Skull Session: C.J. Stroud Continues to Impress in Houston, Chris Holtmann Talks One-And-Dones and Roster Construction and Evan Turner is a College Basketball Great

By Chase Brown on June 26, 2023 at 5:00 am
C.J. Stroud
Thomas Shea – USA TODAY Sports
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Ohio State football recruiting has its swagger back. Tavien St. Clair, Bryce West, Damarion Witten... Who's next?

Let's have a good Monday, shall we?

 C.J. STROUD – AS ADVERTISED. In two seasons at Ohio State, C.J. Stroud was regarded as one of college football's most prolific passers, lauded for his accuracy and touch. Therefore, it should surprise no one that Stroud has already impressed NFL coaches and players with those qualities in under two months as a pro.

The second overall pick to the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL draft on April 27, Stroud has spent lots of time in The Lone Star State for rookie minicamps and OTAs. In that time, Stroud has earned favor from key individuals: Head coach DeMeco Ryans, who said Stroud is "way, way ahead of pace" in early June, and veteran backup quarterback Case Keenum, who said last week that Stroud's presence is that of a "four, five-year vet," not a rookie.

From DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN:

Stroud's ball placement has stood out throughout the spring, as his passes have rarely been off target. Veteran quarterback Case Keenum has been impressed with Stroud's presence and said, "I would have thought he had been here a year, been in the league, been a four-, five-year vet."

Stroud has yet to run exclusively with the first-team offense, as he has split reps with Davis Mills, but it's only a matter of time.

Stroud is special, and I believe he will eventually become an excellent professional quarterback. However, the chance for Stroud to reach his potential will depend on what he can do for the Texans and what the Texans can do for him.

Davis Mills has 33 touchdowns and 25 interceptions with a 5-19-1 record as the Texans starting quarterback. Does he need to take first-team reps with Stroud? No. Let Stroud build chemistry with the first-teamers; many of whom, for the record, would be second or third-teamers on other NFL rosters.

That takes me to my second point. Houston will see what Stroud can do as a rookie, and if the results are positive, the Texans must build around him sooner rather than later – no need to waste time like the Chicago Bears did with Justin Fields.

To reference "The Other Guys," one of the greatest comedies known to man: If Stroud proves himself to be a peacock, the Texans have to let him fly.

If the Texans can provide Stroud with a decent offensive line and a quality group of receivers that can create separation, Stroud could be in for an incredible career in Houston.

If not, we could see a very different future play out, perhaps ending with Ohio State's NFL quarterback curse swooping up another victim.

 THE HOLT-MAN(N) SPEAKS. With Malaki Branham selected No. 20 overall to the San Antonio Spurs in 2022 and Brice Sensabaugh taken No. 28 overall to the Utah Jazz in 2023, Chris Holtmann and Ohio State men's basketball has produced first-round picks in back-to-back years. 

While Holtmann is undoubtedly proud of Branham and Sensabaugh for their noteworthy accomplishments, the Buckeyes' head coach admitted it wasn't the original plan to have Branham and Sensabaugh each depart from the program after one season. Still, Holtmann told SiriusXM College he understands one-and-dones, the transfer portal and other roster construction components are a part of life in today's college basketball.

“I think if you talk to most coaches, they’ll say, ‘Hey, we’re going to start over every year with between six to 10 players, and we’re going to have to form an identity and a team culture every year. And the more I talk to, you know, the traditional teams that used to maybe bring in just two or three recruits a year, and they would have eight or nine players returning. Even those programs are having massive turnover. So, I think it is the biggest challenge – roster construction. Figuring out a way to allow your young players to grow, but still go out and recruit the transfer portal and be an impact player when it comes to that and yet, help your young kids grow and develop and find that balance, if I’m making sense. It’s the greatest challenge. We decided, really, after Malaki – who we didn’t anticipate being a one-and-done. We did not anticipate Brice being a one-and-done because typically, the one and done guys are typically your top 20 players in the country. Those are the guys that really have a real chance, that are top-20 high school players. And neither guy was a top-20 high school player coming out, so we said, ‘Hey, maybe two years, three years.' I think you have to adapt and adjust, and that’s what we’re trying to do here. And I know that’s what every program is trying to do."

Ohio State adapted and adjusted well this offseason with three transfer additions in Evan Mahaffey from Penn State, Dale Bonner from Baylor and top-25 prospect Jamison Battle from Minnesota. The Buckeyes also added the No. 7 overall recruiting class in the 247Sports composite with four-stars Taison Chatman, Devin Royal and Scotty Middleton and three-star Austin Parks.

