Skull Session: Marvin Harrison Jr. Makes Ohio State History, DeVier Posey Thinks “Tattoo Five” Helped Shape NIL and TreVeyon Henderson Will Be Missed in the CFP

By Chase Brown on December 15, 2022 at 5:00 am
TreVeyon Henderson
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Brian Hartline is an animal.

Five stars on five stars on five stars. Keep ’em coming, coach.

Let's have a good Thursday, shall we?

 A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Marvin Harrison Jr. is not of this world, as he seemingly does things no human can do with ease. As the kids say these days, everything Route Man Marv does on the football field is “light work.”

On Wednesday, Harrison became a unanimous All-American for his efforts in 2022.

He is the first Buckeye wide receiver ever to earn the title of unanimous All-American. And, yes, you read that correctly. Despite Ohio State's impressive lineage of talented receivers – Cris Carter, Terry Glenn, Joey Galloway, David Boston, Ted Ginn Jr., Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, etc. – Harrison was the first receiver in program history to be named a first-team All-American by all five organizations that determine unanimous and consensus All-Americans.

That's pretty impressive if you ask me. Perhaps more amazing is that he accomplished that feat as a sophomore – as in, his second year in college. As it turns out, being the son of an NFL Hall of Famer, having a 6-foot-3, 205-pound body and a work-till-you-drop devotion to football will take you places, folks.

And the best part is that Harrison still has a whole career ahead of him, which is as exciting for Ohio State fans and whatever NFL team drafts Harrison as it is terrifying for the college and pro teams that will have to play against him in the future.

I feel blessed to be on the side that can feel the excitement, at least for now – that is, unless I become a fan of, like, the Texans or Jaguars or some other low-level team because Harrison will be a top-five pick for sure.

 POCKET FULL OF POSEY. Remember Tattoogate? You know, the controversy in 2010 and 2011 that forced Jim Tressel to resign and resulted in the departure of Terelle Pryor and suspensions of DeVier Posey, Mike Adams, Daniel “Boom” Herron and Solomon Thomas?

Of course you do. And so does Posey.

As NIL continues to evolve (and, by extension, become harder to control without a singular governing body), the whole controversy seems more laughable by the day. Posey laughs about it to this day, but he also understands the integral role the “Tattoo Five” played in laying the groundwork for NIL in collegiate athletics.

In a recent Q&A with Tyler Dunne of the newsletter Go Long, the former Ohio State receiver said his decade-long pain has become glory for college athletes today, but he invites it. At the same time, he hopes players like C.J. Stroud, TreVeyon Henderson and other Buckeyes understand the privilege they possess to make money at their current level of competition.

Dunne: With Ohio State, I can’t imagine what’s going through your head with all the transfer portal stuff today. All the millions of dollars being thrown around. It’s ridiculous to think what you, Terrelle and all you guys went through. At the time, it’s the No. 1 sports story. Your name’s getting dragged through the muck.

Posey: It’s crazy, man. Your pain can always be somebody else’s glory. I’ve invited it. I know our story has impacted NIL and a lot of decisions. When you look back at how we were dragged, we know we helped shape this NIL. We helped people realize how silly it was. To be honest, we had NIL deals all around the city. The irony of it all, my sophomore year, being a communications major, we had to do a 30-minute speech. I picked: “Why college athletes should be paid.” For a whole quarter, I researched. You had to have a problem. You had to have a solution. And you had to speak about it. So, I researched the problem. I understood how much people made from trademarks for the stadium. I understood what the video game made, what the jersey sales made and I came up with solutions. Trust funds and things like that. And what the Olympic committee does for amateur athletes, so they can go and compete in college. I had all these solutions for ways college kids can be paid. Through the irony of it all, I ended up not giving a f--k about the rules anymore. The veil was removed from my eyes. I could see what was going on. Yeah, it bit me. I lost a lot of money. I’m happy I uncovered that knowledge. I’m happy I learned that because — on our journey — me and those other four guys have impacted guys like Bijan Robinson or TreVeyon Henderson or CJ Stroud who’ve been participated in (NIL deals). Pain is glory. That’s what I teach my sons. It’s the truth.

