While Ohio State men's basketball couldn't take down top-ranked Purdue, NBA star Kevin Durant sees a lot of promise in the Buckeyes, especially the young Bucks.
Thats a tough win on the road by Purdue
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) January 6, 2023
Ohio state got some young hoopers over there, that big 10 is some good bump..
As for the women's basketball team, their win on the road against Minnesota helped them improve to 16-0, which set a record for the best start in program history.
At 16-0, that's the best start in program history for Ohio State!!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/tfdwEIwJ8J
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) January 6, 2023
You absolutely love to see that.
Let's have a good Friday, shall we?
ONCE A BUCKEYE... Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's health steadily improves, details of what took place in the moments after he collapsed in his team's matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday have continued to surface.
An inspirational story that has come out of the tragic circumstances is about Denny Kellington, the Bills' assistant athletic trainer who administered CPR to Hamlin on the field at Paycor Stadium.
According to several players, coaches and employees in the Bills organization, Kellington's speed and skill in his administration and execution of the NFL's Emergency Action Plan helped save Hamlin's life and potentially protected the 24-year-old's body from further complications or damage in the process.
After Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on Monday night, the man who administered CPR was Bills assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 5, 2023
His speed and skill were "absolutely vital," per @AlbertBreer. pic.twitter.com/0LmD9GAtsI
Denny Kellington lets praise this name and person for reviving Our Brother Damar on the field. Denny gave CPR and chest compressions to get his Heart Back Beating #DennyKellington And also thank you to all the doctors and Medical professionals that have helped and assisted 3
— Dion Dawkins (@DDawkins66) January 5, 2023
But who is Denny Kellington?
As the Tulsa World reported Thursday, he has been with the Bills organization since 2017. However, his journey as an athletic trainer started long before then. A native of Midwest City, Oklahoma, Kellington received his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State in the late 90s and was an intern with the NFL's Denver Broncos in 1999-2001.
In 2000, and this is where Kellington's story becomes relevant to the Skull Session, he began pursuing a master's degree at The Ohio State University. Over the next two years, Kellington completed his academic coursework and was a graduate assistant athletic trainer for the Buckeyes' field hockey and women's lacrosse programs.
After receiving his master's from Ohio State in 2002, Kellington continued his work in the NFL. Three years later, in 2005, he joined the training staff at Syracuse University, where he was an assistant athletic trainer and then a head athletic trainer for football until 2017.
But – one more time for the people in the back – who is Denny Kellington?
He is a hero.
And I think it's pretty darn cool that hero spent some of his life in Columbus at Ohio State. Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye.
KEEPIN' IT 100. Despite having Jaxon Smith-Njigba for only parts of three games and being without TreVeyon Henderson for most of the year, Ohio State had plenty of star power this past season.
That much was clear as ESPN's college football staff ranked the top 100 players of 2022 this week. With Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud leading the way, here is how ESPN saw Ohio State's stars stack up with the best players the FBS has to offer:
No. 3 - C.J. Stroud
Preseason rank: 3
For the second straight year, Stroud was a Heisman Trophy finalist and the winner of the Big Ten's Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, helping his team average 492.7 yards and 44.5 points a game and reach the College Football Playoff. He threw for 3,688 yards with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions. Stroud tossed at least four touchdowns in six games in 2022, highlighted by a six-touchdown effort in a 49-20 victory at Michigan State on Oct. 8. He's No. 7 overall on Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board.
No. 9 - Marvin Harrison Jr.
Preseason rank: NR
Harrison, a unanimous All-American and Biletnikoff Award finalist, won the Big Ten's Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year after sustaining his momentum from Ohio State's win over Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl Game. Harrison picked up the slack for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was limited to three games due to injury, with 77 receptions for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. Harrison recorded six 100-yard games, paced by 185 yards in a 44-31 victory at Penn State on Oct. 29.
No. 16 - Paris Johnson Jr.
Preseason rank: 36
Johnson, a consensus first-team All-American, Lombardi Award finalist and Outland Trophy semifinalist, earned first-team All-Big Ten honors this season as he moved back to left tackle. He helped the Ohio State offense average 492.7 total yards and 44.5 points a game. The Buckeyes churned out 198.5 rushing yards -- third in the Big Ten -- as Miyan Williams ran for 817 yards and 13 touchdowns (third in Big Ten). He's 14th overall on Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board.
No. 32 - Emeka Egbuka
Preseason rank: NR
Egbuka was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, awarded to the country's most versatile player, and garnered second-team All-Big Ten honors for Ohio State. He caught 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns. Egbuka recorded six 100-yard receiving games this season for the Buckeyes, including three straight 100-yard games from Sept. 10-24. His season-high of 143 yards came in a 49-20 win at Michigan State on Oct. 8.
