50 For 50: Arvell Reese The Man In The Middle For Ohio State

Welcome to our daily feature that I am calling “50 for 50” where I attempt to get us to Big Ten Media Days — which are 24 days away — with a daily sampling of what we can look forward to this upcoming college football season. Today’s edition features Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, tight end Max Klare, and more.

As always, we will do this via the following categories: the 50 biggest individual matchups for the Buckeyes this season, the 50 most important college football games this season, 50 Buckeye things to look forward to this season, 50 national predictions, 50 Big Ten predictions, and 50 predictions involving the Buckeyes.

Previous | Day 26

Biggest Buckeye Matchups

OHIO STATE TE MAX KLARE VS. MICHIGAN SS BRANDYN HILLMAN

Brandyn Hillman was a rotational safety for the Wolverines last year, but should be a bigger part of the Michigan attack in 2025. With the return of Rod Moore at free safety, Hillman could be the answer at strong safety. That would find him matched up here and there with new Ohio State tight end Max Klare. Klare was the top tight end in the transfer portal, but in the Buckeyes’ offense, he is not going to be the focus of a defense. As such, whoever has Klare defensively is going to need to be at his best. Hillman is a physical hitter, but his coverage skills are going to be put to the test.

Most Important Games

LSU TIGERS AT CLEMSON TIGERS, AUG. 30

The Two Teams That Are Tigers That Also Call Their Stadiums Death Valley Classic surprisingly could not find a title sponsor, but they will play the game regardless. Somebody is going to start the season off on the right foot with a win, but even the team that loses will get credit for not being absolute cowards. Clemson is supposed to be back, so they should win this one. If they don’t, people will immediately move on from them and not notice them again until they win the ACC and make the College Football Playoff.

Things To Look Forward To

ARVELL REESE AS THE BUCKEYES’ NEW MIDDLE LINEBACKER.

Being Ohio State’s starting middle linebacker is one of the great accomplishments for a Buckeye. This year, that honor will fall upon junior Arvell Reese, who had some standout moments last season as the third linebacker in the Ohio State defense. He finished with 43 tackles, including a season-high seven against Michigan. Reese is big (6-4 238) and athletic, but he must be on point just as Cody Simon was last year. It’s a big task, but Arvell Reese has the frame to handle it.

National College Football Predictions

GEORGIA TECH IS MAKING THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF.

I don’t know if I believe this one but coming up with 150 unique predictions isn’t as easy as I make it look. If Georgia Tech gets a win at home over Clemson in week three, I’ll feel much better about this prediction. There is no team on their schedule that they can’t beat, though the season-finale against Georgia in Mercedes-Benz Stadium isn’t going to be easy. With road games against Colorado, Wake Forest, Duke, NC State, and Boston College, the schedule is tailor-made for a playoff run.

Big Ten Football Predictions

RUTGERS’ BOWL STREAK IS OVER.

Bottom line, Rutgers is either going to have to beat Iowa at home or win at Minnesota in order to win six games and make a bowl game. They will likely lose home games against Oregon and Penn State, as well as road games against Washington, Illinois, and Ohio State. They’ll start out 3-0 (unless Ohio upsets them in week one), and they’ll likely add wins at Purdue and at home against Maryland later in the season. Which takes us back to the back-to-back matchups with the Gophers and the Hawkeyes in weeks four and five. I’m just not seeing it for Rutgers this year.

Ohio State Football Predictions

THREE DEFENSIVE ENDS WILL FINISH WITH AT LEAST 4.5 SACKS.

The Ohio State defensive end rotation is going to be interesting to watch. With five fourth-year guys vying for reps, the rotation seems pretty deep. As such, I’m not expecting any one player to emerge as an unstoppable force. Instead, I think what happens is you have a small handful of effective pass rushers who are fresh and disruptive. I could see any of the five — Kenyatta Jackson, Caden Curry, Beau Atkinson, CJ Hicks, or Logan George — getting it done. By the way, the last time the Buckeyes had three defensive ends post at least 4.5 sacks was 2017 with Nick Bosa (8.5), Sam Hubbard (7.0), and Tyquan Lewis (7.0).

Go to discussion...