Welcome to the Skull Session.
Some former Buckeyes showed out at practice on Monday.
thank you to all of the former buckeyes who showed their support today at practice
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 14, 2023
#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/RK4BiLdYcB
The Brotherhood remains strong.
Let's have a good Tuesday, shall we?
THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Extended Universe, the SpiderVerse and movies such as "Everything, Everywhere All at Once" have explored the idea of a multiverse – a set of multiple universes that are presumed to comprise all that exists within space, time, matter and more.
In all those movies, the multiverse contains thousands of dimensions. Some of those dimensions look much different than our normal one: The Earth's sky is purple and not blue, humans live on the moon, etc. In other universes, however, the world looks completely normal. It is only a different dimension because of one minor tweak to the space-time continuum. For an example of the latter, imagine a universe that seems completely normal, but where Ryan Day is not Ohio State's head coach and instead a hotel manager in the northeastern United States.
One may not have to think too hard about that. At Big Ten Media Days in July, Day revealed to NBC Sports that, had he not accepted a scholarship offer from Chip Kelly at New Hampshire, that's probably where he would have ended up once his college football career was over in the early 2000s.
"I laugh with Jim Knowles, who went to Cornell, because I was recruited by Cornell, Brown and Dartmouth. I was thinking about getting into hospitality management like my family had. They were in the hotel business. Then, I was in the (high school) cafeteria one day, and the phone rang, and it was Chip. He kind of knew me because we grew up in the same hometown, and he challenged me, 'Do you want to go to the Ivy League, or do you want to go to a place that competes for a national championship?' In my world, that was a big deal, so I committed (to New Hampshire) in the lunch room and called my family.
"I had great memories (at New Hampshire). As time went on there, I knew I wanted to coach. I wasn't sure if I wanted to get into business administration or not. That was my major at that school. Then I went on to Boston College to be a GA and get my master's degree there. I just said that (coaching) is what I probably want to do, to try and have an impact on young people."
To think we were one decision away from a world where Ryan Day didn't coach for New Hampshire, Boston College, Florida, Temple, Boston College (a second time), Temple (a second time), Boston College (a third time), the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers and lastly at THE Ohio State University. Instead, Day would have been Ivy League educated and become the most successful hotel manager New Hampshire has ever seen.
Cheers to Mr. Chip Kelly for that one phone call. Although he didn't know it back then, he changed the course of Ohio State football history forever.
THE ALL-AMERICAN KIDS. Fourteen Ohio State football players have been named to preseason watch lists for national awards in August, headlined by Tommy Eichenberg with five nominations, Emeka Egbuka with four and Marvin Harrison Jr. with three.
Those three Buckeyes, offensive lineman Donovan Jackson and defensive end JT Tuimoloau collected another accolade on Monday, as the quintet of Ohio State players were named preseason All-Americans by The Athletic. The two preseason All-American teams included what The Athletic's college football staff believes are the 50 best players in the sport, so Ohio State's honorees make up 10% of the combined squads.
| FIRST TEAM | SECOND TEAM |
|---|---|
| WR Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR Emeka Egbuka |
| OG Donovan Jackson | |
| DE JT Tuimoloau | |
| LB Tommy Eichenberg |
As Ohio State's lone preseason first-team All-American, Harrison received a small write-up from The Athletic, which stated that the 6-foot-4, 205-pound wide receiver is one of, if not the best player in college football ahead of 2023.
Harrison has an argument for best player in the country, period, headlining a deep Buckeyes receiving corps after hauling in 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns on 118 targets as a sophomore. He turned 79.2 percent of his receptions into touchdowns or first downs, per TruMedia, and had just three drops. The 6-foot-4 Harrison is a refined route runner who is clearly pro-ready, and he’ll make life a lot easier for whoever replaces C.J. Stroud as Ohio State’s quarterback.
Around the same time The Athletic released its preseason All-American teams, ESPN did the same, as senior writer Chris Low unveiled the worldwide leader in sports' 2023 preseason All-American team. Unlike The Athletic's teams, however, Harrison and Egbuka were the only Buckeyes featured in the ESPN article:
Wide Receiver: Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison has everything you could want in a receiver and the production to go with it. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Harrison led the FBS with 878 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns against single coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. He had 20 catches of 20 yards or longer and said this summer that Ohio State would have beaten Georgia in the playoff last year had he not been knocked out of the game with a concussion on a play that was initially ruled targeting before being overturned. Perhaps Harrison will get another shot at the Dawgs this season.
