Skull Session: Marvin Harrison Jr. Is Freaky Athletic, Chris Olave Was NFL-Ready After Ohio State And Michael Thomas Is Back

Yes, it is.

I'm going back-to-back-to-back like the 1991-93 Chicago Bulls, or the 1996-98 Chicago Bulls, or the 1998-2000 New York Yankees or 2000-02 Los Angeles Lakers or the three Ohio State wide receivers in the 2022 NFL draft (more on that later).

 OHIO STATE HAS FREAKY ATHLETES. Marvin Harrison Jr. exploded in Ohio State's Rose Bowl win over Utah, catching six passes for 71 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps even more impressive are the numbers “Route Man Marv” has put up in training this summer.

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Harrison is the second-freakiest athlete in college football for 2022.

There has been a ridiculous run of wideout talent in Columbus the past decade, and Harrison, the son of Colts great Marvin Harrison, is probably the Freakiest athlete of the entire group. Harrison is a big dude at 6-3 1/2, 206 pounds. He benched 380 pounds this offseason, doing 22 reps at 225. He clocked a blistering 3.94 pro shuttle time and did 10-9 on the broad jump. He also topped out at 23 mph on the GPS. 

I mean, c'mon. That's some insane behavior from a wide receiver, but that's exactly what Ohio State head coach Ryan Day wants from his perimeter players.

"We need toughness on the perimeter and guys who are going to make plays, and certainly the technique of route running, and we're really looking for leadership there like we are across the board," Day said. "With wide receivers, you don't think of toughness, but we want toughness all across the board, so that'll be important in that group."

Sophomore defensive tackle Tyleik Williams was also featured on the list after a solid first season for the Buckeyes. Feldman admitted he could have chosen several of the Rushmen as Freaks, but he landed with Williams, who has impressed him this offseason.

He’s in much better shape, going from over 350 down to 315, and really can help the Buckeyes get back to having a dominant D-line again. The Buckeyes have several Freak candidates in that room — 6-6, 272-pound Zach Harrison at the top of that list, having once run a 10.7 100 meters, but Williams is one to really keep an eye on. His burst gets him on the list this year. His 10-yard split of 1.62 is an amazing time for a 300-plus pounder.

 DEVELOPED HERE. The New Orleans Saints moved up in the 2022 NFL draft to select Chris Olave at No. 11 overall. He was taken one pick after the New York Jets chose his teammate Garrett Wilson and one pick before the Detroit Lions took two-year Buckeye turned Alabama wideout Jameson Williams.

In the first few weeks, Olave has turned heads with his polished route running and blazing speed – qualities he frequently displayed in Columbus. As he transitions to the next level, Olave said he is relying on his training at Ohio State to develop himself into an NFL-caliber player.

"Being at a program like Ohio State, I feel like it's a professional program run by professional coaches," Olave told New Orleans media earlier this week. "When you go there, they prepare you for three or four years, and you go into the NFL prepared. I feel like that's the biggest part at Ohio State, and I feel like I carry that on into the league."

Being at a program like Ohio State, I feel like its a professional program run by professional coaches.

- @chrisolave_ #DevelopedHere pic.twitter.com/B6XVveEGfO

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 10, 2022

Of course, training with former Buckeye and NFL All-Pro Michael Thomas and five-time Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry doesn’t hurt the development either. If he can soak up information and knowledge from those two players, it's fair to expect big numbers from Olave sooner than later.

Dat @OhioStateFB duo pic.twitter.com/XzyqnWreMO

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 10, 2022

 LIKE MIKE. Thomas has endured several setbacks in the last two years while recovering from ankle surgery.

2020

In Week 1, Saints teammate Alvin Kamara fell on Thomas' ankle, causing a high ankle sprain. Thomas was set to play four weeks later, but the New Orleans medical staff declared him inactive. He eventually returned in Week 9 but landed on the injured reserve in Week 16. Thomas was activated for the NFL Wild Card round and performed well in a limited outing.

2021

Thomas underwent ankle surgery the month before the season and was placed on the Physically Unable to Participate list on July 26. More than three months later, on Nov. 3, the Saints announced that Thomas would not return for the season due to several roadblocks in his recovery.

2022

This year, Thomas was cleared to participate fully in Saints training camp. In doing so, he's worked the past few weeks to regain the form he had during his NFL Offensive Player of the Year season in 2019. He has also re-established his relationship with New Orleans fans by signing autographs and handing out practice gear.

His most recent example of that came on Wednesday when he offered a pair of his receiving gloves to two young fans attending a training camp session.

.@Cantguardmike just made these young fans' year (via @saints)pic.twitter.com/xaEA8m8Uu9

— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2022

If Thomas' gloves have transformational powers like Michael Jordan's shoes in "Like Mike," those kids will turn into five-star wide receivers who will be on Ohio State's big board for the class of 2028.

Michael Thomas in the past 10 minutes.
4 receptions, 4 TDs

— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) August 10, 2022

 GOLDEN DOMERS LIKE BIG TEN-NBC DEAL. Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick is comfortable the Big Ten and NBC agreeing on a media rights contract. In fact, he thinks the Fighting Irish could benefit from the partnership.

“When I started this job … I don’t say that to take any credit for it … all the commentary was were we relevant anymore. This year, no one is asking that question,” Swarbrick said Wednesday. “A lot of this dynamic has just reinforced the decisions made over a lot of years that have placed Notre Dame in a very good position. That’s my biggest takeaway.”

Rather than encourage Notre Dame to align itself with the Big Ten, Swarbrick believes the deal offers his school leverage to keep its independence and puts it in a powerful position to hold onto it.

Honestly, I'm sick of Notre Dame being independent. If I were sitting in Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren's chair right now, I'd gather the conference's athletic directors, chancellors and presidents and convince them to keep the Irish off any schedules until they are a member school.

In other words, Swarbrick can take his independence and shove it. Either join the conference now or never play any of the Big Ten schools again. No USC, no Michigan, no Michigan State, no Ohio State – none of them.

There's still a lot that can happen in the next few weeks. Let's sit tight and see how this one plays out.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Willy's Song” by Rayland Baxter.

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