Skull Session: Ohio State Required Michigan-Sized "Damage Control" This Offseason, Ryan Day Explains How OSU Became WRU and a Look at Why the Buckeyes Win in Every Sport

I am not a Cincinnati Reds fan, but man oh man, the Big Red Machine is Red Hot with nine consecutive wins.

As a Cleveland Guardians fan, I am incredibly jealous. My team is only in second place because the AL Central blows. But back to the Reds. Elly De La Cruz, Jonathan India and Hunter Greene are studs. Joey Votto is back. This team actually looks... good?

Feels like a good time to post this pic.twitter.com/Jw1rGiudce
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 20, 2023

Hopefully, it lasts.

Let's have a good Tuesday, shall we?

"WHEN YOU LOSE, THERE'S DAMAGE CONTROL." In Monday's Skull Session, I included a quote from Ryan Day's interview with JD PicKell of On3 (more on that later) where Day explained the program's "chip on our shoulder" before the 2023 season.

The Ohio State head coach said that chip is deep – as in, back-to-back losses to Michigan deep, no Big Ten championship appearances in two years deep and no national titles since 2014 deep. It's a message Day has sent several times this summer, with his comments to PicKell as the most recent occurrence. That was until ESPN's Heather Dinich released an article titled "Ryan Day and the pressure to beat Michigan" on Monday.

Before I include a few quotes from Day in Dinich's story, I must share her lead paragraph, as it may have revealed a secret in the life of Jim Knowles:

A box of Yogi Stress Relief tea sat on Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' desk, where he watched film repeatedly this offseason to analyze defensive breakdowns in losses to Michigan and Georgia.

Yogi Stress Relief tea?! What happened to McDonald's black coffee?!

How many cups of coffee does Jim Knowles have in a day? pic.twitter.com/0CottrkanP
— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) October 4, 2022

This offseason has really done a number on the Mad Scientist, as proven by the following paragraphs:

The pressure here, (Knowles) conceded with a smile, is a little different than anywhere else he's ever coached over the past three decades.

"You can't lose a game," he said following his first season with the Buckeyes, an 11-2 finish that included a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance. "You can't lose a game."

Especially The Game. Twice.

...

Knowles was back at his desk this spring, zeroing in on 16 plays of at least 20 yards that changed Ohio State's season (six against Michigan and 10 against Georgia). Plays such as Donovan Edwards' two runs of more than 75 yards in the fourth quarter for Michigan or Stetson Bennett's 76-yard pass to Arian Smith in the final quarter for Georgia. It was the most plays of at least 20 yards Ohio State has allowed in any two-game span since 2004, and the 10 in the Georgia loss was the most the Buckeyes have allowed in any game dating back to 2004, when ESPN's Stats & Information began tracking the data.

"We had some matchup issues, which I blame myself," Knowles said. "Got put into positions where the matchup was not in our favor. That's my job to fix that and look out for that. We had some times where we lost our eyes and we didn't execute. I call it eye violations. When the moments get big, our vision has to get smaller and more condensed. At times we had guys who were doing too much and not focused on their assignment. That goes back to me. Nobody wants to make the critical mistake, they don't want to give up the critical play. That's not how our guys are built. So then I have to look at my teaching and the environment."

That kind of self-reflection – the kind that leads to a continuous shoulda, woulda, coulda mind game – is one that would make anyone switch from the stimulating, caffeinating black coffee to a calming, soothing stress relief tea.

Tangent concluded, back to Day.

In his interview with PicKell, Day used phrases such as "the expectations, the standards never change," "we've never wavered" and "a chip on our shoulder." He used almost identical verbiage in his discussion with Dinich, reiterating that it is unacceptable for Ohio State to lose The Game. And while there is leeway on the Big Ten championship and national title, Day knows the Buckeyes better be in contention for both, at the very least.

"The expectation here every year is the same," said Day, who is 1-3 in CFP semifinals. "Win the rivalry game, win the Big Ten and win the national championship. We fight like heck to do that and we're right there. You can feel it, you can taste it, and that's motivated the guys this offseason. When you get that close and you don't get there, you didn't get it done. And it certainly does motivate."

And now he's trying to do it without the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has given no indication Day's job is in jeopardy, but the head coach is well aware the program hasn't met its own expectations, particularly in the past two seasons. If Day loses to Harbaugh again, it will be the first time since 1995-97 that Ohio State lost three straight to Michigan. The goal, though, is consistently larger, and the Buckeyes haven't won the national title since the 2014 season with Urban Meyer.

Day has made multiple hires to boost the brainpower in the building, has considered relinquishing playcalling duties, and had honest discussions with Knowles about how the defense can improve this fall.

"When you lose," Day said, "there's damage control."

The article continues with more from Day, Knowles, JT Tuimoloau, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kyle McCord, all of whom discussed Ohio State's bounceback mentality this offseason. Some will claim it's "all blow" from Day, his staff and his players until they prove it on a football field against the Wolverines, which is a valid sentiment. One that I agree with. Still, It's nice that Ohio State has had Michigan on its mind since the Buckeyes' loss in Columbus last fall.

We heard Michigan was a 24/7, 365 topic at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center under Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer and now under Day, but I am not sure how much that was true, at least in recent years. To me, the familiarity of beating Michigan for two decades bred contempt. Now, after back-to-back losses for the Buckeyes, the contempt has dissipated completely. The Rivalry is back. Ohio State must win.

HOW OSU BECAME WRU. Michael Thomas, Curtis Samuel, Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson. These players have helped Ohio State claim as Wide Receiver U in college football, as the Buckeyes have developed talent in Columbus and seen that talent thrive in the NFL.

