The Ohio State football program has a collection of great players heading off to the NFL for the 2026 Draft. In fact, the Buckeyes might have as many as four first-round picks in April. All of those players are on the defensive end of the ball. Two of them had plenty of hype coming into the season.
Caleb Downs had the reputation as the best defensive player in the country coming into the year. He was one of the big reasons why the Ohio State Buckeyes were able to win the national championship in 2024. Sonny Styles was also considered one of the best linebackers coming into the year.
Kayden McDonald had a little bit of hype, as well. One player who didn't have much hype outside of Columbus is linebacker Arvell Reese. Reese shot up draft boards and now could be a top-ten draft pick. However, he could have been hyped up more to start the season.
Ohio State coach shamed for not hyping up Arvell Reese
While speaking on the Ryen Rusillo Show, Bruce Feldman, who does the Freaks List every year, shamed Mickey Marotti for not promoting Reese enough before the season began.
"Arvell Reese was a guy I didn't have on the Freaks List. The day after, or maybe the day it came out, James Laurinaitis, you know Hall of Fame, College Hall of Famer, great linebacker at Ohio State, and the linebackers coach and a guy I've know for a while guilted me into it. He was like, 'What are you thinking?' I was like, 'I talked to guys there, and your strength coach didn't put him out there.' And by like the third game, he had already blown up."
Mickey Marotti is the strength coach in question, and he didn't give Reese any hype coming into the season. Had he talked him up, Feldman could have put Reese on his list and given him some preseason hype. It's not ideal that Marotti isn't properly hyping up his guys.
This should be a teaching moment for him, although he's been in college football long enough not to have made a mistake like this. As a coach, it's his job to make sure his players are getting proper development and getting the proper attention that they deserve.
Reese will likely be a top-ten pick in April. Perhaps that will tell Marotti not to make this same mistake again.