Kirk Herbstreit: Roster cohesion, not talent, the biggest key for Ohio State in 2024

Kirk Herbstreit has seen plenty of talented rosters filter through Ohio State over the years. In fact, that’s the reason why he hasn’t lost his mind over the wealth of talent the Buckeyes have accumulated under Ryan Day entering 2024.

“When was the last time Ohio State took the field with a shortage of talent?” questioned Herbstreit during an interview with Pat McAfee. “… The last 10 years, Ohio State has had NFL players all over its roster.”

Across the country, the consensus has been that the Buckeyes are the most talented team on paper when evaluating pure talent and potential. Herbstreit did not necessarily disagree with that, but he reiterated it’s not the kind of talent that has made him freak out when looking at the specific players on the roster.

That includes the star transfer talent Ohio State lured into Columbus:

“I don’t look at this roster — I really don’t — and go ‘Oh my god, they have Caleb Downs! Holy cow, Ohio State’s serious this year! They’ve got Will Howard who was going to get beat out at Kansas State, holy cow! Oh my god, they’ve got (Quinshon) Judkins who was a backup at Ole Miss,'” said Herbstreit. “He’s not going to start at Ohio State. TreVeyon Henderson is.”

Herbstreit would eventually clarify his point is that Ohio State is consistently one of the most talented programs in the country. That hasn’t changed, but the key for achieving their goals in 2024 is for the Buckeyes to come together better than they have in the past.

“The point is, they’ve had pretty good rosters,” Herbstreit explained. “It’s not like they went from having an average roster to all of a sudden buying a big, rich roster.”

Here is the full clip with plenty of pushback from “The Pat McAfee Show” crew throughout:

“When is the last time Ohio State took the field with a shortage of talent?”@KirkHerbstreit said he doesn’t think it’s about who is on the Buckeyes’ roster this year, it’s about how they come together as a team 🤝 @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/8f4xZB8Ygr

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) August 27, 2024

Herbstreit certainly has a point with Ohio State routinely among the favorites to compete for the national championship on an annual basis. However, there’s no denying the Buckeyes were more aggressive than usual in their efforts to retain and attract talent throughout the offseason, including many NFL Draft-eligible players returning for 2024.

As a result, the Buckeyes are given the 2nd-best odds to win the national title at ESPN Bet, checking in at +325. Only Georgia (+300) has a better chance, though the Buckeyes must also compete with Oregon in the new B1G with the Ducks checking in at +700 in the latest title odds.

The Buckeyes will begin their journey this Saturday when they face Akron in the season opener.