Skull Session: ESPN Ranks Ohio State Second Behind USC As WRU, Terry McLaurin Reflects on His Relationship With Dwayne Haskins and Marvin Harrison Jr. Knows He's Elite

By Chase Brown on August 4, 2023 at 5:00 am
Marvin Harrison Jr.
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

There were fans at Ohio State's first practice on Thursday. It looked like a lot of fun.

Practice No. 2 starts at 8:30 a.m. today, where fans will once again be welcomed into the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to take part in the festivities.

Let's have a good Friday, shall we?

 WAIT A MINUTE. Before every college football season, ESPN releases its annual "Position U" article that ranks schools based on their historical talent at nine positions: Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, defensive back and special teams.

Here is how the rankings work:

ESPN Stats & Information combed through data on every team dating back to 1998, looking at key markers of greatness at each position. We awarded points for college production (by way of all-conference and All-America honors), NFL draft selections and NFL production (though only through the players' first five years – Michigan can claim responsibility for Tom Brady's success for only so long).

Ahead of last season, Ohio State made the top five at several positions, including wide receiver (fifth), offensive line (third), defensive line (third), linebacker (third) and defensive back (first), receiving the title of DBU from the worldwide leader in sports.

However, as the 2023 season approaches, the Buckeyes experienced a shake-up in the experiment. According to ESPN's David Hale, Ohio State now ranks in the top five at quarterback (fifth), wide receiver (second), offensive line (second), defensive line (third), linebackers (third) and defensive back (third).

While Ohio State's ranks for offensive line, defensive line and linebackers remained relatively the same, the Buckeyes had the most dramatic changes at quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back.

Here is what Hale wrote about each position:

Quarterback

The Top 5: Oklahoma, USC, Oregon, Alabama, Ohio State

The biggest mover was Ohio State, which jumped from ninth to fifth. Few schools can claim as impressive a collegiate legacy at the QB position as the Buckeyes, who've landed a Heisman with Troy Smith and enjoyed a recent run of first-round picks from Dwayne Haskins to Justin Fields to C.J. Stroud. The only problem, of course, is few schools have produced so many QBs who've done so little at the next level. Perhaps Fields and Stroud will finally change the narrative and keep the Buckeyes climbing the standings for the title of QBU.

Wide Receiver

The Top 5: USC, Ohio State, LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma

The recent run of success at receiver for Ohio State is almost enough to make Buckeyes fans forget that Urban Meyer put Zach Smith in charge of that position for six wasted years. Ohio State has had five receivers drafted in the first three rounds since 2018, and with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka back for 2023, it'll likely add a couple more next year. The recent success was enough to boost Ohio State from No. 5 in last year's WRU rankings to No. 2 this year. But LSU might have the last laugh. Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson are among the NFL's best, with Terrace Marshall Jr. a rising star and Kayshon Boutte getting his NFL shot in 2023.

Defensive Back

The Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Miami (FL)

We have a new official title holder for DBU. It's been an intensely close battle between LSU and Ohio State for years – with Alabama and Florida in the mix, too – but the Tigers take the top spot in 2023. Credit a solid debut season for Derek Stingley Jr., who is one of eight LSU defensive backs drafted since the team's 2019 national championship. Major Burns could be the next in line for the Tigers, but they'll have to survive plenty of pressure from the Buckeyes and a host of SEC rivals if they want to retain the top spot.

The most controversial of these claims lies with the wide receiver position. Ohio State is WRU – a claim to the contrary is foolish.

Hale names Drake London, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Michael Pittman Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster as the players that bolster USC's claim for the top spot. But he must have missed that the Buckeyes have Michael Thomas, Noah Brown, Curtis Samuel, Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the league with Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming on the way.

So sorry, not sorry. Ohio State is WRU, and that won't change anytime soon.

 SCARY TERRY #CONTENT. I love Terry McLaurin. You love Terry McLaurin. We all love Terry McLaurin. The former Ohio State wide receiver is one of the best pass-catchers in the NFL, recording 299 catches for 4,281 yards and 21 touchdowns across four seasons with the Washington Commanders, and perhaps more importantly, he is also a well-renowned Good Dude™.

This week, McLaurin appeared on "The Pivot" podcast with former NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder to discuss his childhood in Indianapolis, his under-the-radar Ohio State career and his ascension to become one of professional football's most-talented players ahead of the 2023 season.