Soon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba will add to that claim as the No. 20 overall in the 2023 NFL draft, with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka (and possibly Julian Fleming and Xavier Johnson) providing reinforcements in the 2024 draft. And if all goes according to Ohio State's plan, those reinforcements will keep coming year after year after year.

Here is where we revisit Day's interview with PicKell, in which the head coach said Ohio State is a top destination for receivers around the country, a movement that started before his time in Columbus began as a quarterbacks coach in 2017.

"I think it started with Michael Thomas before I got here and some of the great wide receivers that have come before – Teddy Ginn and Brian (Hartline) was certainly a part of that. Just some really good receivers. And then in 2017, as we kind of started recruiting some of the quarterbacks, I think it kind of went hand-in-hand. Certainly 2018 was a big year for us with Dwayne (Haskins), Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell. Just some unbelievable players in that class. But it all kind of came together with Dwayne, and I think people saw the projection of where the offense was going. Then it went from there with Justin (Fields) and Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson. And now I think people see the blueprint. They see what it is, and they see not only the quarterback play and the wide receiver play, but also the positions that we’ve been able to put them in and the development. And I think all of those things go hand-in-hand."

It started with Ted Ginn Jr., Brian Hartline and Thomas and came together with Dwayne Haskins, only to evolve with Justin Fields and again with C.J. Stroud.

Ohio State is Wide Receiver U in college football. And with the way Hartline continues to recruit the position, adding five-star talents like Brandon Inniss, Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham, and four-stars like Carnell Tate in every class, the Grand Canyon-sized gap that exists between the Buckeyes and every other program will only continue to widen.

Jeremiah McClellan and Elijah Moore? Come on down! Jaime Ffrench and Joshua Moore? Come on down! Chris Henry Jr. and –

You understand.

Ohio State's wide receiver room is stacked to the max and will be that way for the foreseeable future. I like that future. I like it a lot.

SUPER MARV, ON AND OFF THE FIELD. Marvin Harrison Jr. will be one of the best players in college football in 2023. But before that happens, the Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year and unanimous All-American has been focused on the impact he can have off the field this offseason.

That led Harrison to work a lunch shift at the Ronald McDonald House Charities' community kitchen over the weekend, where he served families with children receiving medical treatment at the nearby Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus.

This rocks.

Earlier this summer, I wrote about Harrison and Kyle McCord attending a birthday party for Cullen Carpenter, the son of former Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter, and how all the kids in attendance will remember that day forever. Not to discredit Cullen's party, but I imagine Harrison's presence is even more impactful for the children (and parents) who have traveled from across the country to receive treatment from Nationwide. Cheers to Harrison for making those times a little brighter, even for an Alabama fan in Jaxon Penn.

WHY OHIO STATE WINS. Respect for academics, a culture of care and a deep support for the Buckeye community. That's what allows each of Ohio State's 36 varsity programs to succeed, Chris Deville wrote in the Summer Issue of The Ohio State University Alumni Magazine.

Success not only includes winning regular-season contests, conference championships or national titles but also ensuring student-athletes receive good grades in the classroom and are community leaders on campus. DeVille spoke with several Ohio State coaches about why that matters in his article:

“We talk a lot about being elite,” (women's volleyball coach Jen Flynn) Oldenburg says. “At a school like this, we can be elite in a lot of ways.”

Indeed, it’s a good time to be a Buckeye — and not just in traditionally dominant programs like football and synchronized swimming. More and more of Ohio State’s intercollegiate sports teams are winning conference titles, finishing in the top 10 nationally and becoming perennial competitors. Even with our storied athletic tradition, Buckeye teams arguably have never been better.

...

Director of Athletics Gene Smith cites many reasons for Ohio State’s ascendance, including the university’s growth in academics, construction of first-class facilities and a support structure called the Circle of Care.

“Focus on recruiting the student-athlete in a holistic way has really improved,” Smith says. “We need to have talent, obviously, but for recruiting young people who can excel in the classroom, be just as competitive and have good character, I have to applaud our coaches.”

Hiring and retaining top leaders has been crucial, agrees Kristin Watt ’86, ’89 JD, a former women’s basketball captain and Columbus lawyer who does color commentary for team broadcasts. “What they’ve really invested in is coaches,” Watt says. “You’ve got the best coaches in the country here. And the coaches are supported.”

That’s one function of the Circle of Care, a support system for student-athletes maintained by academic advisors, strength coaches, trainers, nutritionists, doctors, compliance officers and more. “We added sports psychologists who we didn’t have before,” Smith says, “and now they’re embedded in the culture of our teams, and student-athletes feel comfortable going to them.”

This all adds up to “anything a student-athlete needs,” says Tom Ryan, Ohio State’s wrestling coach for the past 17 years. “I don’t think a human being will have more support in their life.”

The all-inclusive support Ryan mentions is, I think, proven in the Ohio State athletic department's finances for the 2022 fiscal year. The Buckeyes led the nation in revenue ($251,615,345) but also had the most expenses ($225,733,418), securing over $25 million in profit for the department. Where will that profit go? Back into the programs that generated the revenue: Ohio State's sports programs, the teams that receive "anything a student-athlete needs."

This is why Ohio State wins – in everything. Football, basketball, volleyball, ice hockey, pistol, synchronized swimming, etc. The Buckeyes win because they are supported in athletics, academics and community development, a comprehensive approach the Buckeyes have mastered within the lens of respecting the past, defending the present and protecting the future. It's the Ohio State way.

I recommend reading DeVille's article in full, as he dives into specifics of Ohio State's comprehensive approach. It also offers a much-needed spotlight to the school's lesser-known teams. It's well worth your time.

SONG OF THE DAY. "Heart of Glass" by Blondie.