purdue. He tallied 684 receiving yards as a redshirt sophomore, the fourth most among Power Four tight ends and the most among returners at the position. Klare’s 34 combined receiving first downs and touchdowns are tied with Stowers for the most among returning Power Four tight ends. After serving as the clear No. 1 option for the Boilermakers, he could thrive in a Buckeyes offense where defenses will key in on other weapons, most notably the best returning player in college football, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Sonny Styles

Rank: No. 6 linebacker

Styles began his career as a safety for the Buckeyes before transitioning to linebacker this past season. The move paid off for the former No. 4 overall recruit in the 2022 high school class, as he finished his junior year as one of the 20 most valuable linebackers in the nation, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. Styles still looks like a safety in coverage, tying for fifth among Power Four linebackers with 16 coverage stops last season. He also adjusted well to the more physical style of play that playing linebacker requires, tallying six sacks and 75 plays with first contact on ball carriers.

Thank you, Max Chadwick, for putting some respect on Sonny Styles' name! I expect – and I know we all expect – the Pickerington, Ohio, native and Block O frontrunner to have his best season as a Buckeye in 2025. It will certainly be fun to watch when it happens.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY… MONEY! Ohio State sent (and will send) some massive checks to its nonconference opponents in 2025.

According to game contracts cleveland.com obtained this week, the Buckeyes’ home matchups with Texas, Grambling State and Ohio cost the school $3.4 million.

On Sale Dates Set for 25 @OhioStateFB

May 27-June 6 Student ticket request process opens
June 16 / 10 a.m. EDT Pick 3 mini-plan
June 24 / 10 a.m. OSU Alumni Association single game presale
June 27 / 10 a.m. Public single game sales
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) May 9, 2025

Ohio State and Texas signed the original contract for their home-and-home series in August 2014, back when the contests were scheduled to occur in 2022 and 2023. The Buckeyes and Longhorns amended the agreement in May 2018, pushing the games back to Aug. 30, 2025, and Sept. 12, 2026. The amendment also showed that the home team will owe the visiting team $500,000 for their road trip, as well as an allotment of 300 complimentary tickets and 3,500 tickets available for purchase.

Sometime before Feb. 28, Ohio State paid Grambling State $1 million for its future loss in the Horseshoe, and in the future, the Buckeyes must allocate 2,000 tickets for Tigers fans to purchase.

Interestingly, Ohio State’s most expensive nonconference opponent is Ohio, whom Ohio State paid $1.9 million before Feb. 28. The Bobcats will receive 500 complimentary tickets along with 3,000 tickets available for purchase.

Ohio State is 2-2 in four all-time matchups with Texas, with the Buckeyes’ wins coming in the 2006 regular season and 2025 Cotton Bowl, and their losses coming in the 2005 regular season and 2009 Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State has never faced Grambling State and has a 7-0 record over Ohio with wins in 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1999, 2008 and 2010.

Technically, Ohio State vacated the 2010 win because of Tattoogate, but I know the game happened because I was there! I watched Rufus the Bobcat assault Brutus Buckeye!

OLYMPIC VILLAGE. This weekend, Ohio State softball will make its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance as the Buckeyes head to the Knoxville Regional to compete with Tennessee, North Carolina and Miami (Ohio).

The Knoxville Regional will kick off with No. 1 seed Tennessee against No. 4 seed Miami in Game 1, while the second game will feature No. 3 seed Ohio State against No. 3 seed North Carolina. The Regional will continue Saturday and Sunday with a double-elimination format.

Ohio State enters the NCAA Tournament with a 43-12-1 record. The Buckeyes feature one of the nation’s best offenses and lead the nation in runs (473), home runs (137), slugging percentage (.707) and runs per game (8.44). This week, the Big Ten Network released a feature on Kirin Kumar, detailing how the Ohio State head coach has supercharged her team’s bats in his first season with the Buckeyes.