Welcome to the Skull Session.
If you were invited to an Ohio State football summer conditioning workout, how long would you last before you vomited, cried or quit – or any combination of three?
stackin the days pic.twitter.com/QlAKFkYzts
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 16, 2023
I could be wrong, but I think the average number of everyone's answers would be low.
Let's have a good Monday, shall we?
A HAPPY (BELATED) FATHER'S DAY TO ALL. The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries worldwide celebrated Father's Day on Sunday. With that in mind, the Ohio State football media team released a video of five Buckeyes who wanted to share a special message with their Dads over the weekend.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 18, 2023
#HappyFathersDay pic.twitter.com/qqgijuVbK5
Linebacker Jalen Pace, son of Orlando Pace
"Happy Father's Day to my Dad. I'm very thankful for you – for everything you have done for me to help me get to where I am today, and I love you."
Quarterback Devin Brown, son of Andrew Brown
Happy Father's Day, Dad. I just wanted to tell you how much I love and appreciate you. You've done so much for me and the family. We can't even express how appreciative we are of you and how much we love you. Thank you for everything you have done for us and the many opportunities you've blessed us with. Thank you, Dad. I love you."
Defensive End JT Tuimoloau, son of Ponce de Leon Fateloi
"What's going on, Pops? I just wanted to say I love you. Happy Father's Day. Thank you for being one of the best role models in my life and to my siblings. I love you so much, and I hope you have a great day."
Quarterback Kyle McCord, son of Derek McCord
"Happy Father's Day to my Dad. I definitely wouldn't be here without your love and support – your guidance through the years. You're one of my best friends, and you're my right-hand man. Happy Father's Day, Dad. I love you.
Tight End Zak Herbstreit, son of Kirk Herbstreit
"Hey, Dad. I just want to say Happy Father's Day. This journey hasn't been easy for me, but you've been there every step of the way. I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you."
That's some A+ content from the lads.
To my Dad, the No. 1 supporter of my Skull Sessions and work here at Eleven Warriors, thank you—happy (belated) Father's Day. I love you.
“THERE'S A CHIP ON OUR SHOULDER.” At Ohio State, the expectations of the team and its fans are the same year in and year out: Beat Michigan, win a Big Ten championship and win a national title. It's been that way for – hmmm, like, 100 years – and it will remain that way for – hmmm, like, another 1,000 years (or more... probably more).
Next season will be no different.
Despite Ohio State conducting a quarterback competition between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, recreating an offensive line after the departure of three starters and possessing much of the same defense that crumbled against Michigan and Georgia last season, Ryan Day understands the Buckeyes must win. Why? Because fans expect perfection.
Day shared Ohio State's mindset before the fall with On3's JD PicKell last week, explaining that the Buckeyes will have a different edge in 2023.
“The expectations, the standards never change. We’ve never wavered. We’ve been in the CFP in three of the last four years. We were just a couple of plays away from really winning it all and having the opportunity to play in the national championship game. I think coming off the way the season ended, yeah there’s a chip on our shoulder. I’m really excited about the leadership we have here for the guys that have come back. Xavier Johnson could have gone to the NFL, but he decided to come back. Same with Tommy (Eichenberg) and Cade Stover. There’s a veteran group here that’s driving this, but also the third-year players in the this program played a lot as freshmen. That was a great class (in 2021). There’s a lot more experience on this team than any team I can remember in the past. I'm excited to see this team. I like this team a lot. The feedback we’ve received from (Mickey Marotti) on a daily basis is exciting. We’ve just got to put that on the field. But this is a good group.”
The last time Day spoke about chips on shoulders, new leases on life – all that good stuff –the 2022 version of Ohio State looked the best they had looked all season, trading blows with No. 1 Georgia in their own backyard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
If Ohio State brings that kind of energy into its 2023 season opener with Indiana on Sept. 2, and Day's words indicate they can and will, the Buckeyes may send Tom Allen and the Hoosiers to the Shadow Realm.
Still, as mentioned above, Ohio State doesn't receive credit for blowing out Indiana. It receives credit for beating Michigan, winning a Big Ten championship and winning a national title. Therefore, it's about never losing focus on that chipped shoulder, building upon each performance week to week until, finally, all three goals are obtainable and ready to be achieved for the first time in forever.
