Welcome to the Skull Session.
Ohio State's 2024 schedule is set.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 2, 2023
Oh, and Purdue head coach Ryan Walters fired a SHOT at Michigan before the Boilermakers and Wolverines face off in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
#Purdue head coach Ryan Walters full response when asked about Michigans sign stealing investigation ahead of Saturdays matchup:
— Dub Jellison (@DubJellison) November 2, 2023
(Ryan Walters Show/@PurdueSports) pic.twitter.com/PLrpjNmAdN
Cheers, Coach Walters.
Let's have a good Friday, shall we?
NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL TALENT. As Ohio State prepares for its stretch run in the 2023 college football season, Matt Miller (ESPN) and Dane Brugler (The Athletic) named several Buckeyes among their top NFL draft prospects in 2024.
ESPN
2. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 205
Harrison has excellent body control, breakaway speed and a savvy understanding of the wideout position. Despite defenses knowing where the ball is going the majority of the time when Ohio State drops back to pass, Harrison has 48 catches, 889 yards and eight TDs. Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline says Harrison is the best receiver he has coached, and if Caleb Williams weren't in this class, Harrison would be cemented as my top prospect for 2024.
25. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 206
Egbuka is the slant king of the 2024 class, using his frame and positional instincts to shield defenders from the ball. In fact, 29.2% of Egbuka's routes this season are shallow or crossing routes. He's not just a possession receiver, though, and has excellent after-the-catch burst and speed. He's shifty enough to return punts, too. Egbuka has been sidelined with a leg injury in recent weeks, but it shouldn't affect his draft stock. He profiles as a good WR2 in the pros and a late-Round 1 prospect.
26. JT Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 270
One of the biggest risers this season has been Tuimoloau. The former high school basketball standout has found his rhythm coming off the edge of the defense with the Buckeyes in conference play. In a three-game stretch from Weeks 6-8, Tuimoloau had 15 pressures and four sacks. He has a speed-to-power conversion that coaches love, but he has to be more consistent. If that three-game stretch is any indication of Tuimoloau figuring it out, he'll shoot up draft boards in the next month of play.
Featured outside the top 50: TreVeyon Henderson as RB5, Cade Stover as TE3, Donovan Jackson as OG4 and Lathan Ransom as SAF4.
The Athletic
2. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 205
The best wide receiver prospect that I have evaluated over the last decade, Harrison (48 catches for 889 yards and eight TDs) offers a rare package of physical traits and savvy. It has made him nearly uncoverable at the college level. His athletic dexterity and instincts, both as a route runner and at the catch point, are what really separate him — especially for a 6-foot-4 receiver. Although he isn’t as physically imposing as Julio Jones, there are several similarities between the two, including the way they play strong to the football.
20. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 206
An ankle injury sidelined Egbuka (22 catches for 303 yards, three TDs) for most of October, but the Ohio State offense looks different when he’s on the field. In fact, the Buckeyes probably wouldn’t have beaten Notre Dame without him. He is a magnet that can open voids in the defense and shows innate ball-judgement skills and hand strength. His skill set is more subtle than Marvin Harrison Jr.’s, but Egbuka is a pro-ready receiver.
23. JT Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 270
A physical presence for all four quarters, Tuimoloau (5.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks) wins the point of attack with aggressive hands and by using body leverage to pry open pass-rush lanes. He needs to work on becoming more deceptive (like he was on his fake stunt against Olu Fashanu) to consistently beat NFL tackles, but his baseline traits make him a next-level starter.
36. Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 265
While J.T. Tuimoloau receives most of the attention on the Ohio State defensive line, Sawyer’s impact has been instrumental to the Buckeyes’ success. Built the right way at 6 feet 4 and 265 pounds, Sawyer (26 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks) is more good than great in several categories. He is well-rounded, though, and could be a valuable piece to an NFL defensive line with his aggressive and always-alert play style versus both run and pass.
37. Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 190
The Big Ten leader in pass breakups (nine), Burke is a good-sized athlete with the feet to stay on top of routes. His aggressive tendencies downfield with his back to the football lead to volatility in his game, but his competitive makeup and movement skills are traits that can be coached up in the NFL.
In a separate article, Brugler wrote about 15 prospects he "hated leaving off" his midseason top 50. One of those players was defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.
Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 290
Though I was optimistic about the 2024 defensive tackle class over the summer, the results haven’t been there. Williams has been one of the few bright spots, with his ability to affect the game in different ways. He makes plays at the line of scrimmage (8.0 tackles for loss) and has a knack for finding passing lanes (five pass breakups).
With Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka as locks to be selected in the opening 32 picks and the potential for JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Denzel Burke and Tyleik Williams to also have their names called in the first round, I am reminded of a video from over the summer where Josh Pate of CBS Sports predicted Ohio State would win the national championship in 2023.
What led Pate to select the Buckeyes?
Science.
According to Pate's "science," over the last six years, the team with the most first-round draft picks has won the national championship in that season – Clemson in 2017, Alabama in 2018, LSU in 2019, Alabama in 2020 and Georgia in 2021 and 2022.
Ohio State has an excellent chance to be the team with the most first-round draft picks in April. Does that mean we will see the Buckeyes win a national championship before then?
"IT'S HARD FOR ME TO BELIEVE." Former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer had been mum on Michigan's alleged sign-stealing operation — until Wednesday.
Meyer, who had a 7-0 record vs. Michigan as Ohio State's head coach from 2012-18, said he's "skeptical" of reports surrounding the Wolverines and suspended staff member Connor Stalions.
One reason? He's skeptical of reporters in general.
Hurtful!
Kidding...
Kind of...
“This is really the first time, because it’s you (Tim May) and because it's a guy I respect –so I’m very cautious. I’ve been asked over 100 times to comment on it, and I just won’t. But I am going to. I’ll tell you my thoughts: First of all, I’m very skeptical of reporters' reporting. My experience is they’re wrong most of the time. And that’s not a shot at the media, that’s reality. People say things that they’re reporting that’s just not true. So I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt saying, first of all it’s hard for me to believe that is true. I also heard people say that ‘Well, everyone does that.’ And Tim, no one does that. I’ve never heard of that in 40 years of being around the game. There’s a very clear rule, and that rule – some will say it’s not that important. Once again, everybody is entitled to their opinion. If they know your signals, it is that important. You’re changing the game. That’s very egregious if that’s what happened. I’m not saying it did, because I’m still skeptical it did."
Look, I can understand Meyer's viewpoint.
Sometimes, reporters provide inaccurate information. Sometimes, reporters are wrong. But have reputable reporters from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated, the AP, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Athletic been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amok and flat-out deceived here and now with Michigan's scandal?
No. I find THAT hard to believe.
In the here and now, the NCAA has launched a formal investigation into Michigan as the Big Ten has received messages from frustrated coaches and athletic directors in the conference. Sooner or later, we will see a jurisdictional power acquit or convict the Wolverines of their alleged unethical behavior. Until then, however, Michigan remains in a terrible place in the Court of Public Opinion, and I see no reason to be "skeptical" until proven otherwise.
NEXT HARRISON UP? Last season, Marvin Harrison Jr. was the Big Ten Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year, a Biletnikoff Award runner-up and a unanimous All-American, recording 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games. This season, Harrison has recorded 48 catches for 889 yards and eight scores as a Biletnikoff and Heisman contender.
Marvelous Marv, Super Marv, Route Man Marv, Maserati Marv, or whatever we should call him, we all can agree: Harrison is one of the best in the business. However, there could come another Harrison better than Marvin – his 14-year-old brother, Jett.