It's nice to see Posey come to some semblance of closure from Tattoogate.

I hope someday the NCAA or some other governing body comes to its senses and reinstates the 2010 season for Ohio State and the statistics of all the players from that year because that team deserves proper recognition for its efforts in a 12-1 season.

I also hope you will take the time to read the rest of Dunne's Q&A with Posey as the former Buckeye talks more about his time as a Buckeye, his professional career and what he's up to now in retirement. It is a great read.

 WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN. As I was writing this Skully, I realized that I had penned a farewell to Jaxon Smith-Njigba following his announcement to opt out of the CFP and declare the NFL draft, but I didn't write a similar message after TreVeyon Henderson said he will have foot surgery that will keep him out of the playoffs.

JSN and Henderson have different circumstances, I know. The former will never play for Ohio State again, while the latter will have another season in scarlet and gray. Still, both losses feel just as impactful for the Buckeyes because – after all – they were the WR1 and RB1 heading into the 2022 season.

I was really excited to see what Henderson could do for the Buckeyes this season. The sophomore from Hopewell, Virginia, was a preseason All-American and had incredible hype surrounding him after the best freshman-year performance from an Ohio State running back since Maurice Clarett in 2002.

And if you think that's hyperbole, it's not. Take a look at their stats:

STATISTICS YEAR CARRIES YARDS YPC TDS REC YARDS TDS APY TOTAL TDS
MAURICE CLARETT 2002 222 1,237 5.57 16 12 104 2 1,341 18
TREVEYON HENDERSON 2021 183 1,248 6.82 15 27 312 4 1,560 19

All signs pointed to Henderson being one of the best running backs in football. Another season in the system after an impressive first season, the offensive line returning to a traditional two-tackle, two-guard, one-center setup and Paris Johnson Jr., Dawand Jones and Luke Wypler returning as starters.

It was to going to be glorious. We were supposed to see more performances from Henderson like we saw him put together against Tulsa in Week 3 of last year...

But that's not how it all worked out for Henderson and Ohio State. Injuries took away a magical season for the second-year Buckeye. Instead of broken records and spectacular performances, we are left with wondering what could have been.

And that's sad.

But, thank the Maker, we have Miyan Williams, Dallan Hayden and Chip Trayanum. It's next-man-up time in Columbus, and we need to see some production from the Buckeye ball carriers on Dec. 31.

 FUNDERBURKE GIVES BACK. Former Ohio State hooper Lawrence Funderburke is using his past to help the future of Columbus families by teaching them financial literacy and how to best manage their money in a volatile environmental climate.

FOX 28 in Columbus shadowed Funderburke, who played for the Buckeyes from 1991-94 and led Ohio State to a Big Ten Championship with Jim Jackson in 1992, for one of his free classes, which he and his wife use to set people up for success that would ideally bridge the socioeconomic gaps in Central Ohio's communities.

"I grew up in public housing," Funderburke said. "I grew up on welfare, for 18 years, and what I found out is that typically depending on where you are in society, you’re not only at a disadvantage, but you’re about 18-20 years behind until you kind of really get it."

Funderburke said he's living proof that change can happen.

"I made a promise to God when I was 12 years of age, I said if you ever give me an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others, I would," he said.

Funderburke talks about how to save money and manage credit, how to build a financial portfolio that sets up future success for children and how to secure finances that will create a comfortable retirement after a person's working days come to an end.

His mission is to prepare those that take his class for a better life.

Funderburke has witnessed how his lessons can do that, impacting generations to come.

"When we get people to see the big picture of what their legacy could look like, they say oh man I’ve got to make some good decisions, some better decisions so that not only myself but also all of those who come after me can have a fighting chance," he said.

Cheers to Funderburke for his efforts. His impact on the Columbus community continues to grow beyond what he was able to do on a basketball court, which deserves tremendous praise. Keep it up, Lawrence.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw.

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