All-Purpose: Emeka Egbuka
Egbuka, a junior receiver, was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award last season as the most versatile player in college football. He caught 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns and added a pair of rushing touchdowns. The Buckeyes also have used him to return punts and kickoffs. At receiver, they've used him in the slot, on the outside, and he's also taken handoffs out of the backfield. "If there's an issue, 'Where's Emeka? He'll help us fix it,'" Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline said.
Ohio State is loaded in 2023. Loaded.
As has been mentioned in earlier Skull Sessions, if Day can resolve the question marks at quarterback, offensive line and defensive back, the Buckeyes could end up as the No. 1 team in the nation when all is said and done. Heck, those question marks aren't even close to resolved now, and Ohio State is ranked third in the AP Poll. This season has some potential to be fun for the Men in the Scarlet and Gray.
BIG THANOS, BABY. Dawand Jones, a.k.a. Big Thanos (a hilarious nickname because Thanos is 6-foot-7, 985 pounds – Jones is BIG, but not that BIG), has been impressive in preseason No. 1 with the Cleveland Browns.
After Cleveland drafted him No. 111 overall in 2023, Jones reportedly arrived in Berea, Ohio, out of shape and overweight. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive line coach Bill Callahan challenged Jones to drop the extra pounds and stay consistent in his diet. The former Ohio State tackle passed the test.
As the offseason continued, Jones' dedication to his craft stood out to Stefanski and Callahan. The coaches picked him to start in the Browns' preseason opener with the Jets in the Hall of Fame Game. Jones played out of his mind in the contest.
Dawand Jones in his NFL debut:
— PFF (@PFF) August 4, 2023
35 pass-blocking snaps
0 pressures allowed
Draft steal? pic.twitter.com/qLtpXdOp46
Jones added a stellar encore performance the following week in the Browns' 17-15 loss to the Washington Commanders. After his first two preseason appearances as a pro, Jones has recorded 79 snaps with zero sacks allowed and only one pressure allowed.
Dawand Jones has been a BRICK WALL through two preseason games:
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) August 13, 2023
79 pass blocking snaps
0 sacks allowed
1 pressure allowed
Bill Callahan (Browns OL Coach) said Jones has taken major steps in improving at pass blocking since arriving in Cleveland.
Jones didnt allow a pic.twitter.com/jamfdTsshm
Jones has been one of the steals of the draft – so far.
With All-Pro Jack Conklin under contract with the Browns until after the 2026 season, Jones won't receive many (if any) live snaps in 2023. However, he will have the opportunity to develop behind one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL. Sooner or later, Jones will have his chance to lock down the right side of Cleveland's offensive line. Then, and only then, will the value of his selection be tested.
OUCH (LITERALLY). As Ryan Day partook in a press conference with the media at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Monday, the Ohio State head coach received a question about the health of Tylieik Williams and Miyan Williams, who missed practice on Friday because of short-term ailments.
After Day answered that question, he turned to a program spokesperson and asked if he could update reporters on a long-term injury of an Ohio State player. The spokesperson nodded with affirmation.
"Kourt Williams suffered an ACL," Day said. "He's gonna be out."
If only for a moment, the collective morale of the room plummeted.
"I feel awful for Kourt," Day continued. "I feel like he can't catch a break. He's such a great young man. And so prayers are out to him, and we are all rallying around Kourt."
Day summed it up about as well as anyone could. Since he arrived at Ohio State in 2020, Williams has suffered two torn ACLs and underwent two surgeries on his right shoulder and another on his left for a torn labrum. He simply can't catch a break.
Williams was a four-star prospect, the No. 166 overall prospect and the No. 12 outside linebacker in the class of 2020. He was an early enrollee in January 2020 and became the second Ohio State player to shed his black stripe behind some dude nicknamed JSN. At the time of his black stripe removal, Day said Williams was "someone to keep an eye on." Unfortunately, torn ligaments have kept us from seeing that prophecy fulfilled.
Hopefully, Williams can get back on track and return to full strength before another season with the Buckeyes in 2023. Maybe then he will finally reach the top of the summit and show us what Day saw all those seasons ago. Until then, my thoughts and prayers and with him.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Hurt" performed by Johnny Cash, originally by Nine Inch Nails.
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