Welcome to the Skull Session.
Ohio State's all-gray uniforms are nice and all, but nothin' beats the classics.
boys are almost back pic.twitter.com/mdPr3qgznZ
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 28, 2023
Let's have a good Monday, shall we?
THAT'S PURE MICHIGAN. I have attended many BBQs in my life. They had pulled pork, brisket, ribs and all kinds of foods made in a smoker. Never, ever, ever have I attended a BBQ that featured a menu of Stouffer's mac and cheese, boiled mystery-meat wieners, store-brand hot dog buns off the clearance rack, nervous chicken fingers and Chips Ahoy chewy cookies – and probably some milk to wash it all down.
But that's what BBQs are like in Pure Michigan. Or so it seems.
BIG HOUSE EATS pic.twitter.com/iDA4j1BnOf
— Elijah Dotson (@ElijahDotson06) July 30, 2023
Sonny Jim Harbaugh (allegedly) committed an NCAA violation when he purchased hamburgers for recruits off-campus when they made an official visit to Ann Arbor. Friend of the program, Matt Brown of Extra Points, hilariously pointed out that the food featured in the picture above is why he (allegedly) did that.
Okay, so now I understand why harbaugh wants to get off campus and eat two burgers for breakfast https://t.co/c1Wb0He8Jv
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) July 30, 2023
Those who stay will be champions.
Those who stay will be fed like toddlers.
Keep up the good work, Michigan.
THE GOOD. THE BAD. THE UGLY. Ohio State recruiting has been all kinds of crazy this summer. The best way I can describe it is it's been good, it's been bad and it's been ugly. I'll summarize all three below.
The Good
Ohio State landed three commitments in June. On June 12, the Buckeyes bolstered its secondary in the 2024 class with the commitment of New Jersey safety Jaylen McClain. On June 21, Ohio State secured its quarterback for the 2025 class with the commitment of Ohio prospect Tavien St. Clair. The Buckeyes kept that train rollin' with the commitments of four-star Cleveland-Glenville prospects Bryce West and Damarion Witten on June 24.
July has provided the Mother of All BOOMs (MOABs). On July 2, Larry Johnson pulled off a monster recruiting win with the commitment of five-star defensive end Justin Scott. Four days later, on July 6, Ohio State landed four-star cornerback Miles Lockhart out of Arizona. Finally, the Buckeyes added wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. to its 2026 class on Friday and Ohio prospect Aaron Scott chose Ohio State over Michigan on Sunday, pranking the Wolverines in the process.
The Bad
While Ohio State has had plenty of BOOMs this summer, the Buckeyes have also had some misses on the trail the past two months, namely four-star defensive end Marquise Lightfoot, five-star wide receiver Joshisa Trader and four-star linebackers Edwin Spillman and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.
Whether or not one can consider all four prospects "bad" misses for the Buckeyes is in the eye of the beholder. Still, Ohio State was considered a contender for every player at some point or another, especially Lightfoot and Viliamu-Asa, who were expected to be Buckeyes until Miami (Fla.) flexed its NIL muscles and God led Viliamu-Asa to choose Notre Dame. You cannot serve both God and money, but it seems both can be a reason a recruit decides to play football for another team.
The Ugly
The lone occurrence of this category occurred on Saturday when 2025 five-star cornerback Jontae Gilbert committed from Ohio State. However, those who followed the situation closely were not shocked when Gilbert renounced his commitment as the Atlanta, Georgia native had visited South Carolina, Georgia, Auburn, Texas A&M and other schools since he pledged himself to the Buckeyes on July 29, 2022.
The Conclusion
As I said at the start, Ohio State recruiting has been all kinds of crazy this summer. But isn't that every summer for the Buckeyes? Overall, Ryan Day and his staff have had more good than bad and more bad than ugly. That's a good formula for a team that wants to recruit the best recruiting classes year in and year out. If the Buckeyes can continue that trend into December, life will be good in Columbus.
HOOSIER DADDY. In the second session of Big Ten Media Days on Thursday, a reporter asked Indiana head coach Tom Allen how he plans to build confidence in his young, inexperienced roster before it faces Ohio State on Sept. 2 for the Hoosiers' 2023 season opener.
Here was his response (via Jared Kelly of 247Sports):
"You know what, I've been blessed here. I've been head coach for seven years. Five of those seven years we’ve opened with a Big Ten opponent. Very familiar with this process. My first season was with the Ohio State Buckeyes back in 2017. So, challenging, yes, but I would say it forces you to grow up real fast. ... The urgency that the offseason is impacted by this reality of who you play on Sept. 2 to open the season. I think it helps you. It helps you grow. It helps you have that attention to detail at a high level. Everybody’s excited about the start of the season, but I think when it’s that kind of opponent it all gets raised to another level. Our team knows that. We understand that. There’s an urgency that our staff has because of it and fall camp is affected by that in a very positive way. So it’s a challenge we embrace, without question.”
Translation: "We're screwed."
I would never expect a college football head coach to confess that his team has a near-zero chance to defeat their opponent, but Allen was close here.
There was no David vs. Goliath speech, no "to be the best, you have to play the best" coachspeak. Allen recalled that he has been the head coach at Indiana for seven years, explained that he is "familiar with the process" of opening the season with a Big Ten opponent and said the season opener with Ohio State "helps you grow."
That's the response of a man who knows Indiana hasn't defeated Ohio State since 1988 and has lost the past two seasons by a combined score of 110-21. As college football Twitter would call it, that's a "loser mentality."
When Ohio State faces Indiana on Sept. 2, take the Bucks by a Billion.
YEAH, THEY'RE WORLD FAMOUS. Fox Sports broadcaster Gus Johnson calls Ohio State "The World Famous Ohio State Buckeyes" whenever the Men in the Scarlet and Gray run out of the tunnel on Saturdays.
Last fall, Johnson said he created the nickname because of the late Ohio State track star Jesse Owens, a Black American man who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The performance is credited as an event that crushed Adolf Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy and garnered worldwide praise for Owens and the Buckeyes.
What does it mean to be a Buckeye? Gus Johnson is sharing his take in a documentary airing tonight (Feb. 18) at 7 p.m. on @CFBonFOX. pic.twitter.com/HkRgdVItNh
Ohio State (@OhioState) February 18, 2023
Almost 80 years later, Ohio State remains world-famous. Of course, Owens' greatness still lives on. And, of course, the football team collects national and global attention for its excellence. But that's not all. Far from it, actually. Athletes from the school's Olympic sports also help the Buckeyes receive worldwide notoriety, as was the case with former swimmer Hunter Armstrong over the weekend.
On Sunday, Armstrong won a gold medal at the Aquatics World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, recording a 24.05-second swim in the 50-meter backstroke to become an individual world champion for the first time.
— Ohio State Swim/Dive (@OhioStSwimDive) July 30, 2023
Hunter Armstrong wins for Team in the 50 back Congratulations, Hunter
: @USASwimming #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/FXATRLjUtr
Armstrong, nicknamed "The Magic Man," has reached the top of the podium three other times on the national stage. The first occurred at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he won a gold medal for the United States in the 4x100m medley. He later added gold medals in the 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships.
And while there are no podiums for this feat, it is incredibly noteworthy: Armstrong holds the world record in the 50m backstroke with a time of 23.71 seconds. He set the record at the 2022 United States International Team Trials in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Not bad for a kid born and raised in Dover, Ohio.
SONG OF THE DAY. "All Is Well" by Hans Williams.
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