Skull Session: A Look at the Buckeyes’ Top 10 All-Time Recruits, The Athletic Drafts Top 2024 Recruits to Each Power 5 Team and Ohio State is Wide Receiver U

Remember: The managers make it happen.

Managers Coaches pic.twitter.com/gdeMnZEA9O

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 19, 2023

Let's have a good Wednesday, shall we?

 WELCOME TO SIGNING DAY. Ohio State will receive National Letters of Intent from commitments in the 2024 class on Wednesday. That said, be prepared to see Eleven Warriors flooded with 22 articles (or more – who knows?!) for all of Ohio State's signees. We'll also keep track of all our stories in one post – Eleven Warriors Signing Day Central.

To kick off the Wednesday Skull Session, how about we take a trip down memory lane — or, in the case of Jeremiah Smith, peer into the future — and look at Ohio State's top 10 recruits in the modern recruiting era, according to 247Sports.

That seems fitting, yeah?

That, dear reader, is a star-studded top 10.

While the legacies Quinn Ewers (now at Texas), JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer and Julian Fleming (now in the transfer portal) leave behind at the collegiate level remain to be seen, it was an incredible achievement for Ohio State to secure such touted prospects out of high school. The same can be said of Smith, who ranks No. 3 overall before he will put pen to paper on his National Letter of Intent.

As for the remainder of the Buckeyes' top-10 recruits since 2000, each made a significant impact during their time as a Buckeye, save for Noah Spence, who transferred to Eastern Kentucky following multiple suspensions at Ohio State. Still, Spence eventually became a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft and played for the Buccaneers, Redskins (now Commanders), Saints and Bengals in six professional seasons.

In addition to Smith, Ohio State's 2024 class features several recruits who rank among the best of the best, including Mylan Graham, Eddrick Houston, Aaron Scott, Air Noland and Jeremiah McClellan, who all appear in the top 100.

 A TOP PROSPECT FOR ALL. Before Wednesday, The Athletic's college football staff drafted one 2024 prospect to each Power 5 team. In the process, five future Buckeyes came off the board in the 70 selections.

Before we look at where each soon-to-be Ohio State signee landed, here are the rules The Athletic had for the experiment:

Using Chris Vannini’s most recent The Athletic 133 ranking, we went from worst (No. 1 pick Vanderbilt) to first (No. 70 pick Washington) and gave each team the opportunity to draft one player from the Class of 2024.

The “general managers” were Sam Khan Jr., Mitch Light, Antonio Morales, Manny Navarro, Max Olson, Grace Raynor, Joe Rexrode, Pete Sampson, Kennington Smith III, Audrey Snyder, Ari Wasserman and Justin Williams. We did our best to fill a specific need or add a local product when it made sense but often the right move was simply drafting the best player available. We included both Oregon State and Washington State even though we aren’t sure if they are still “power conference” programs. And ACC-newcomer SMU is also in the draft. All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.

And now for the selections...

*Note: I included The Athletic staff’s explanations for their pick(s). However, I would not call said explanations must-read material.

*Additional note: With the No. 64 pick, Wasserman selected 6-foot-7, 338-pound offensive tackle Kam Pringle for the Buckeyes. Pringle is the No. 108 overall prospect and No. 6 offensive tackle in the class of 2024.

No. 4 - WR Jeremiah Smith, Pittsburgh

The Panthers desperately need to find some stability at quarterback, but Smith being available at No. 4 is too good to pass up. The Florida native is the best wide receiver in this class and arguably the best high school player in the country. As a Day 1 starter with the Panthers, he will quickly become the quarterback’s best friend and get Pitt back to producing wide receivers such as Tyler Boyd, Larry Fitzgerald and Jordan Addison. (Current commitment: Ohio State) — Raynor

No. 6 - QB Air Noland, Indiana

We’re kicking off the Curt Cignetti era with a quarterback the Hoosiers can build around for the long haul. With Brendan Sorsby off to Cincinnati, let’s add Noland to the 2024 starting QB competition in Bloomington. No position can change the trajectory of a program more than an elite quarterback, and that’s exactly what the Hoosiers are getting with Noland. (Current commitment: Ohio State) — Snyder