No. 71 - Tommy Eichenberg
Preseason rank: NR
Eichenberg probably didn't get the attention nationally that he deserved after this season. The Buckeyes defense is still trying to work things out with a new defensive coordinator, but Eichenberg was a bright spot all season. He led the team with 120 total tackles, almost double the next highest tackler, Steele Chambers, who had 77 tackles. Eichenberg had 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and five quarterback hurries this season. He was all over the field and seemed to be in on almost every play defensively.
We can all agree that Marvin Harrison Jr. deserves more respect for the unbelievable season, but ascending the ranks to become the ninth-best player in the sport after not being ranked to start the year is still quite an accomplishment.
The same can be said about Emeka Egbuka, who completed a year on par with what Harrison produced in 2022 when comparing statistics. The big difference between Egbuka and Harrison is that the latter made catches that had people questioning whether or not he was human, which therefore made him a household name this past season.
Marvin Harrison Jr. (1,263) and Emeka Egbuka (1,151) finish the 2022 season with the fourth- and fifth-most single-season receiving yards in Ohio State history.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) January 4, 2023
They also rank fourth and tied for fifth in single-season receptions (77 and 74).
As for Paris, we all know how excellent he is. And good for Tommy to get recognized nationally for his incredible efforts this season, something the Butkus Award selection committee forgot to do when they left him off the list of five finalists in November and snubbed him of a chance to win the accolade.
"CLOSER TO MY TRUE SELF" Last week, Ohio State's Todd Jones wrote an article about Harry Miller and how his decision to leave football after 2021 following a decline in his mental health has changed his life forever, helping the Buford, Georgia, native start the path toward becoming the best version of himself.
Jones' article is too well written, and Miller's story is too well told to summarize it with graphs from here and there throughout the story, so I recommend you read the article for yourselves. I will warn you, though, you may need a box of tissues nearby in case of tears well up as you read.
What I will put here, though, are some quotes Jones gathered for his piece as they tell a story for themselves about the kind of impact Miller has made since he medically retired from Ohio State.
Dr. Joshua Norman on Miller
“Harry is very intelligent, very compassionate, very empathetic. ... He wants other people to know that mental health issues are common, there are other people going through this, and you can get better. You can work through it. There’s a lot of support out there.”
Dr. K. Luan on Miller
“Harry is not only an embodiment of resilience, but also a champion of resilience. His story shows how there is help out there – treatments that work – and that help can really be transforming. It’s a powerful testament and can make a big difference in destigmatizing issues around mental health and mental wellness.”
Ryan Day on Miller
“We knew that Harry was special. ... We knew that he was going to have an impact on people. Never would you imagine it would be like this and at such a young age, have such great impact on people.”
Go read the article. You'll be glad you did.
MORE MIYAN RUINS. Everyone in Buckeye Nation exhaled collectively on Thursday as Miyan Williams announced his return to Ohio State for his fourth year as a Buckeye in 2023.
Unfinished business pic.twitter.com/pC36Re9vYT
— Chop (@Miyannnn3) January 5, 2023
With (unfounded and untrue) rumors surrounding TreVeyon Henderson, Evan Pryor and Dallan Hayden each eyeing the transfer portal, (somewhat believable) rumors of Williams leaving for the NFL and (believable because it happened) news of Mark Fletcher's decommitment from the 2023 class, things felt pretty bleak heading into next season for Tony Alford and the running back room heading into next season.
But it feels as if all momentum for the Buckeye Ball Carriers has changed in an instance with Williams' announcement of his return in 2023.
As it stands, Ohio State's (scholarship) running backs will be:
- A fully-healthy Henderson, a 2022 AP preseason All-American who broke records as a freshman
- A fully-healthy Williams, coming off a career year with 825 yards and 14 touchdowns
- A fully-healthy Pryor, a former four-star with athleticism through the roof
- Hayden, coming off a strong freshman season with three 100-yard performances
- Chip Trayanum, if needed
Is that good?
It looks pretty good to me. So much for things being bleak.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Imagination" by Foster The People.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Doctors: Damar Hamlin communicating, showing improvement... Football fans grapple with violent side of a beloved sport... Best of CES 2023: Wireless TV, delivery robots and in-car VR... (Her) dad, Stuart Scott, died of cancer. But he beat it by how he lived... Athlete breaks record for flying bar jumps on Italian TV.