PHIL STEELE'S ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS. Last week, I wrote about Phil Steele selecting six Buckeyes – Marvin Harrison Jr., Tommy Eichenberg, Emeka Egbuka, JT Tuimoloau, Donovan Jackson and TreVeyon Henderson – to his preseason All-American teams for the 2023 college football season.
accolades have begun for the buckeyes pic.twitter.com/8vIZj9HHly
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 16, 2023
Here, we look at the preseason selections a little closer to home with Steele's preseason All-Big Ten teams, which feature 15 Buckeyes including five first-teamers in Harrison, Egbuka, Jackson, Tuimoloau and Eichenberg.
| FIRST TEAM | SECOND TEAM | THIRD TEAM | FOURTH TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| WR Marvin Harrison Jr. | RB TreVeyon Henderson | TE Cade Stover | QB Kyle McCord |
| WR Emeka Egbuka | DT Mike Hall Jr. | OG Matt Jones | RB Miyan Williams |
| OG Donovan Jackson | CB Denzel Burke | DE Jack Sawyer | |
| DE JT Tuimoloau | S Lathan Ransom | LB Steele Chambers | |
| LB Tommy Eichenberg |
Ohio State's 15 selections rank behind Michigan (16) and ahead of Penn State (12) for the most in the conference. Bleh, to the first part, I know, but to the victor go the spoils.
For what it's worth, I see several Buckeyes on Steele's list that could move up with their performances in 2023, namely Kyle McCord (or Devin Brown, for that matter) because of Ohio State's insane wide receiver room. I also believe players like Davison Igbinosun, Jordan Hancock, Tyleik Williams, Sonny Styles and a handful of other players could find themselves on All-Big Ten teams at years end, but that will depend on how snaps are distributed in Jim Knowles' second season as defensive coordinator.
But still, I must write that Ohio State does not receive credit for All-Big Ten awards. It receives credit for beating Michigan, winning a Big Ten championship and winning a national title. That's it – thems the rules around here. Besides, if Ohio State accomplishes those feats in 2023, the individual awards will come, yeah?
THIS AND THAT. I couldn't decide what to write about for the final section of this Skull Session, so here are a few notes about the weekend that has now passed, including a nod to Ohio State football, women's basketball and men's golf.
First, Ohio State football's "Tradition Talk" videos are incredibly fun. From Devin Jordan and Emeka Egbuka to James Laurinaitis and Steele Chambers, Brian Hartline and Marvin Harrison Jr. and C.J. Barnett and Jack Sawyer, it's been amazing to see how The Brotherhood has been passed down over the years.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 16, 2023
@Barnett_OSU x @jacksawyer33 pic.twitter.com/I6bGsMJCJw
Second, Ohio State women's basketball has had one of its best offseasons in recent memory by adding Celeste Taylor, Taiyier Parks and Kennedy Cambridge from the transfer portal. The Buckeyes have also earned commitments from Seini Hicks and Ella Hobbs this summer and added top-50 prospect Ava Watson to the 2024 class on Sunday. In other words, Kevin McGuff has been in his bag, and the program's future is secure.
HME #buckeyenation pic.twitter.com/SZxhmvsdfT
— Ava Watson (@Ava_Watson2024) June 17, 2023
Third, Ohio State men's golfer Maxwell Moldovan made the cut at the U.S. Open over the weekend and finished 65th at 17-over par. While I'm certain that's not the score Moldovan hoped for, his performance across four days was better than 91 other golfers at Los Angeles Country Club, many of whom are PGA Tour professionals. That's nuts.
Huge kudos to @MoldovanMaxwell on making the cut @usopengolf
— Drew Carr (@DrewCarr_) June 17, 2023
Only four of nineteen amateurs in the field made it to the weekend! Congrats Max and Jake! @JakeConjerti
Maxs NIL partnerships include @Titleist @FootJoy @SuperSpeedGolf @UHY_US #HamiltonCapital #UnitedTrustBank pic.twitter.com/x8o9sOmIJU
Moldovan has been the subject of many of my stories as a professional journalist. Each time I have spoken to him, he has been kind, soft-spoken and shown humility and wisdom far beyond his years. Moldovan's character, as well as his noticeable skills on the links, will take him very, very far in the future. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.
SONG OF THE DAY. “Heartbreak Warfare” by John Mayer.
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