No. 33 - DE Eddrick Houston, Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech ranks No. 131 in rush defense, No. 115 in sacks and No. 114 nationally in tackles for loss. The Yellow Jackets need a game-changer up front, and this five-star Georgia native gives Brent Key just that. Houston is from Buford, Ga., about an hour outside of Atlanta, and played at the highest level of Georgia high school football as a teammate of Dylan Raiola and KJ Bolden. He seems to be pretty unassuming — rarely using social media and staying out of the limelight. He will be a strong fit both on and off the field. (Current commitment: Ohio State) — Raynor

No. 44 - WR Mylan Graham, North Carolina

When a top-25 prospect inexplicably falls to No. 44 at a position of need, you have to pounce on potential alone. The Tar Heels have had some electric receivers under Mack Brown, whether it was Josh Downs catching balls from Sam Howell or Tez Walker showing out for Drake Maye. Graham is the best receiver still available on the board and could give Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson an intriguing threat early. (Current commitment: Ohio State) — Raynor

No. 60 - RB James Peoples, Oklahoma

The Sooners didn’t quite have a true feature back until Gavin Sawchuk came on strong late in the season, and they just lost three backs to the transfer portal this month. Since Tatum is off the board, let’s boost their rushing attack with Peoples, a talented 5-11, 202-pound playmaker from San Antonio who can come in and compete for carries right away. (Current commitment: Ohio State) — Olson

Five Buckeyes off the board in the top 70 is impressive. Most impressive.

Ohio State's five selections ranked second behind Georgia's seven for the most in the experiment. Given the Bulldogs and Buckeyes possess the No. 1 and No. 2 classes in 2024, that’s on the nose.

Cheers to Ohio State’s staff for landing Smith, Noland, Houston, Graham and Peoples (and more). Let's get them signed on the dotted line on Wednesday.

 OHIO STATE HAS GOOD RECEIVERS?! Buckeye Nation needs no reminder that Ohio State is Wide Receiver U. However, let me remind you, dear reader, that Ohio State has some talented pass-catchers in the NFL. Like, really talented.

According to ESPN, seven former Buckeyes rank among the top 94 receivers in the NFL in these important measurables: "Get Open," "Make The Catch" and "Yards After Catch." To qualify, receivers need 40+ targets across 14 weeks of the 2023-24 season.

​Sooooooooo, yeah. Ohio State has some great receivers in the NFL.

It is impressive that Wilson and Olave lead the bunch as second-year players. Even more impressive – that Wilson and Olave lead the bunch with Zach Wilson (Jets), Tim Boyle (Jets) and Derek Carr (Saints) at quarterback.

Noah Brown, how do you do? He and C.J. Stroud are a dangerous duo. The same can be said about Curtis Samuel and Terry McLaurin in Washington D.C. And, like Olave, Thomas suffers (in part) from the inconsistent performance of Carr, while JSN has become a weapon for the Seahawks in recent weeks.

*ahem*

JSN for the win.pic.twitter.com/PrwzOiR0y1

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 19, 2023

With Marvin Harrison Jr. expected to be a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL draft and more of the Buckeyes' talented receivers to become professionals sooner rather than later, I look forward to an Ohio State Takeover™ in NFL receiver rooms.

Keep 'em comin', Coach Hartline.

 OLYMPIC VILLAGE. More Ohio State women's basketball fans can now witness the Buckeyes' battle with 2023 Naismith College Player of the Year Caitlin Clark and Iowa in person when the Hawkeyes travel to Columbus for a noon game on Jan. 21.

On Monday, THE Ohio State University athletic department announced it will open the 300-level of the Schottenstein Center and Value City Arena for the ranked showdown. According to an Ohio State press release, general admission tickets for the upper level are on sale for $16. Before the school opened the upper level, resale tickets approached $200 on TicketMaster, SeatGeek, StubHub and VividSeats.

According to the Schottenstein Center's website, the capacity for an Ohio State basketball game is 19,700. The attendance record for the men's team is 19,500 in 1998, when Ohio State beat Penn State, 70-62. Meanwhile, the attendance record for the women's team is 17,525 in 2005, when the Buckeyes defeated Penn State, 74-53, and won a Big Ten championship.

With Ohio State ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll and Iowa ranked No. 4, and Clark's status as one of the greatest women's college basketball players of all time – Clark is the lone Division 1 basketball player (men's or women's) with 3,000 points, 750 rebounds and 750 assists – Ohio State fans could help the 2023-24 Buckeyes break the program record on Jan. 21.

Make it happen, Buckeye Nation.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Happy Together" - The Turtles.

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