THE Ohio State University Football team starts to defend its national championship this Saturday, but it’ll be no easy feat. The Buckeyes will take on the top team in the country. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last three months, you’re probably well aware that Ohio State and Texas will face off at Noon on August 30th. It’s been one of the most highly anticipated season openers in a very long time. But the Ohio State Buckeyes have their own Secret Weapon.
These two teams are no strangers to each other. Ohio State defeated the Longhorns 28-14 in last year’s expanded College Football Playoff en route to a National Championship victory over Notre Dame. This year, both teams have a major change to note.
Starting Quarterbacks
Ohio State will be starting sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin. Julian beat out junior Buckeye Lincoln Kienholz in a quarterback battle this offseason. Even though this was a bit of an expected decision, it still seems as though head coach Ryan Day held a true battle during camp. Julian has no shortage of elite athletes around him, including Heisman hopeful Jeremiah Smith, who just completed one of the best seasons ever by a true freshman wide receiver.
Texas will be starting a quarterback with a very familiar name. Arch Manning (nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning) will be making his season debut. He does have a bit more experience than Sayin since he’s started for and played in place of Quinn Ewers last year when Ewers was out with injuries. Manning will be tasked with going up against one of the best defenses in the country, so he will not have it very easy.
Other Drafted Players
Ohio State had 14 players drafted from last year’s team into the NFL. Headlined by multiple starters, including Emeka Egbuka, Donovan Jackson, Tyleik Williams, Josh Simmons, Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, and Will Howard. That’s a lot of talent that will no longer be on the team. But luckily for the Buckeyes, they have a plethora of untapped talent waiting in the wings. And a secret weapon transfer, who I’ll get to in a second…
Texas also saw a lot of talent head to the NFL. 12 players changed their status from Longhorn to NFL player in 2025. Some of the bigger names drafted out of Texas were: Kelvin Banks Jr., Jahdae Barron, Matthew Golden, Andrew Mukuba, Gunnar Helm, Jaydon Blue, and Quinn Ewers. Luckily for Longhorn fans, Steve Sarkisian has also done a great job at recruiting premium talent to Austin, TX. So even though both teams lost a lot, they still have capable players ready to step up.
Secret Weapon: TE Max Klare
Max Klare is a 6-foot-5, 243 lb transfer from the Purdue Boilermakers. Not only does he bring BIG10 experience, he was arguably one of the top tight ends in college football last year, behind only a few. He was one of the most important non-quarterback transfers this offseason and it’s not getting talked about enough.
Stats
Max had 51 catches, 685 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns last season with Purdue. He averaged 12.1 yards per reception.
Expectations
Klare is widely expected to be either the best or second-best returning tight end in College Football this season. His main competition in that category is Eli Stowers out of Vanderbilt.
Why he’s a Secret Weapon for the Buckeyes
Returning superstar Jeremiah Smith will get the full attention of any defense the Buckeyes face this season, and rightfully so. Carnell Tate, who would likely be WR1 on just about any other team in the country, will get any remaining attention defenses have to give. This means that Max Klare will have teams underestimating him all season long. With Smith and Tate lighting up defenses on the outside, Klare will be able to feast in the middle of the field. I expect a HUGE leap in production and he may be the next tight end to break out and become a top 15 draft pick in the NFL, following the likes of Brock Bowers and Tyler Warren. I think against Texas on the national stage, he has a good chance to have over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown (or two) to start the season.
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