Skull Session: Dimitrious Stanley Was Pure Class, Brian Hartline's Recruiting Prowess Will Be Tested As Offensive Coordinator and a Meeting Between Two Legends Looked Awesome, Baby

Today our Buckeye family mourns the loss of Dimitrious Stanley. May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/PuCASfXXal

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 9, 2023

Remember to tell someone you love them today.

And to the best of our abilities, let's have a good Friday, shall we?

 REMEMBERING DIMITRIOUS. I wasn't around when Dimitrious Stanley played for Ohio State from 1993-96 or scored that legendary 72-yard touchdown in Ohio State's Rose Bowl win over Arizona State. In fact, I wasn't even a twinkle in my parent's eyes, as my pops would say.

But I knew him. And it felt like he knew me.

Growing up in Columbus, I bumped into Stanley a few times during my teenage years. Each time I spoke with him, he made me feel like I was the only person on earth, devoting his complete attention to me, offering eye contact and verbal listening cues. As a kid in the late stage of puberty – yes, the squeaky voice, the acne and all that – learning who I was and who I wanted to be, those interactions meant everything to me.

My first time meeting him was at the "Battle for Worthington," a charity basketball game between members of the Worthington Special Olympics and players from Worthington's middle schools. I was chosen to represent the boys’ team from my school, while Stanley, a broadcaster at the time, was the celebrity announcer.

Before the game, he talked with each team's players. One by one, he walked down the bench and asked us questions. When he got to me, he asked how I was doing in school, what position I played and what I wanted to be when I grew up. As mentioned above, my answers were met with complete attention, eye contact, the whole deal. It was an incredibly genuine interaction with Stanley, who didn't have to give any of us the time of day.

During the game, one in which we were asked to play hard and take wide-open shots while not actively trying to score, I was left unguarded in the corner. My coach and teammates told me it was OK to shoot, so I let it fly, and the shot went in. The attempt was met with a few cheers and a (friendly) "Booooooo! I bet that's the only one he makes tonight!" over the loudspeaker from Stanley. I looked over at him while I ran back down the court. He laughed, smiled and winked.

I didn't get a chance to respond to his comment after the game. But a few years later, I ran into him at another event in Worthington. I was surprised when he remembered me. "You still have good grades? Still making those corner threes?" he asked. Again, my answers were met with attention, eye contact and more. And again, that meant everything to me.

Those were among the few interactions I had with Stanley during my lifetime. Each one was more genuine than the last. The comforting part about that, to me, is that he must have had a million and more interactions like that with the thousands of people he met in his 48 years. It's who he was – pure class.

As I reflect on his death, I am saddened by the loss of such a warm and kindred soul. But I am also left with a feeling of joy, knowing that his life was spent caring for and loving those thousands of family members, friends and passersby. Even if he didn't know you, he knew you. That's a special trait of a remarkable man, and I am thankful to be someone he knew.

Rest in Peace, Dimitrious.

 OHIO STATE'S LIFELINE. Recruiting is the lifeline of any college football program. The better a team recruits usually results in more regular season wins and trophies, which is why the Alabamas, Georgias and Ohio States of the world always come out on top.

While the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have recruited better overall in recent years, it's not a hot take to claim that the Buckeyes have the best recruiter in the sport, that being wide receivers coach and newly promoted offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.

Hartline's promotion to offensive coordinator comes with many questions: Will Hartline have the final say on offensive decisions? Will he call plays? What will Ryan Day's role be now?

All are important questions to answer, but I think a more critical, million-dollar question exists beyond them: How will Hartline's recruiting prowess at the receiver position translate to other position groups on offense?

Hartline has recruited wide receivers like no other, and for obvious reasons. He's a former Ohio State receiver who had a prosperous career in the NFL. He's also developed talents such as Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, who also have had tremendous success in the league, and will send others to have the same success in the future (Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and more).

But can Hartline sit down in a room with a five-star offensive tackle and secure his commitment with the same formula?

The Athletic's Ari Wasserman says Ohio State is banking on that since it was the reason Hartline was promoted in the first place.

This isn’t taking away from Hartline’s coaching prowess — perhaps he’ll be great in his new role — but he didn’t get promoted because he is some X’s and O’s genius. He got promoted because he was one of the best position coaches in the country in recruiting and development, and the Buckeyes had to elevate him to a higher role to safeguard themselves from potentially losing him.

The position coaches are always going to be the ones who lay the foundation, but Hartline is going to be expected to come in and close recruitments. A five-star offensive lineman in Florida is going to have conversations with Hartline now, and if you’re an Ohio State fan, you have to be pretty excited about that. If the result is half as good as it was at receiver, Ohio State will be in great position to win a national title in the next five years.

If Ohio State doesn't have another national championship five years from now, that might signal that the apocalypse is near. Of course, that's if Buckeye fans haven't already started it by that point from people ripping each other apart on the various message boards and forums of the Ohio State beat.