While the entire episode is well worth a listen for Ohio State fans, as McLaurin shares several stories about his time in Columbus, the topic I believe deserves some Friday Skull Session recognition is McLaurin's comments on the sudden death of his teammate Dwayne Haskins. McLaurin shared what he learned from his relationship with the late quarterback and what he will never forget about Haskins.

"My boy Dwayne, he would give you the shirt off his back. He really taught me – past football – how to be a real friend and how to hold your teammates and friends accountable. Because there are some things he and I went through individually where we were leaning on each other. I was leaning on him. He was holding me accountable, and I was holding him accountable. I remember him coming to Ohio State, and I was a little older. You're kind of a leader. You knew he had all the talents to be a great quarterback. During those times, you would start what Coach Mick (Marotti) called building that callous, building that toughness – what will endure you through the tough days. Seeing Dwayne grow, not only on the field but off the field during that time, was really special. He may not have been the first in the workouts. He kind of had a long face, a baby face about him. To see how he grew during his time [at Ohio State], reset the record books, and became a leader for our group. That was a very veteran team we had. We had a 20-year-old kid leading us to a Rose Bowl championship, throwing touchdowns left and right. He was unstoppable."

Man, that hits home.

McLaurin's career may have been entirely different if Haskins didn't ask the Commanders to draft him with the No. 76 overall pick in 2019. But Haskins did that because of the deep bond he shared with McLaurin as members of The Brotherhood. That bond came full circle in Washington, and it's a shame that bond couldn't last longer.

Rest in peace, Dwayne.

 “THAT SHOCKED ME A LITTLE BIT.” Marvin Harrison has many nicknames: Marvelous Marv, Super Marv, Route Man Marv and Marvin the Martian. He earned those monikers because of his already-impressive Ohio State career that kicked off with a three-touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl and continued with a 77-catch, 1,263-yard, 14-touchdown season in 2022.

Despite those accomplishments – the last of which led to a unanimous All-American selection and Big Ten Receiver of the Year in 2022 – Harrison revealed to Fox Sports' RJ Young that he did not see himself as an elite wide receiver until late last season.

In fact, Harrison said his miraculous one-foot catch in Ohio State's Week 10 matchup with Indiana allowed him to believe he was one of the best pass-catchers in college football.

"Probably not until last year, going through the year, kind of seeing the plays I was making," Harrison said of when he discovered his next-level talent. "Still, some of (the plays) don't surprise me – it's more so I feel like I am out there playing football. But the Indiana catch when I got my one foot in, I don't usually shock myself, but that shocked me a little bit."

I'm confident it shocked us all, actually.

Whenever I am on Garrick Hodge's Twitter profile, I take a second to look at his pinned tweet, which features Garrick's picture of Harrison's Indiana catch. It shows Harrison's torso near the Ohio Stadium turf as his foot plants in bounds near the Indiana bench. It's the perfect photo. Not even 1,000 words could describe it.

Harrison may never make another catch like the one featured above, but he'll have several that will come close. I can guarantee it. Why? Because he is marvelous, he is super and he is out of this world.

 A HOMETOWN HERO. Zach Harrison was a five-star prospect at Olentangy Orange High School in Lewis Center, Ohio. He continued his football career at Ohio State, a school 20.5 miles south of his childhood home.

Over the next four seasons, Harrison stood out for the Buckeyes. He then declared for the NFL draft, where the Atlanta Falcons selected him as the No. 75 overall pick in 2023. Once his name was called, Harrison prepared for another southbound journey. This time, however, the distance was 567.2 miles – not 20.5.

But as was the case with his move from the Olentangy Orange to Ohio State, Harrison has seamlessly transitioned from the Buckeyes to the Falcons this summer. His first rep in NFL pads serves as proof, as the 6-foot-6, 272-pound defensive end demolished Atlanta offensive lineman Tyler Vrabel, the son of former Ohio State defensive lineman and current Tennesee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.

In a recent feature for Atlanta's media team, Harrison said the chance to pursue an NFL career with the Falcons has been "a dream come true." And while he feels pressure to perform as he follows in the footsteps of former Ohio State defensive linemen like Cameron Heyward, Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa and Chase Young, Harrison expects to make the most of his new opportunity.

Go be a hometown hero, Zach. Buckeye Nation is behind you.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Numb" by Linkin Park.

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