Welcome to the Skull Session.
Ohio State football has big movie stars.
Lights. Cameras. Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/5dCPWrMupu
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 8, 2024
Have a good Thursday.
HE’S THE GUY. This week, former Ohio State quarterback Greg Frey appeared on “The Buckeye Show” on 97.1 The Fan. In a 10-minute interview, former Ohio State defensive back Tyvis Powell and Ryan Baker asked Frey to share his takes on the Buckeyes’ quarterback room, Will Howard, Devin Brown, Julian Sayin and more.
On whether it’s an “issue” that Ohio State hasn’t named its QB1
“No. I’m looking from the outside in like anyone else, but my gut instinct on it is that with NIL it’s a different deal. If you look back to last fall, they waited to announce the starter, and then the day after that, you see both of these guys promoting their NIL products. I think behind the scenes you got that going on, too, which adds another layer that didn’t exist a couple of years ago. I could be wrong about that — maybe Ryan likes to wait, I don’t know — but that’s my guess as to why they’re waiting.”
On what he looks for in a quarterback
“For me, you have to have a guy who’s a great decision-maker. That might be first and foremost. I’m looking for mental and physical toughness, especially mentally tough — you have to be mentally tough to play the quarterback position at Ohio State with everything you have to deal with there. You have to understand what the coaches want to accomplish in the offensive scheme. You have to understand where the football needs to go. You have to be able to anticipate defenses and read defenses. Those are obvious. But ultimately, to me, it’s the intangibles of being a good decision-maker, having mental toughness and having leadership capabilities on top of all of that. There are a lot of qualities that go into being a big-time, successful quarterback. Clearly, that’s what they’re looking for now.”
On Will Howard
“I was lucky to get to meet him after the spring game. I asked him a couple of questions — and I was blown away — I asked him about how he’s being coached. He said, ‘I asked Ryan (Day) and Chip (Kelly) to coach me hard, and they are. Frankly, I didn’t really get coached that much in detail at Kansas State.’ I said, ‘Well, what do you mean?’ He said, ‘There wasn’t a lot of detail to the coaching with reads and progressions.’ It just blew me away. But what I gathered from that is that this is a kid who has a lot of experience. He was second-team All-Big 12 last year. He’s got game experience. That’s a significant leg up on anybody else. He wants to be coached. He’s a bright young man. I think they have a guy that’s got tremendous upside and knows how to win. I’d be shocked if he’s not the guy — I really would be, knowing those things. I haven’t watched the film, to be honest. I want to. I’m really curious to see what I see. But knowing all of that, I think he’s the guy.”
On whether the QBs need to be “good” with Ohio State’s WR talent
“Well, I think if you look back to last year, you could have said the same thing. I would say that the quarterback room was subpar, which is why that room has changed radically. It was not up to what I think it should have been. I’m quite sure that if Ryan Day was on this call — he may say it more diplomatically than I would — but it was subpar given the amount of skill that was around. But, yes, I would have loved to play with a receiver corps like that. You become a distributor of the football. You’re a point guard. Get rid of the ball to where it needs to go on time. Be accurate with it. Let the players make plays. That’s as simple as you can put it. That’s a strong receiver room right there, so I’m a little jealous.”
On Devin Brown
“I love it. I’m a little bit old school. When you stick around and you stay, although the parameters now are a lot different, I think it’s a good thing that he stayed. I like that he’s showing his toughness and showing that he’s not afraid to compete. That doesn’t mean he’s gonna get the job. You don’t get a reward for that, either. They don’t give you a sticker for that. But I think, in the big picture, that bodes well for a lot of other guys staying, too. There’s a lot of positive things happening in the program. Guys are sticking around because they want to be a part of that, and I think that’s great.”
On Julian Sayin
“The kid that impressed me in that quarterback room is Julian Sayin. That kid is gonna play. I don’t know when it’s gonna be, but that kid understands where the ball needs to go. He gets it out of his hand, and he’s accurate. He thoroughly impressed me in the little bit that I saw. Mark that down. Mark my words. I think he’s gonna jump a few spots. It may not happen right away, but that kid really impressed me.”
While all of what Frey said was great, I believe the part that stood out the most was his description of Howard. He called the 6-foot-5, 242-pound quarterback “the guy” and said he would be “shocked” if Howard didn’t start for the Buckeyes this season.
That’s a rather roaring endorsement of the former Kansas State signal-caller and Big 12 champion.