 #AWESOMEBABY Imagine you are out at your local breakfast restaurant – a Bob Evans, First Watch, Scramblers, whatever – and you see Ohio State football legend Archie Griffin eating a meal. That'd be awesome. Now imagine you see him eating that meal with ESPN basketball commentator Dick Vitale. That'd be awesome, baby!

Earlier this week, that's exactly what customers at an unnamed breakfast restaurant in an unknown location experienced when that very circumstance played out before their eyes.

They dont come any better -the best ever to put a @OhioStateFB uniform on - only man EVER to win the @HeismanTrophy twice . He is so CLASSY in every way - Yes Archie is #awesomebaby pic.twitter.com/hyVh4MZ9sZ

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) February 8, 2023

Also, shout out to Archie for sporting a V Foundation hat in this photo, as Dickie V announced he was cancer-free back in August 2022 after a lengthy battle with lymphoma and melanoma. That's a good job out of the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner.

 OLYMPIC VILLAGE. After winning the program's first-ever national championship last season, Ohio State women's hockey has looked the part of a contender once again this year with a 25-3-2 record and a 20-3-1 mark in the WCHA, the toughest conference in the sport.

A large portion of that success can be attributed to defenseman Sophie Jaques, who set several records for Ohio State last season and has collected 39 points from 19 goals and 20 assists in Ohio State's first 30 contests in 2022-23.​ 

@_sophiejaques #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/A38LjFBoBI

— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY) January 21, 2023

In his most recent article for NHL.com, William Douglas featured Jaques in his series “The Color of Hockey.” The story celebrated Jaques' achievements as a young, Black player in hockey – a sport with limited people of color at its highest levels – and detailed what the Ohio State skater hopes to accomplish this season with her team and as an individual.

Sophie Jaques is triple threat on the ice, in the classroom and in the community @BlackGirlHockey @OhioStateWHKY @SiriusXMNHL @SiriusXMNHL @KevinWeekes @DavidAmber @soulonicemovie #blackhistorymonth2023 https://t.co/nYv1T3mcIE

— TheColorOfHockey (@ColorOfHockey) February 6, 2023

Among several interviews Douglas conducted, there were a few killer quotes in the article. Here are some that speak to the talent and skill Jaques possesses and how the fifth-year Buckeye will play a critical role in helping Ohio State return to the top of the mountain this year:

Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall on Jaques' consistency

"Coming in we wanted her to have a strong plus/minus on the ice," Muzerall said. "We wanted her to contribute a little offensively on the blue line, but never did we think she'd grow to this magnitude. No way.

"Sophie Jaques, when you put a heart rate monitor on her, we could be playing the top team in the country at the national championship or we could be playing an unranked opponent, her heart rate doesn't change. She doesn't get bothered or sidetracked by the big moment. To be able to stay calm and cool under pressure makes her clutch."

U.S. gold medalist Hilary Knight on Jaques, the Patty Kazmaier Award

"If Patty Kazmaier is supposed to represent the best player in college hockey for women, then yeah," Knight said Friday at the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend. "She had an unreal year last year, she's doing it again this year, I mean it's not a fluke. Ohio State doesn't make it to the national championship game without Sophie Jaques. 

"She just exploded on the scene last year. ... She's one of those players that went under the radar for so long. It's just really fascinating that a player, especially a defenseman, can take the scene at that level."

Jaques on what it means to play hockey as a Black athlete

"Representation matters," Jaques said. "I just hope to show that [hockey] is inclusive and for any little girls out there who may be of color that they can play hockey too and try to grow the inclusiveness of the sport and allow all people a chance to get involved in it no matter if they are a person of color. Just trying to support that has been one of my goals."

I recommend that everyone read Douglas' article, as there is much more to Jaques' story. Cheers to her for her effort to help pave the way for diversity in hockey and hat tips to her consistency as a Buckeye for the past five seasons. May this season end with another championship to send her out on the highest of notes.

 BONUS MATERIAL. Two sections of bonus material in two weeks. That's quite the bargain, folks. Last Friday, I told you about a loaded weekend on tap for Ohio State's Olympic sports. Today, I inform you about spring game tickets hitting the market at 10 a.m.

From an official Ohio State press release:

Tickets for the 2023 LiFEsports Spring Game, presented by Union Home Mortgage, will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 at http://go.osu.edu/fbtix. General admission prices are $7, plus there will be a limited number of reserved seating options available at $15 and $30. Service charges may apply. Parking is free.The spring game will be held Saturday, April 15 at 12 noon in Ohio Stadium.

Go snatch up those tickets, friends. The first glimpse of the 2023 Ohio State Buckeyes awaits you, live and in person.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "It's Too Late" by Carole King.

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