Skull Session: Buckeyes Never Focused Like They Did to Beat Clemson, Thayer Munford Committed No Penalties, and One-Time Transfers Are Coming

If the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee enjoys fun even a little bit, they will make this happen.

After 3 straight upsets in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, Appalachian State is heading to their first NCAA Tournament since 2000. They'll probably be a 16 seed, which means they might play...

Oh god, Michigan.
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) March 9, 2021

I'm not saying I'd do it, but I'd at least *heavily* consider trading an Ohio State win in the tournament to ensure Michigan loses to Appalachian State in a 1 vs. 16 matchup.

Okay, yeah. I'd do it. I'm so sorry.

Word of the Day: Blithe.

“I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT.” Watching Ryan Day stuff Dabo Swinney feet-first down a woodchipper on New Years Day was probably the most sincerely joyful experience of my sports words career. And the more we hear from the players, the more we learn that they felt the exact same way.

Even Justin Hilliard, who's been playing for this team since the late 1930s, calls that win over Clemson the highlight of his entire Buckeye career.

The Spun: Looking back at your Ohio State career, what’s your favorite moment?

JH: I think I have two. First, it was being named a captain. That was my first goal coming to the program back in 2015, so to see that happen was great. And the second moment would be the Clemson win from this past season. I don’t think we’ve ever focused on a game and let it fuel us as hard as that Clemson loss the year before. To be able to come back the next year and do what we did, I’ll always remember that.

The Spun: There was a lot of chatter leading up to this year’s game against Clemson, and then you guys go out there and dominate. Did Dabo Swinney’s comments play any factor?

JH: Obviously we saw that whole thing about what Dabo said [laughing]. That was just more poster material for us that week, but we honestly didn’t need that. From the moment we lost that game in 2019, everywhere you went around the facility had the score of 27-23. That was enough to fuel us past the adversity we had when the season was originally canceled all the way up to our rematch.

To give you an idea of just how long Hilliard played for Ohio State, he also listed Pat Elflein and Ezekiel Elliott as the two best players he went up against in practice, so he's uh, been around for a minute and seen some stuff.

So when he tells you this was his favorite Ohio State memory, that means it's better than the 2016 win over Michigan, the 2017 win at Oklahoma, the 2018 and 2019 wins over Penn State, or any of his four Big Ten titles.

And you know what? I agree.

FLAGLESS. Thayer Munford didn't give up a single sack in 224 passing downs in 2020, and he was flawless in another capacity, too.

Ohio State OT Thayer Munford in 2020:

512 total snaps
0 penalties committed pic.twitter.com/QNK98RgJnk
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) March 6, 2021

To be honest, I have no idea how the hell he didn't get more praise for his 2020 season. The dude was literally perfect as a pass blocker, wasn't called for a single penalty the entire season, and was part of the offensive line that helped Trey Sermon break Ohio State's single-game rushing record and average more than 9.0 yards per carry in his final three games.

He'll for sure be a preseason All-American this year, but my guy should already have a tree. He's done enough already.

‘TIS THE SEASON. It's March and coaches are getting axed, which means it's now officially "Is This The Year Thad Matta Finally Goes Back to Coaching?" season.

But to be totally fair, this version of the question is a hell of a lot more realistic in that it hits on the actual reality of Matta's life right now.

Thad Matta, former head coach, Ohio State. Matta is only 53, so he should have plenty of good years left if he wants to return to coaching. But does he? Matta has been approached by plenty of schools since he was fired by Ohio State in 2017 — including UCLA, which flew to Matta’s home to interview him after the school cut Steve Alford loose. Boston College recently reached out to gauge Matta’s interest in the job. He said he wanted to talk it over with his wife, and then called back the next day to say they didn’t want to live in Boston. Matta has expressed his disdain for the scandalous activities revealed by the FBI’s investigation. He has spent the last four years hanging on the beach in Florida, where he has a second home, taking cooking lessons and traveling with his wife. It would take an ideal situation to lure Matta back, and he would still have to answer questions about his health. But his phone will keep ringing.

Matta is out here living his absolute best life and straight-up basking in retirement like it's he's in a damn summertime beer commercial.

If you think he's going to give that up for anything less than a Brinks truck of cash from a program that has a hope of winning a natty in the next five years, I think you need to seriously reconsider what it would be like to have a second home in Florida.

I mean, if my guy turned down UCLA...

ONE-TIME TRANSFERS COMING. Like the whole NIL thing, my naive self honestly thought we'd see some one-time transfer legislation by now.

That's gonna take a bit more time (because, of course) but it looks like the NCAA's going to do the next best thing and simply pass a blanket waiver for the 2021-22 athletic season.

While the actual legislative proposal status is still TBD, this waiver for the upcoming year only will at least allow those to transfer and be eligible right away without having to worry.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) March 8, 2021

I'm truly fascinated to see all the implications of this on both a micro level (who is Ohio State going to sign vs. lose because of this) and a macro level (we already have significantly more players in the portal than we do roster spots – especially after everyone was given another year of eligibility. What the hell's gonna happen there?).

Needless to say, this is going to be a mess. But as someone paid to write about sports online every day, I'm absolutely here for the #content!

SONG OF THE DAY. "Yikes" by Kanye West.