Welcome to the Skull Session.
Big Ten Network's Adam Breneman has a question: Is Ohio State Wide Receiver U?
Is @OhioStateFB the undisputed ?@jaxon_smith1 adds to the program's WR legacy as a top #NFLDraft2023 prospect, and @AdamBreneman81 has the breakdown:
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) April 20, 2023
@AutoOwnersIns pic.twitter.com/rYVQxqZdSL
The answer is yes.
Let's have a good Monday, shall we?
“I'M JUST VERY SURPRISED.” When NFL reporter Bob McGinn reported C.J. Stroud received a much lower score (18%) on his S2 – a test that measures cognition and processing ability – than his counterparts Bryce Young (98%), Will Levis (93%) and Anthony Richardson (79%), college football and NFL Twitter went into a frenzy.
Almost a week before those frenetic moments occurred, S2 co-founder Brandon Ally told Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson to "take some of those (scores) with a grain of salt," as he claimed all of the top quarterbacks, including Stroud, "scored really, really well" on the test.
"Take some of those with a grain of salt" @S2Cognition on the leaks coming out of S2 testing@PFF_Steve | @PFF_Sam pic.twitter.com/veUvu8cVr3
— PFF NFL Podcast (@PFFNFLPod) April 14, 2023
Whether accurate or inaccurate, those numbers have made their rounds on social media and have been published in numerous articles on the interwebs, which means it will affect the perception of Stroud's cognition and processing as the draft approaches. Knowing this, Ryan Day advocated for his quarterback in an interview with Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch over the weekend.
“I’m just very surprised that this has become a topic of conversation,” Day told The Dispatch. “Of all the things, I just feel like this is one that I've always felt was what makes him special. For this to be something that's a topic of conversation right now is catching me off guard.”
...
Day said the test was not used when he was a quarterbacks coach in the NFL in 2015 with the Philadelphia Eagles and in 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers. Because he’s unfamiliar with the test, he said he can’t speak to its value.
“I hope it’s accurate,” Day said. “For as much as people are talking about this, I hope it actually translates to on the field because it seems like a pretty heavily spoken-about topic right now. For folks to be talking about a test that may or may not have something to do with football – I don’t know – I just hope whatever they’re testing really translates to on the field.”
Day told The Dispatch he witnessed Stroud's accuracy, football IQ, vision, spatial awareness and leadership, among other qualities, in every workout, practice, scrimmage and live game at Ohio State. He also called Stroud "one of the best I've been around" in his time as a football coach.
When asked if Day had spoken with Stroud about the test score, Day said they talked last week. Day said he reminded Stroud that the headlines and discourse on social media are "part of the (draft) process," something he noted Stroud understands.
“I can tell you that when it comes to seeing the field – vision, spatial awareness – he’s one of the best I’ve ever been around,” he said. “He can see the field. He knows exactly what he saw and can tell you exactly what happened. And not just where he’s looking. He can see the entire field. He can verbalize what he saw on the last play, why he did what he did.
"When I evaluate a quarterback's decision-making and processing, I evaluate him as high as you can. I guess in terms of A, B, C or D, he’s an A.”
Stroud has yet to comment on his reported S2 score. He also made no rebuttal toward claims that he is difficult to coach or that he ghosted the Manning family before its Manning Passing Academy last year. And good for him. At this point in the process, let others speak on your behalf, interceding for you as Day did in the interview with The Dispatch.
Rabinowitz closed his article with a quote from Day. The first sentence read: "This will all be behind us in a week."
That's a good word.
The NFL draft starts Thursday, and whoever drafts Stroud will find out what kind of player he is soon enough. High S2 score, low S2 score, coachable, uncoachable, ditched the Manning camp, didn't ditch the Manning camp – none of that will matter. Stroud will have plenty of chances to prove himself, something he's excited to do and will hopefully accomplish early and often in his career.
THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE. Ohio State has The Best Damn Fans in the Land. On what was a beautiful, sunny day in Columbus on April 15, over 75,000 people attended the Buckeyes' spring game at Ohio Stadium. After back-to-back weeks of intrasquad scrimmages for the best programs in college football, that number still stands as the most in the sport for 2023.
