Skull Session: Ohio State Wins the Winter Transfer Portal Window, Seth Towns is a Standout at Howard and Mercer Hires Former Ohio State Lineman Mike Jacobs As Head Coach

Pressure is a privilege.

Early morning pic.twitter.com/nvyV2ujmbV

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 1, 2024

Have a good Friday.

 TRANSFER PORTAL WINNERS? Ohio State has had the best offseason of all 133 FBS teams. That's due to the return of Emeka Egbuka, Jack Sawyer and other standouts from the 2021 class. It's also due to Ohio State's work in the transfer portal, where the Buckeyes landed Will Howard, Quinshon Judkins, Seth McLaughlin, Will Kacmarek, Caleb Downs and Julian Sayin in January.

On Thursday, ESPN's Tom VanHaaren, Adam Rittenberg and Tom Luginbill created “College Football Transfer Portal Superlatives” now that the winter window has closed (and fallout from Nick Saban's retirement has started to subside). Of the teams mentioned — Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Miami, Boise State, Louisville, etc. — the trio of writers offered immense praise for the Buckeyes' transfer class:

What was the best signing from the portal?

VanHaaren: Alabama QB Julian Sayin to Ohio State. This is a pick for the future more than it is for the upcoming season. Ohio State has completely changed the quarterback room in one offseason by signing Kansas State quarterback Will Howard, five-star prospect Sayin, and incoming ESPN 300 freshman Air Noland. The staff went from losing starter Kyle McCord with no real options to one of the better quarterback rooms in the country. And a succession plan that features players who could better lead OSU's offense.

Rittenberg: Alabama safety Caleb Downs to Ohio State. Downs gives an ascending Buckeyes defense a proven playmaker in the back end for at least the next two seasons. Although Georgia appeared to be the likeliest destination for Downs, Ohio State's impressive personnel push led the Alabama transfer to pick the Buckeyes. Downs became the first true freshman in Alabama history to lead the team in tackles (107), while showcasing his playmaking prowess with two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a punt return touchdown. Ohio State's defense made significant strides last season under veteran coordinator Jim Knowles, but still needed more players who could affect games in the back end. Downs joins a loaded safety group that returns Lathan Ransom and Sonny Styles, who is also a candidate to play linebacker.

What team has the most questions to answer in the spring portal?

VanHaaren: Michigan. Speaking of Downs, given all that Ohio State has added recently in the transfer portal with Downs, quarterback Will Howard and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, it begs to ask where Michigan will stack up in 2024. The Wolverines are losing starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy; star running back Blake Corum; offensive linemen Zak Zinter, LaDarius Henderson and Trevor Keegan; as well as linebacker Junior Colson, corner Mike Sainristil and a handful of other impact players. The staff doesn't have a clear replacement at quarterback at the moment and has utilized the transfer portal in the past to fill holes along the offensive line. As it stands, Michigan has added Northwestern guard Josh Priebe and Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham, but more is going to be needed to compete at the highest level again in 2024.

In a recent episode of “The College GameDay Podcast,” ESPN's Rece Davis and Pete Thamel also revealed their amazement at Ohio State's haul:

I love it.

I love it. I love it. I love it.

With Ohio State's additions, the Buckeyes will have a super team in 2024. I mean, look at this depth chart and roster:

With NFL draft decisions and the first wave of offseason transfer movement complete, we take our first look at how Ohio States depth chart could stack up at every position. https://t.co/CYJwOx5UEC pic.twitter.com/aFu0aaiPoI

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 1, 2024

That's loaded! ... LOADED!

 SETH TOWNS, EVERYONE. At 26 years old, Seth Towns is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, players in college basketball. After all the bumps, bruises and torn ligaments he suffered at Harvard and Ohio State, Towns transferred to Howard in May 2023 for his eighth season of college hoops.

With one look at Towns’ box scores, I could argue that the 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward has saved some of his best for last.

Across 19 appearances for the Bison, Towns has averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per contest. Those points, rebounds and assists are all career bests for the Columbus native — yes, even better than his averages as the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2018.

Seth Towns knows he's old. He's seen the "get a job" posts. But after four surgeries, three redshirts and a year away from the sport, the 26-year-old eighth-year senior is playing his best basketball since 2018.

"I'm just grateful to be playing at all."https://t.co/irZ3kq2H70

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 1, 2024

In a recent interview with ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Towns said his improved knee health and a restructured relationship with basketball have allowed him to thrive on the hardwood.

After sitting out the first three games while awaiting NCAA clearance, Towns came off the bench for three games, and has been in the starting lineup since. He's averaging 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, shooting 37.4% from 3-point range. He has scored in double figures in 16 of 19 games, including 26 points against Mount St. Mary's and 27 against Cincinnati.

"I'm playing the best since my sophomore year," Towns said. "Now I'm 26. It's a huge difference in how I'm playing the game."

