Skull Session: Joel Klatt Calls Jeremiah Smith “The Best College Football Player I’ve Ever Seen,” Dane Brugler Thinks Max Klare Could Be Key to Ohio State’s Offense

By Chase Brown on July 29, 2025 at 5:00 am
Jeremiah Smith
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch
65 Comments

Welcome to the Skull Session.

Two more sleeps until Ohio State starts preseason camp.

Have a good Tuesday.

 “THE BEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER I’VE EVER SEEN.” Joel Klatt has never seen a better college football player than Jeremiah Smith.

The Fox Sports analyst shared that take in the latest episode of The Joel Klatt Show as he ranked the top 10 players entering 2025.

Klatt ranked Smith and Caleb Downs as the two best players in college football. Behind them were Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Arch Manning (Texas), Ryan Williams (Alabama), Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame), Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas), T.J. Parker (Clemson), Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) and Peter Woods (Clemson).

Here’s what he said about both Buckeyes:

Caleb Downs

“Downs is unbelievable. Talk to anybody who watches this sport for any extended period of time, and you’ll hear them talk about Caleb Downs and his overall instincts, his ability to tackle in space and what he can do from an athletic perspective, even in the return game. … Downs is so good that Ohio State basically changed the defense about mid-year in order to focus on getting him in a position to impact more plays than he otherwise would have. … They changed the structure. They put him in more of a position in the middle of the field to be involved not only in the run fit but also in the pass defense. Because of that, he became more impactful, and they got better as a defense. The pass rush got better. They were better in coverage. Why? Downs was more involved in the middle of the field and impacted more plays than he otherwise would have. … Great head on his shoulders. Smart young man. Very smart young man. His instincts are born from thoughtful preparation. Most great players are like that, and he’s a great player.”

Jeremiah Smith

Note: Take a few deep breaths before this breakdown. It’s loooooong.

“The best player in college football for next year — I think we can all say this together, by the way — is Jeremiah Smith, the wide receiver for Ohio State. Never seen anything like this. I played against Adrian Peterson when he was a true freshman at Oklahoma. Those are the only guys I’ve ever seen — and I’ve been around this sport my entire life — those are the only two guys I’ve ever seen that I’m like, ‘Yeah, they could have played, and not only played but succeeded in the National Football League out of high school.’ Smith is one of those guys. 

“Very rarely do we see a player who comes in with all the hype of Smith, and he doesn’t just live up to that, but he exceeds those expectations. He was the best player on the field at all times last year. It didn’t matter who they were playing. When I would talk with opposing coaches, and I would bring up, like, ‘What’s your plan for Smith?’ They would look at me and be, like, ‘There’s not really a plan. You can’t really have a plan.’ 

“Over 1,300 yards, 15 touchdowns as a true freshman, that’s stupid good. He lived up to all of that hype. He’s basically built physically in a lab. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 215. I’ve got really good reports from Columbus that he’s rolling at about 220, 225…”

Smith has said this himself on multiple occasions, so I’m not sure Klatt needed to flex the “really good reports” here, but I digress.

Take a few more breaths.

Continue.

“… and they think he’s faster than he was a year ago. He’s got unbelievable hands. He catches everything. I was trying to go back, and I’m like, ‘What’s the comp?’ Is it Megatron (Calvin Johnson)? Well, Jeremiah is more athletic than Megatron. Is it Julio Jones? Gosh, Jeremiah is more fluid than Julio. Is it Randy (Moss)? Well, you can’t do that because Moss is Moss, and Moss and (Jerry) Rice are at the top. For the first time in my career, there is a player who I believe could join that echelon at some point, and that’s this player. 

“I think that we need to, collectively as a college football community — and I understand that we are tribal in this community and we hate the things that others have, but I don’t care, unless you’re a Michigan fan and you just can’t — I want us to enjoy for the next couple of years getting to watch this guy play college football. That’s what I’m gonna do. He’s the best college football player I’ve ever seen. He’s the only guy I can sit there and think to myself, man, if he continues to have this head on his shoulders, if he continues to work, he can and will develop, and he’s got the talent to be one of the best of all time. He’s the guy. Just watch the film. 

“He ended that season with a huge third-and-long catch in the national championship game. That’s born out of complete trust. Think about what was on the line for Ryan Day. Think about what was on the line at that place, with that amount of pressure and expectation. Ryan Day is like, ‘What are we gonna do? It’s the most important snap of my life as a coach. What are we gonna do? Throw it to the guy I trust the most, Jeremiah Smith. That’s all you need to know. 

