Welcome to the Skull Session.
Dan Hope, Andy Anders and I went live on YouTube and Facebook on Monday to discuss the latest news coming out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. You should check it out!
Have a good Tuesday.
THE BEST OF THE BEST. ESPN’s Chris Low revealed the Worldwide Leader’s preseason college football All-America teams on Monday. Alabama and Clemson led all programs with three first-team selections each, while Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Texas and Pitt all had two first-team selections.
It’s no surprise who represented Ohio State on the first team: Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs. Here’s what Low wrote about them:
WR: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Smith returns as college football's premier player and the one who strikes the most fear into opposing defensive coordinators' hearts. The 6-3, 225-pound sophomore is a nightmarish matchup for defensive backs with his blend of size, strength and speed. He had 17 touchdown catches last year, including four in the Buckeyes' first two playoff games, and averaged 17.5 yards per catch.
S: Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Downs came into college football as one of the top prospects in the country, played that way as a freshman at Alabama and took yet another step this past season after transferring to Ohio State and helping lead the Buckeyes to the national championship. The prototypical safety, Downs was third on Ohio State's team last season with 81 tackles, 7 ½ of them for loss, and had two interceptions.
Max Klare received preseason second-team honors from ESPN, with Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers earning the first-team nod at tight end. Stowers led the Commodores with 49 catches for 638 yards and five touchdowns last season, including six catches for a career-high 113 yards in Vanderbilt’s memorable 40-35 win over Alabama.
In addition to Smith, Downs and Klare, here are some other notable selections on ESPN’s preseason All-American teams:
NOTE: Each of the players named will face Ohio State in the regular season
- First-team running back: Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
- First-team offensive guard: Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State
- First-team linebacker: Anthony Hill Jr., Texas
- First-team linebacker: Gabe Jacas, Illinois
- First-team safety: Michael Taafe, Texas
- First-team kicker: Dominic Zvada, Michigan
- Second-team running back: Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
- Second-team offensive guard: Joe Brunner, Wisconsin
- Second-team defensive end: Colin Simmons, Texas
- Second-team safety: Koi Perich, Minnesota
Remember: To be the best, you have to beat the best!
THE BEST OF THE BETS. Speaking of the best, ESPN’s Pamela Maldonado had an article on Monday in which she picked the best betting angles for each team in the preseason AP Top 25. Her selections for Texas and Ohio State stood out:
No. 1: Texas
The bet: Texas to miss the playoff (+220)
Texas is currently the favorite to win the national championship at ESPN BET, but this feels more like hype than substance. If the Longhorns drop two road games at Ohio State and Georgia, they have zero margin for error the rest of the way. And winning games against teams like Florida, Kentucky and Texas A&M isn't guaranteed with such a young roster. All three games are tricky spots for Texas, especially late in the year. Even with a strong recruiting class, asking Arch Manning to go nearly perfect through that stretch is a lot. That's why Texas going 10-2 feels like the smart bet. Taking the Longhorns to miss the playoff has real value.
No. 3: Ohio State
The bet: Ohio State (-2.5) vs. Texas
Week 1 brings a heavyweight showdown in Columbus, a game of experience versus transition. Texas rolls in with tons of hype around QB Arch Manning but question marks remain, as the Longhorns attempt to break in a new quarterback and new skill players after losing their top two wideouts and key depth in the backfield.
The defending champion Buckeyes aren't starting from scratch. Ohio State returns core defensive pieces and still has firepower at receiver with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. The Buckeyes' defense could be the difference against a Texas offense likely to lean heavily on the ground game early. Also, Ohio State rarely loses at Ohio Stadium, where it has gone 27-3 since 2021.
I am smooth-brained, so entertain me for a moment. Is Maldonado claiming it’s better to bet Texas to miss the College Football Playoff than to beat Ohio State in the season opener? If she is, holy smokes, that’s a bold take — especially for someone who writes for ESPN!
Despite Maldonado’s recommendation, I will not be wager United States currency on Texas to miss the CFP.
But…
On the Buckeyes to cover the spread against the Longhorns in the season opener?
I could be convinced!
