On Jan. 17, Jess Curtis picked up his phone and contacted Jim Knowles.
Curtis, the uncle of four-star Louisiana linebacker Tackett Curtis and his head football coach at Many High School (Many, Louisiana), was simply hoping to check in with the newly hired Ohio State defensive coordinator. While Knowles was at Oklahoma State, he had recruited the younger Curtis hard, extending him an offer to play for the Cowboys. But the family hadn’t heard from him since he took the Buckeyes’ job.
“I shot him a text,” the elder Curtis said. “I said, ‘Hey coach, what’s the deal at Ohio State?