That's about as good of an adaptation and adjustment as you'll find in the 2023-24 edition of men's hoops. With Bruce Thornton, Felix Okpara, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Zed Key back, the onus will be on Holtmann to take a talented roster – on paper, at least – and generate results that reinvigorate the program after a 16-19 season that saw the Buckeyes finish 13th in the Big Ten and miss both the NCAA Tournament and NIT.

 "ARE YOU KIDDING ME, DAVE O'BRIEN?" Last week, ESPN's Myron Medcalf launched a series focusing on the last 25 years of college basketball, kicking off the set of articles by ranking the top men's basketball players from 1998-2023.

Here are some rather loose rules on how Medcalf chose his top 25:

It was a challenging endeavor. This goes beyond résumés. It's about talent, skill, dominance and impact. The past 25 years feature an interesting mix of stars: from veterans who bucked the 1990s trend of turning pro right out of high school to young players who lasted a season in the one-and-done era. The latter group has an advantage here, because we can only imagine what they might have done with three or four years of college basketball, while the former is competing for spots against a strong list of their peers who also enjoyed significant achievements, longevity and consistency. In both cases, we've made a strong attempt to select the best men's college basketball players of the past 25 seasons.

Medcalf's top-five players were Texas' Kevin Durant (2006-07), Kentucky's Anthony Davis (2011-12), Duke's Zion Williamson (2018-19), Duke's Jay Williams (1999-2002) and Davidson's Stephen Curry (2006-09).

As the list continues, names like Duke's JJ Redick and Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony, among others, come off the board. I wondered if and when Medcalf would select an Ohio State player. At the No. 22 spot, it finally happened. Medcalf picked Evan Turner.

22. Evan Turner | G/F | Ohio State | 2007-10

Career stats: 15.0 PPG, 4.1 APG, 6.8 RPG, 1.6 SPG
Career highlights: Wooden Award (2010), Big Ten Player of the Year (2010), all-Big Ten first team (2009, 2010)

While he couldn't lead his team past the Sweet 16, Turner compiled one of the most versatile careers of the past 25 years as a 6-foot-7 athlete who could play and guard multiple positions, and won national player of the year honors his final college season.

I used to love Evan Turner. But didn't we all? He is one of the best players in Ohio State history, recognized along with – and tell me if you have heard of these players – John Havlicek, Jerry Lucas, Jim Jackson and Gary Bradds as five Buckeyes to have their numbers retired by the program. That's some elite company.

He also hit this shot to take down That Team Up North in the 2010 Big Ten Tournament, which will forever be one of the coolest moments of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, regardless of the sport:

That shot really does age like fine wine, and I will never, ever tire of hearing that color commentator yell, "Are you kidding me, Dave O'Brien?" or watching Thad Matta look ready to throw hands near the scorer's table. The perfect clip.

And here's the perfect photo:

Just too good.

 LET'S PLAY HAWKEY. Over the weekend, former Ohio State forward Carson Meyer inked a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Meyer will receive $210,000 guaranteed and either earn $190,000 in the AHL or $775,000 in the NHL, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

A native of Powell, Ohio, Meyer has made 27 career appearances with Columbus since his NHL debut in 2021-22, collecting one goal and three assists in those contests. When Meyer isn't on the Blue Jackets roster, he has spent time with the AHL's Cleveland Monsters, recording 34 goals and 39 assists in 117 appearances dating back to his professional debut in 2020-21.

At the collegiate level, Meyer spent one season at Miami (Ohio), the public Ivy, and three seasons at Ohio State. Meyer was a consistent presence in the offensive zone for the Buckeyes and had 42 goals and 47 assists in 73 games played. His best performance came in his second-to-last appearance for Ohio State: A four-goal, one-assist effort to help his team take down Wisconsin, 9-1, in the Big Ten Tournament.

I love it when the Blue Jackets have hometown kids, such as Jack Roslovic from Dublin, Ohio, on their roster. It's even better when that hometown kid was a Buckeye. You have to think wearing the Union blue for the first time was a dream come true and feels surreal each time he suits up.

Best of luck to the young man as this contract plays out, and may he contribute many points for the Blue Jackets in 2023-24 because they'll certainly need them – unless the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks pass on generational talent Connor Bedard in the NHL draft later this week (please... please... please).

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Spirit In The Sky" by Norman Greenbaum.

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Prognosticating: Indiana

Dry Goods Contest

Across The Field: Indiana Beat Writer Zach Osterman Says This Might Be the Hoosiers’ Most Important Regular Season Game Ever and QB Kurtis Rourke Has Played Well Under Pressure

Kurtis Rourke
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