Skull Session: Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate Claim Ohio State Would Beat Indiana in a Rematch, ESPN Names Linebacker Cincere Johnson One of the Most College-Ready Prospects in the 2026 Class

By Chase Brown on January 30, 2026 at 5:00 am
Caleb Downs and Jermaine Mathews Jr.
8 Comments

Welcome to the Skull Session.

JSN is good at football.

Like, really good at football.

Have a good Friday.

 THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. It’s one of Aesop’s fables — short but sharp. A hungry fox spots a bunch of ripe grapes hanging high on a vine. He jumps and strains to reach them, but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t. Eventually, tired and frustrated, he walks away, telling himself the grapes were probably sour anyway and not worth having.

Tired and frustrated is how I’d describe myself after reading comments from Caden Curry and Caleb Downs about Ohio State beating Miami nine times out of 10 — or from Downs and Carnell Tate about winning a hypothetical Big Ten Championship Game rematch against Indiana.

On the latest episode of the Downs 2 Business podcast, Josh Downs asked his brother and Tate whether the Buckeyes would win a second matchup with the Hoosiers.

“Yes,” they said in unison.

Josh disagreed.

“Maybe,” he said. “Who knows?”

And that’s the point. No one knows. Nobody will ever know.

Those games will never happen.

So let’s leave the hypotheticals behind and move on — because all these comments about Ohio State beating Indiana or Miami in games that don’t exist feel an awful lot like sour grapes.

 DEVELOPED HERE. Now that the top 30 picks in the 2026 NFL draft are set, The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman released a new mock draft Thursday. Five Buckeyes came off the board in the first 19 picks, beginning with top-five selections Arvell Reese and Carnell Tate, followed by top-10 pick Caleb Downs and capped by Sonny Styles and Kayden McDonald.

Here’s where those Buckeyes landed:

No. 2 - Arvell Reese to the Jets

If a chance to select a quarterback presents itself later in the first round, New York should be ready. But the Jets need so much and can start here by taking the best player available. Reese has traits that are awfully reminiscent of what we’ve seen from Micah Parsons.

No. 4 - Carnell Tate to the Titans

The Titans could go edge at No. 4 (Texas Tech’s David Bailey), but everything in GM Mike Borgonzi’s world right now has to be about helping quarterback Cam Ward. There are spots in need of upgrades all over the place, but the Titans are pretty desperate for a true WR1. Tate (or Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson) fits.

No. 8 - Caleb Downs to the Saints

There may not be a better pound-for-pound football player in this draft class. Incredibly intelligent, explosive and absolutely fearless, Downs is one of the most unique defensive backs we’ve seen in quite a while. He could help a team’s culture overnight.

No. 12 - Sonny Styles to the Cowboys

One of the most unique players in the draft, Styles is a 6-4, 243-pound linebacker who used to be a safety — and still runs like one. He brings coverage instincts, improved (and improving) work as a run fitter and a pretty fearless mindset. Styles could be the linebacker version of Seattle safety hybrid Nick Emmanwori.

No. 19 - Kayden McDonald to the Panthers

A massive interior defender with both one- and two-gap capabilities, McDonald is an elite run stopper who also would help the Panthers’ pass rush, which finished tied for 28th in production this season. McDonald isn’t necessarily a pass rusher himself, per se, but his presence would allow others to find openings.

All five Buckeyes are top-19 overall prospects in The Athletic's NFL draft consensus rankings. Reese sits atop the list as the No. 1 overall prospect, ahead of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 2 and Downs at No. 3. The remaining Ohio State players include Tate at No. 9, Styles at No. 10 and McDonald at No. 19. Styles jumped 12 spots from No. 22 in the latest update, while McDonald surged 19 spots from No. 38.

 THE NEXT ARVELL REESE? You may be tired of mock drafts in the Skull Session. I am, too. I promise to pivot to other topics next week — ideally, ones involving actual content about the Buckeyes preparing for the 2026 season.

I’ll do that here, too, because ESPN’s Craig Haubert and Tom Luginbill recently named the most college-ready players in the 2026 class. One Ohio State commit made the cut: Rivals five-star linebacker and the 247Sports composite’s No. 34 overall prospect, Cincere Johnson.

While there's no clear path to playing time because of Ohio State's envious depth, Johnson checks every box for a linebacker who could push for an early role and one day become a team captain. At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Johnson has good arm length and testing numbers, but his impact goes beyond his athleticism and physicality. Johnson's a competitor with a high football IQ and a dialed-in, mature mindset. He clearly wants to get better and shows coaches an impressive ability to digest and apply new information. His workman-like approach to Under Armour Next All-America Week led to an impactful showing on game day. Even in a loaded linebacker room, it's going to be tough for the Buckeyes to keep him off the field.

I watched Johnson at one of Ohio State’s recruiting camps last summer, and he looked like a man among boys — even at 17 years old. ESPN lists him at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, and he uses every bit of that frame to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. A MaxPreps first-team All-American, Johnson totaled 134 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks for Glenville High School, the Division IV state champions in Ohio.

A freak athlete from Glenville.

Where have I seen this before?

Oh, right.

Arvell Reese.

The No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 NFL draft, according to The Athletic. If Johnson really is college-ready as a freshman, James Laurinaitis and Matt Patricia may need to find a way to get him on the field early and often.

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

You know the drill.

Ohio State wrestling has a massive weekend ahead, as the Buckeyes will host No. 25 Wisconsin on Friday and No. 13 Michigan on Sunday at the Covelli Center. Nine of Ohio State’s 10 projected starters are ranked inside the InterMat top 25 at their respective weight classes, led by NCAA champion Jesse Mendez (No. 1 at 141), Brandon Cannon (No. 1 at 157), Ben Davino (No. 2 at 133), Nic Bouzakis (No. 2 at 125), Nick Feldman (No. 3 at HWT).

Ohio State men’s basketball also faces Wisconsin this weekend, with a road win in Madison carrying significant postseason implications. The Buckeyes currently sit as a No. 10 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology for ESPN, while the Badgers are projected as a No. 10 seed as well.

Another note on the Basketbucks: Ohio State will continue to compete in the CBS Sports Classic through 2029. The Buckeyes are slated to face Kansas in 2026, Kentucky in 2027, North Carolina in 2028 and Kansas again in 2029.

Davison Igbinosun has been one of several standouts at the Senior Bowl. According to ESPN’s Jordan Reid, Matt Miller and Field Yates, Igbinosun’s performance in Mobile, Alabama, could make him a top-75 pick in 2026.

Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun had a productive second day in which he recorded multiple pass breakups. His best portion of practice came during one-on-ones, and he remained disciplined in coverage on Wednesday. Igbinosun is known for his grabby nature, but he limited that tendency and showed his potential in man-to-man as well as zone. Considering his size (6-foot-2, 192 pounds) and movement skills, it would be a surprise if he's not selected inside of the top 75 picks.

Keep it up, IGB.

That’s all, folks!

Have a great weekend.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Hypotheticals" - Lake Street Dive.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. Scientists marvel at a Galapagos seabird that wandered 3,000 miles to California... Newborn calf struggling in deep freeze brought indoors to curl up on couch... "Clueless,""The Karate Kid," "Inception" among 25 movies entering National Film Registry... McDonald's brings back popular Changeables Happy Meal from the 80s... Can we just let teens exist in public?

8 Comments

Grading Ohio State's 2025 Offense Position-By-Position

Jeremiah Smith

Ohio State's 2026 Football Schedule Includes Three of the Five Teams With the Best Odds to Win the National Championship

Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin
View 8 Comments