Largest Spring Game Attendanceshttps://t.co/4eJtEyKxei pic.twitter.com/SmYXTLbOlT
— On3 (@On3sports) April 23, 2023
That number, and Ohio State's No. 1 ranking, for that matter, surprised me. I wrote in the Skull Session about Ohio State's desperate attempts in the final week to have fans purchase tickets. Those efforts were seemingly rewarded as the program brought in the largest spring game attendance of any program this year. And good for the Buckeyes.
Moreover, good on you, Buckeye Nation, for your continuous support of the program. Regardless of Ohio State's opponent – in this instance, itself – you always show up rain or shine because that's what fans do. You are a bunch of freaks, but you are my kind of freaks, so keep doing what you're doing, you filthy animals.
THE POWER OF THE BRAND. When I write that Ohio State has The Best Damn Fans in the Land, I mean that subjectively. However, one can arrive at the same conclusion objectively after reading a Sports Market Analytics and AL.com report that ranked college football's most popular teams ahead of 2023. No surprise, the Buckeyes were No. 1.
Alabama slips among college football's 10 most popular teams entering 2023 season.
— 247Sports (@247Sports) April 21, 2023
by @BCrawford247 - https://t.co/3iRUqKflPn pic.twitter.com/qynMV22sVI
Before I continue, please let me address the elephant in the room: Noted football powerhouse and perennial national championship contender... Duke?... is No. 4 on the list. We need an explanation from the pollsters on that one. Also, UCLA at No. 8 is something I did not expect to see. You're telling me they're more popular than USC at the moment?
At any rate, Ohio State is the top-ranked school on the list. Here is what 247Sports' Brad Crawford wrote about the Buckeyes and their place as the No. 1 most-popular program in college football before next season:
College football's most popular team also happens to be the most winningest program of all-time. Shocker. In recent years, Urban Meyer went an incredible 82–9 in Columbus and only lost four times against Big Ten opponents in 58 tries, a jaw-dropping statistic that Ryan Day hopes to match — and surpass — during his tenure. Day is 45-6 in four seasons, highlighted by a 31-2 mark against the Big Ten. Back-to-back losses to Michigan, at least at the moment, have defined his tenure, however. Thanks to continued recruiting dominance and the product on the field matching the success off of it, Ohio State has showed no signs of slowing down as one of the nation's blue bloods at the top of this list and is one of the frontrunners to win the national title in 2023.
While, yes, Ohio State's success undoubtedly plays a role in how popular the team is heading into 2023, the fans and their deeply-rooted love for the Buckeyes is the primary reason for the scarlet and gray having the top spot in these rankings.
As I mentioned in the previous section, you will support this team no matter who, when or where they play in the regular season or postseason. That was true before my time, it has been true during my time, and I am confident it will be true after my time. Ohio State is the lifeblood of Columbus and Ohio. Its influence spreads across the country and worldwide. A list like this proves what we already know: It truly is a Buckeye Nation, and that's special.
EVERYBODY CAN BE A SOMEBODY. Fox NFL Insider Jay Glazer welcomed Harry Miller onto his mental health podcast "Unbreakable" last week to have the former Ohio State offensive lineman share the courageous story behind his mental health journey. The following is a clip from that podcast:
While his teammates are getting ready to be selected in next weeks #NFLDRAFT, Ohio State lineman @h_miller76 pulled himself out of the equation to take care of his own mental health, but more importantly help others with theirs. WAY bigger than football. Truly amazing story. pic.twitter.com/OC8B5D4rQ5
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) April 19, 2023
"There was a student-athlete committing suicide every other week. It felt so absurd, and it felt like surely somebody has to say something. And I think everybody is just afraid of being a 'somebody.' But it's so easy to be a somebody. Anybody can be just somebody. Fortunately, I was a person who could be just somebody. I viewed it as almost a martyrdom when I was depressed. And I was thinking, you know, the only way I can get visibility to this issue is to sacrifice myself. You know, I like to write, and I love to edit, and I can't stop editing. It's like I couldn't even conceive of writing a suicide note because I wouldn't be able to come up with the final draft. I would be thinking, you know, I can't use this word; I have to put a paragraph here and it's a great thing to be able to live and have a constant editing power of your life."
A couple of things:
- Shoutout to Harry Miller. Whenever I see him share his story online, I can't help but share it with you all.
- Shoutout to Jay Glazer for having a mental-health-specific podcast where he welcomes athletes onto the show to share their experiences with mental health. That's big-time stuff.
- "Everybody can be a somebody" are words to live by. You matter.
Be a somebody today.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon.
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