DEVIN SANCHEZ, FUTURE SUPERSTAR. This week, ESPN’s Billy Tucker predicted the top 10 freshmen in college football for the 2025 season. He ranked Devin Sanchez at No. 4 behind Oregon wide receiver Dakorien Moore, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood and Clemson running back Gideon Davidson.
Here’s what Tucker wrote about the Ohio State freshman cornerback:
No. 4 - Devin Sanchez, Ohio State
In practice, Sanchez is going toe-to-toe with the best group of receivers in the country -- matching up against Jeremiah Smith and Co. Sanchez, a former five-star recruit, is ready for immediate playing time this fall from a physical and mental standpoint. The highest-rated Ohio State cornerback commit since 2006, Sanchez will face plenty of pressure but has all the intangibles to deliver. His elite combination of size (6-2), speed (10.69 100-meter dash) and athleticism will be difficult to keep on the sideline. The freshman can win in one-on-one situations and has the confidence and speed to run vertically with faster Big Ten receivers and contest the jump ball. Though he still might enter Week 1 as the third corner, expect plenty of meaningful snaps out of the gate.
Tucker is bullish on Sanchez, but Pro Football Focus’ Max Chadwick is even higher on him.
“Devin Sanchez is an incredible, incredible player,” Chadwick said on his podcast this week. “A lot of comparisons I saw online to (former Oregon and current New England Patriots cornerback) Christian Gonzalez. You can see, I mean, really good size — he’s not 6-foot-5, but he’s 6-foot-2. He ran a 10.69-second 100-meter dash, so great speed at that size, too, and he’s just so technically sound already. He’s drawn rave reviews in spring ball and fall practice, and I saw some Ohio State beat writers say he’s a Jeremiah Smith of defense. I don’t know that I’ll go that far for Devin Sanchez, but if he’s getting that kind of reviews for Ohio State, he should perform immediately as a true freshman.”
Ohio State Freshman Devin Sanchez is a Future Superstar pic.twitter.com/S2WteIdjX8
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 10, 2025
To be clear, I am not one of the Ohio State beat writers who compared Sanchez to Smith, but (!) I still think Sanchez can be a freshman phenom this season. The second-ranked prospect in the Buckeyes’ 2025 class, Sanchez made an immediate impression on Ryan Day and Tim Walton when he arrived in January.
"He's got the right mindset. He's out there competing, and he's doing some good things. He's also making some mistakes and learning from that and growing," Day said in April. "He just needs to continue to get reps under his belt and grow from it. Obviously, we all know he has the talent and has a bright future. He's gonna be a really good player here."
"He's doing a solid job, but he's learning and growing," Walton added. "But he's doing well. He's picking stuff up. He's making some plays. He still has some stuff to learn because you know how it is – a lot of different stuff, a lot of moving parts. But he's doing well. We're pleased with his progression so far."
Sanchez was the fourth Ohio State freshman to shed his black stripe in 2025, following wide receiver Quincy Porter, linebacker Riley Pettijohn and tight end Nate Roberts. That said, I expect Sanchez to see the field in the season opener, be it on defense or special teams. From there, he’ll look to carve a role for himself among the Best In America and contribute behind Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews Jr.
GOT 18 MINUTES? Why not go 4-for-4 with ESPN #content in the Skull Session? Last week, ESPN’s college football team remastered 18 minutes of highlights from Ohio State’s 42-39 win over Michigan in 2006, a battle also known as The Game of the Century. The video looks and sounds beautiful, and I recommend watching it on this fine August morning!
DAILY DUBCAST. Today's Eleven Dubcast features an analysis from beat reporter turned music critic Andy Anders of the new Horseshoe stadium anthem "Ohio" by Columbus-based band Caamp that has earned mixed reviews among Buckeye fans.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Ride" - Twenty One Pilots.
CUT TO THE CHASE. AOL is finally shutting down its dial-up internet service... Why Niger is investigating the $5 million sale of the largest Mars rock found on Earth... A fiery meteor that punched through a Georgia home’s roof is older than Earth, a scientist says... The 25 most important stunt scenes of the 21st century.