...

Blakeney has been most impressed by Towns' work ethic. He recalls a specific instance against La Salle, when he subbed out Towns for a breather; moments later, Blakeney looked up to see Towns walking past him to sub himself back in the game.

"I was like, you just MJ'd me right now," Blakeney said.

"If all things are equal and he doesn't have injuries, he's in his fourth or fifth year in the NBA. And yet he's fighting and scratching and clawing his ass off everyday for us at Howard," he added. "He doesn't want to take plays off. He understands there's a sense of urgency with his basketball clock right now."

While I would have loved to see Towns’ time at Ohio State bear more fruit, I love all the more that he has found success at Howard.

For someone who has endured multiple knee and back surgeries, he has maintained a positive outlook on basketball and his life. That outlook has been rewarded (so far) with one of his best seasons at the college level.

Towns could potentially play for a ninth season in 2024-25 should he submit an NCAA waiver. However, he does not plan to play any more college basketball after this year.

"I'll probably try to play basketball professionally for as long as my body will permit," he said, with the most likely path being overseas. "All my faculty has told me to take a break [from my Ph.D. work]. I can always come back to this."

From one of the most prestigious universities in the country to one of the biggest athletic programs in college sports to "The Mecca" for young Black intellectuals, Towns has checked a lot of boxes during his time in college.

He hasn't had a chance to reflect on everything yet; he's in the middle of basketball season, after all. But he's looking forward to it. For now, he's just soaking it all in.

And maybe taking mental notes.

"The book will sell," he said with a laugh.

Could we have another “Don’t Put Me In, Coach” on our hands?

 CLIMBING THE RANKS. In January, Mercer — the school made famous for its men’s basketball team’s 78-71 upset win over Duke in the 2014 NCAA Tournament — hired former Ohio State offensive lineman Mike Jacobs as its next head football coach.

Welcome @coach_mjacobs!

: https://t.co/Hf1zew2avP#RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/EkbPHKJlyD

— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) January 18, 2024

“My family and I are humbled to be joining the Mercer University Football family,” Jacobs said in the program’s press release. “Mercer is an elite institution that has competed at the highest level both on the field and in the classroom. We look forward to immersing ourselves in both the campus community and the city of Macon. Go Bears!”

The son of former Ohio State offensive coordinator Michael T. Jacobs, Mike Jacobs was a  center, guard, and long snapper for the Buckeyes from 1997-2001. A walk-on for three seasons, Jacobs earned a scholarship in 2000 and started at long snapper for the final 24 games of his collegiate career.

In 2002, Jacobs started his coaching career as an assistant at Eastern Michigan. Over the next 14 seasons, Jacobs spent time as either an offensive line coach or defensive line coach at Willmington (2004), Purdue (2005-07), PennWest California (2008-13) and Ohio’s Notre Dame College (2014-15).

Jacobs became Notre Dame College’s head coach in 2016. Across four years in the role, he led the Falcons to a 42-8 record and two appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Jacobs then moved to Lenoir-Rhyne, where he collected a 32-9 record and two NCAA Division II playoff appearances from 2020-23.

With a combined 74-17 record in eight seasons, Jacobs boasts the sixth-best winning percentage among active coaches at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels.

Is that good?

Yeah, that’s good.

These FCS teams don’t know what’s about to hit them.

Cheers to Coach Jacobs. I hope he continues to make Buckeye Nation proud.

 OLYMPIC VILLAGE. Ohio State wrestling will be in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Friday at 6:30 p.m. for a dual at Penn State. The battle between the No. 6 Buckeyes and No. 1 Nittany Lions will come in front of thousands at Rec Hall and thousands more who will watch on Big Ten Network.

Ohio State improved to 12-1 overall and 4-1 in Big Ten competition with a come-from-behind win over Michigan last week. With Ohio State down 19-17 after nine matches, Nick Feldman — the Big Ten and NCAA Wrestler of the Week — secured a 4-3 decision against No. 4 Lucas Davison and lifted his team over the Wolverines at the Covelli Center.

#GoBucks | @OhioStAthletics pic.twitter.com/GIdD3NW97u

— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) January 30, 2024

The Buckeyes will look to keep momentum in their dual at Penn State. That's easier said than done, however. Like, much easier.

The Nittany Lions are back-to-back national champions (and have won 10 titles since Cael Sanderson took over as head coach in 2010) and feature a roster full of incredible talent, including No. 1-ranked wrestlers Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (HWT), among others.

Here's how Ohio State's 10-man lineup compares to Penn State’s:

Last week, Ohio State-Michigan had nine of 10 bouts feature ranked-on-ranked action. This week, Ohio State-Penn State has eight of 10. That's some high-quality wrestling between the Buckeyes and their opponents, folks.

We'll have all the need-to-know information here at Eleven Warriors after the match.

See you later.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “We Are Young” - Fun.

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