"He's great. He's more talented than I ever was at that age," Harrison said of Jett on Wednesday. "He's starting early with the routes and everything from my dad. I am super excited to see how he comes along. It's gonna be very scary to see how he progresses."
If Harrison is correct – which would be SCARY – it could be excellent news for the Buckeyes. Harrison said his brother could take the same path as him when it comes time to make a college decision.
"He sees me here, and naturally, he wants to follow in my footsteps," Harrison said.
When asked if he has started the recruiting pitch for Jett to come to Ohio State, Harrison said, "Yeah, of course."
Could you imagine if Ohio State landed another Harrison, and he turned out to be greater than the one currently on the roster?
The Buckeyes would have a run of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss, Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham, Chris Henry Jr. and John Doe, a couple more pairs of DUDES and then Jett Harrison and another John Doe.
Yeah, Ohio State is Wide Receiver U. And it's not close.
RESPECT, MARV. In other Marvin Harrison Jr.-related news, the Ohio State wide receiver helped raise $5,100 for Columbus' Nationwide Children's Hospital this week as part of an NIL deal with 7-Eleven.
Through his NIL deal with 7-Eleven, Ohio States Marvin Harrison Jr. worked with The Shoe Surgeon to design his own cleats.
— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) November 2, 2023
The shoes were auctioned off last month for $5.1K. All proceeds go to Nationwide Childrens Hospital.
More via @Pete_Nakos96: https://t.co/EjBFPPl0lP pic.twitter.com/JbsuP52N3F
Harrison inked an NIL deal with 7-Eleven in September, joining the nationwide chain’s first marketing campaign with college athletes.
As part of the agreement, he joined eight other college football players in 7-Eleven’s inaugural “Cleat Crew” program. Harrison teamed up with luxury designer The Shoe Surgeon to create his own individual pair of custom cleats, which were scarlet, black and white Nikes. One of the most unique parts of the shoe was a shadow of Harrison on the bottom of the cleat making one of his most memorable touchdown catches.
The final bid on his cleats was $5,100, the highest-grossing auction yet in 7-Eleven’s Cleat Crew campaign. Proceeds from Harrison’s cleats are going to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.
Some of college football’s top stars have set up nonprofits to give back. But the 7-Eleven campaign is one of the first to operate at such a large scale, signing NIL deals with some of the sport’s top names while working to do good in the community.
While the Ohio State wide receiver has generated the highest donation yet, six cleats were auctioned off with $12,470 being raised through the initiative. Bo Nix, Travis Hunter, Quinn Ewers, Dorian Singer and Trevor Etienne have all participated. Boston College’s Kameron Arnold, Penn State’s Nick Singleton and Michigan’s Blake Corum will all have cleats auctioned over the next few weeks.
When I was 12 years old, I spent 28 consecutive days at Nationwide Children's with an illness. Several Ohio State players supported me during my stay, including former men's basketball star Aaron Craft. I will never forget those moments, and I am sure the kids Harrison has met at Nationwide Children's or the Ronald McDonald House will say the same after meeting the star receiver.
So, cheers, Marv.
You are one of the best on the field and one of the best off of it.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Hey Jude" - The Beatles.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Listen to the last new Beatles’ song with John, Paul, George, Ringo and AI tech... Security prevents Rangers from celebrating in Chase Field pool after winning World Series... A lunch host is accused of killing her ex-husband’s parents and aunt with poisonous mushrooms... Grubhub customer receives urine instead of milkshake... Kevin Bacon, the runaway pig, is back home.
ONE MORE THING. Hello. Hi. Are you still here? Today, we release our second in-season update of the Eleven Warriors Buckeye 20 – our year-round ranking of Ohio State’s top 20 football players. Spoiler: Marvin Harrison Jr. remains the No. 1 player in the rankings, but one new Buckeye landed in the top 10 and two new Buckeyes landed in the top 20. I wonder who they were! Check out the Buckeye 20 page to see the full rankings after the second month of the season.