“He’s great. He’s a great player. All these guys are great, but him in particular — and again, I get it if you’re a Michigan fan, and you just can’t and you’re gonna spam the comments below that he’s not even good. Stupid. If you write that in the comments, it’s the dumbest thing of all time. He is the best college football player I’ve seen since I started covering the sport. Again, I played against Adrian when he was a true freshman. Those are the only two, man. Just absolute players to watch. He’s smart, he knows what he’s doing, he knows how to run routes, he works hard. I’m here for it. I’m absolutely here for it.”

I am, too.

Smith has played one season of college football — just one! — and like Klatt, I can see him placing himself among the greatest to ever do it. That’s how good he is, that’s how special he is, and I’m excited to see what other records he can break (and national championships he can win) during his Ohio State career.

 “A TALENTED JOKER TIGHT END.” Smith and Downs are good at football. So is Max Klare.

This week, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked the top five draft-eligible tight ends in 2026, which we can translate to the top five tight ends in college football because of how long it takes to develop players at the position. Klare appeared at No. 2 on the list behind Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq. Here’s what Brugler wrote about him:

Best trait: Fluid athleticism

A talented joker tight end, Klare is a smooth athlete in the passing game, with a talent for creating space both before and after the catch. He is an outstanding zone route runner and knows where the holes are. Against man, he can cross up defenders in space with the start-stop quickness to be elusive (averaged 6.6 YAC per reception in 2024).

Klare is quick to snatch the football and put it away. Using his body fluidity, he can adjust to the catch mid-stride and quickly transition to being a runner to make the first tackler miss — he doesn’t need to gear down to read and cut away from pursuit.

Must improve: Blocking sustain

Klare split about 50-50 between playing inline and in the slot last season for Purdue, but he was inconsistent when asked to be a sustained blocker. He can be physically manhandled when attempting to seal powerful defensive ends and needs to be more assertive with his hands to keep his target engaged as a run blocker. Will Kacmarek will be the Buckeyes’ “blocking” tight end, but scouts are hoping to see more development from Klare in that area.

2026 NFL Draft outlook

Ohio State produces more NFL talent than almost every other program, including having three tight ends drafted over the last five years. However, the Buckeyes haven’t had a tight end selected in the first two rounds in 30 years (Rickey Dudley, No. 9 in 1996). Klare has the talent to change that and become a top-60 pick in the 2026 class.

Everyone is familiar with Jeremiah Smith and the potential of the receivers in Columbus. Still, Klare might be the key to unlocking Ohio State’s offense, especially with a first-year starter at quarterback. Klare led the Boilermakers in receiving last season (by a large margin), and there was still a lot of meat left on the bone in that offense. There will be more mouths to feed in the Buckeyes’ offense, but Klare will be in a better situation to allow his talent to shine.

So Klare’s best trait is one you can’t teach, and the trait he needs to improve is one Keenan Bailey can teach — not to mention Klare’s teammate, Will Kacmarek, whom Bailey has called “the best blocking tight end in the country.”

Is an All-American season loading for Klare?

I think so!

 LOOK OUT FOR LINCOLN! As I said, we are a couple of sleeps from Ohio State’s first preseason practice. And how about this? In the Buckeyes’ final Dudes of the Week post this offseason, Lincoln Kienholz cracked the top three with Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Jaylen McClain.

For all the Julian Sayin QB1 chatter this summer, here comes Kienholz entering August with some momentum!

 SHEEEEEESH. Before the Skull Session ends, I have to share these creations from Ohio State lead designer Joe Gemma:

Those all-whites?!

I mean, come on!

Oh, and he has Heritage Stripe versions for those who care. (I care.)

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Death of Me" - The Figs. (I have to run it back because this band is too good.)

 CUT TO THE CHASE. Deion Sanders says he had bladder cancer but plans to coach the Colorado Buffaloes this season...  It’s moo-ving day for dairy cattle at Michigan State University... No actor has been busier than Pedro Pascal... Man pleads guilty to stalking and harassing Caitlin Clark... Guardians All-Star Emmanuel Clase is team's second pitcher suspended in sports betting probe (Oh! Nice!).

65 Comments

Jack Sawyer Says Michigan’s Sign Stealing Impacted The Game in 2022: “We Lost By Double Digits, And It Felt Like We Beat the Shit Out of Them All Game”

Jack Sawyer picks up a fumble vs. Michigan in 2022

Central Michigan Receives Notice of Allegations from NCAA for Its Role in the Michigan Sign-Stealing Scandal with Connor Stalions

Connor Stalions
View 65 Comments