"They have to rebuild upfront": Joel Klatt drops a reality check for Ryan Day's Ohio State for upcoming season 

The Ohio State Buckeyes just won their first national championship in 10 years, but FOX analyst Joe Klatt believes there will be some hurdles ahead of the 2025 season.

Klatt has the Buckeyes ranked third ahead of next season. The analyst did mention that Ohio's talent level is still among the best in the nation, especially with safety Caleb Downs leading the defense and Jeremiah Smith on the attacking side of the ball.

While giving his top 10 team rankings going into the 2025 season, Klatt voiced his concerns about the Buckeyes. He first talked about the defensive side of the ball.

“They have to rebuild up front, on the defensive line, which was a huge strength for them this last season, and Downs is going to have to break in some new safeties around him, and the safety in that three safety defense for Jim Knowles was a huge key to their success,” Klatt said on an episode of The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast released Thursday.

Ohio State lost all four starters on the defensive line, including defensive ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. The good news is that the Buckeyes may have had the deepest position group in the FBS, and Kenyatta Jackson, Caden Curry, Kaden McDonald, Hero Kanu, and Eddrick Houston appear ready to take over. The line still has to prove it can have the same impact as before.

The safety spots could be more troublesome. Downs might be the best safety in the nation, but the main reason he could roam free in 2024 was because the rest of the secondary was strong.

Jeremiah Smith could be the best offensive player in the nation in 2025. - Source: Imagn

As for the offense, Joel Klatt believes the unit can feed off Jeremiah Smith. The sophomore wide receiver will be joined by Carnell Tate and tight end Max Klare, as the top receiving threats for Ohio State.

“Every single game, and every gameplan, every week next year, has to go through Jeremiah Smith. Has to," Klatt said. "They cannot go through periods of the game where he disappears. They cannot do that. Because they are not going to be quite as dynamic around Smith as what they were this last year with experienced players like (TreVeyon) Henderson and (Quinshon) Judkins and Emeka Egbuka."

“Now, they are going to be very good players, I’m not saying that these are substantial steps down, but it has to go through Smith, not just for his production, which is going to have to be there, but his impact on the defense,” Klatt added.

As Klatt mentioned, while Ohio State will lose talented players in Egbuka, Henderson, Judkins, and quarterback Will Howard, the offense could come out well in 2025. The offensive line could be better, while Smith, with one season under his belt, could be even more dangerous.

Ohio State quarterback transfer leaves the door open for Julian Sayin

After Will Howard finished his college career on Monday night, the starting quarterback spot is open in Columbus. To add further clarity on who could start in 2025, former backup quarterback Devin Brown signed with the California Golden Bears.

Brown entered the transfer portal in December but remained with the team during the CFP championship run as Howard’s backup. He is now expected to battle for the starting spot at Berkeley.

As for Ohio State, highly touted freshman Julian Sayin is expected to earn the starting job. Sayin was a 5-star prospect coming out of Carlsbad High School in California. Incoming freshman Tavien St. Clair could also challenge for the starting job.