Saturday Skull Session

Ohio State football has had a fairly eventful week, with now two weeks separating this skull session from the start of the 2013 football season. Players like Cam Burrows lost their black stripes, signifying their official status as part of the 2013 Buckeyes. Also, Ohio State's 2014 recruiting class grew by one this week when Curtis Samuel committed to Ohio State. Curtis Samuel, of Brooklyn, New York, committed to Ohio State on Friday. He adds skill and speed to a recruiting class already full of skill and speed, and to an Ohio State team that recently added a big dose of skill and speed to its roster in its 2013 recruiting class.

Did you know? Erasmus Hall High School, where Curtis Samuel attends high school, was founded in 1786 and is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Neil Diamond attended three of four years of high school there, and Barbra Streisand graduated from there. I am expecting at least one of you to ask Curtis Samuel if he has "Stoney End" on his iPod in support of a fellow Dutchmen, should he participate in an 11W Community Interview.

Yes, "Dutchmen" is the high school's mascot. If I were a college head coach, I would recruit contingent on how novel the recruit's high school mascot is. This, among other reasons, is why I am not trusted with most things ever.

Here are some other things you may have missed yesterday.

 ROBY'S CHARGES REDUCED. In news germane to Ohio State's immediate football fortunes, Bradley Roby's incident in Bloomington, Indiana is gaining traction toward a resolution. The news is good, at least. Originally arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge, the charge has been reduced to disorderly conduct. It is the difference of a Class B misdemeanor and a Class A misdemeanor.

Though the battery charge on which Roby was arrested is a misdemeanor, the possible punishments associated with it are rather severe. Even if Roby was unlikely to accrue the most significant of those punishments, they still loomed over him and the program. The reduction of the charge associated with the arrest will ease Roby's mind, in part.

For those unaware, Roby was in Bloomington the weekend of July 20-21 to meet with friends who live in Bloomington. The report detailing Roby's arrest alleges he was involved in an altercation that saw him strike a security guard in the chest after being escorted from a local establishment for disorderly behavior.

No formal punishment has been given by Meyer in addition to whatever punishment could be afforded by the court system in Bloomington. Meyer has said he wants to wait until more facts come forward before delivering a punishment.

Can we project a punishment for Roby? My guess is he sits out the opener against Buffalo, which will be the extent of his punishment. While striking a bouncer is not behavior that gets a first time offender tossed off the team, or another significant punishment, it is still behavior unbecoming of someone in his position and status with the university. When Meyer gave Carlos Hyde a three-game suspension for his incident despite no formal charges being pressed by the Columbus Police Department, this was the reason given. A one-game suspension is appropriate.

Roby has a pre-trial conference five days before the season opener, which underscores my assumption we will not see him in Ohio Stadium against the Buffalo Bulls. He is still practicing with the team.

 ESPN RELEASES PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAM. If you enjoy arguing about ESPN's preseason All-American selections, you may enjoy looking over its offerings for 2013. In short: there are no Ohio State Buckeyes on the list.

No, not one. Not Braxton Miller, not Bradley Roby, not Ryan Shazier, not even Cameron Johnston. No Buckeyes.

This leads to an inquiry of who was subbed for these Buckeyes on this list. Surprisingly, Braxton Miller was not left on the cutting room floor in favor of Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel, or A.J. McCarron. Rather, Oregon's Marcus Mariota got the selection. This is a bit curious. It builds in reasonable assumptions about Mariota's production vis-a-vis who returns to complement him, but misses that Manziel's production was even greater, notwithstanding. It builds in a strong assumption that Oregon will not skip a beat with Chip Kelly coaching the Philadelphia Eagles now. I think this is questionable, but subject to observation as the season progresses.

Bradley Roby was not on this All-American team at cornerback, though Texas Christian's Jason Verrett and Oregon's Ifo Ekpre-Olomu were. I cannot argue with Verrett. He is phenomenal. I am inclined to argue for Roby over Ekpre-Olomu, though. The blurb supporting Ekpre-Olomu makes its case by reference to his six forced fumbles and conference-high passes broken up (PBUs). Ekpre-Olomu led the conference in passes defended, and PBUs. Roby led the country.

Ryan Shazier is an elite linebacker among several other exceptional linebackers in the country. C.J. Mosley of Alabama made this list. As long as Alabama enjoys its Pax Rammah Jammah under Nick Saban, its players are going to overpopulate these lists. I am a bit surprised ESPN did not turn this Preseason All-American Team into a projected starting eleven for its season opener against Virginia Tech.

The other two linebackers supporting Mosley were UCLA's Anthony Barr and Michigan State's Max Bullough. I cannot argue with Anthony Barr, but Bullough over Shazier? That is questionable. How about Bullough over Brigham Young's Kyle Van Noy? Also questionable.

Alas, it is all sound and fury, signifying nothing. I would not get too worked up.

Obliterate this man, Ryan Shazier. 

 CALIFORNIA HAS A NEW STARTING QUARTERBACK. New California head coach, Sonny Dykes, has a new starting quarterback for his "Bear Raid" offense. It is Jared Goff, a true freshman.

Who is Jared Goff? He is a graduate of Marin Catholic High School in nearby Novato, California. He threw for over 7,600 yards and 93 touchdowns in three years of varsity football. He beat out redshirt freshman (and previously projected starter) Zach Kline and junior Austin Hinder to be named by Sonny Dykes as the starting quarterback for the Golden Bears.

Beyond that, we will not know much about him for the time being. He did enroll in spring quarter, just in time to participate in California's spring game. You can read an evaluation of his performance here.

The game against California scares me a bit more than it maybe should. Almost everyone envisions a comfortable Ohio State victory against a California team projected to finish last in the Pac-12 North.

Still, visions of that Indiana game last year are floating in my head when I think of the California game. Ohio State's secondary was suspect last year. The hope is Luke Fickell and Everett Withers spent some time this offseason deliberately trying to crack the "Airraid" offense, knowing that Sonny Dykes was bringing it with him from Louisiana Tech to California.

There is no time like the present for even the fans to start game planning.

 MISCELLANY. Remember when baseball fans were waiting for Alex Rodriguez to set all the home run records so they would no longer be "tainted" by Barry Bonds? Well... Charlie Manuel fired by the Phillies... Michael Jordan's first career basket at North Carolina... Owwwwwww... The guy wanting to yank the Kings from Sacramento and relocate them to Seattle is a bit of a dick... Summerslam is tomorrow, if you are curious.