As a reminder, Frey was a co-captain for the Buckeyes in the late 1980s. He is the only quarterback in Ohio State history with three seasons of 2,000 passing yards and ranks in the top five in single-game passing yards (362), career pass attempts (835), career pass completions (443) and career passing yards (6,316).
Oh, and he also led one of the most remarkable comebacks in college football history, leading the 1989 Buckeyes back from a 31-0 deficit to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 41-37 in the Metro Dome in Minneapolis.
All of that said, Frey’s endorsement should carry some weight in Buckeye Nation. If Frey thinks Howard’s the guy, Howard’s probably the guy.
But time will tell, I guess.
NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS. Another note on Howard: Sportsbooks across the United States recently updated their Heisman Trophy odds when spring football ended, and according to consensus lines from The Action Network, Howard’s odds of +1500 rank fifth behind Georgia’s Carson Beck (+900), Texas’ Quinn Ewers (+900), Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (+1000) and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (+1400).
Here are the top 14 best odds to win the Heisman (FanDuel):
- Georgia QB Carson Beck (+900)
- Texas QB Quinn Ewers (+900)
- Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel (+1000)
- Alabama QB Jalen Milroe (+1400)
- Ohio State QB Will Howard (+1500)
- Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart (+1800)
- LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier (+2000)
- Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava (+2000)
- Miami QB Cam Ward (+2500)
- Kansas State QB Avery Johnson (+3000)
- Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold (+3000)
- Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard (+3000)
- Florida State QB D.J. Uiagalelei (+3000)
- Arizona QB Noah Fifita (+3000)
Sure seems like Vegas thinks Howard is the guy, too.
Interestingly, Julian Sayin has the next-best odds among Ohio State quarterbacks at +5000 as Devin Brown checks in at +8000. Most, if not all, sportsbooks do not offer lines for Lincoln Kienholz and Air Noland.
WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUES. For the second time in as many months, an Ohio State club football received a call-up to the Big Leagues. Following in the footsteps of his teammate Glorien Gough, wide receiver and defensive back Zach Hayes will join Ohio State’s roster as a walk-on in 2024.
“We are certainly going to miss Zach’s contributions to our team, but we are elated that he has the opportunity to walk on at Ohio State,” club football head coach (and former Eleven Warriors writer!) James Grega Jr. said in a statement. “Zach is a very versatile athlete and will bring a very unique skill set to the Buckeyes. We are excited to see him fulfill his dream of walking on.”
Dream come true pic.twitter.com/oZqDFgVkmA
— Zach Hayes (@zach_hayes4) May 3, 2024
In 2023, Hayes appeared in eight games for the club football team and started each game on both sides of the ball.
As a wide receiver, Hayes led the National Club Football Association with 43 receptions. He ranked third in the league with 550 receiving yards and second with eight touchdowns. Hayes earned first-team NFCA All-American honors for his efforts at the position.
As a cornerback and safety, Hayes finished the year with 20 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one interception, earning honorable mention NCFA All-American honors for his performances on that side of the ball.
The two newest walk-ons for @OhioStateFB https://t.co/Ij1QfZU2Mf pic.twitter.com/hYWb6D67Fy
— Ohio State Club Football (@ClubFootballOSU) May 3, 2024
A graduate of Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Illinois, Hayes won a 5A state championship in high school. Hayes was one of the Roadrunners' top contributors the year they won the title, starting in over a dozen games as a wide receiver, defensive back and kicker.
All in all, Hayes sounds like a DAWG, as Pat McAfee and his crew yell.
I wish him the best of luck with the Buckeyes.
BODY BY MICK. Following its Open House at the Woody and 10 Units Strong Experience, The 1870 Society has another legen–wait for it–dary event around the corner: Friday Night Lift at the Powerhouse.
The 1870 Society cordially invites you to the legendary St. John Arena for Friday Night Lift at the Powerhouse on Friday, June 21, 2024.
Join Director of Football Sport Performance Mickey Marotti, the Ohio State football team, emcee Bobby Carpenter, and more at the "Powerhouse" at the arena in this unique, behind-the-scenes event.
For the first time ever, Buckeye fans are invited to watch players participate in a weight training session. You won't want to miss this exclusive opportunity.
The event kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 21 with the session to last until 6:30 p.m. Following the lift, fans are invited to stick around for autographs from student-athlete partners of The 1870 Society.
Tickets for the event are available in several packages, including individual tickets, VIP tickets, family tickets and group tickets. Here are the prices for each package (all attendees will receive an exclusive Ohio State football poster):
- $100 - Individual Ticket
- $250 - VIP Ticket (includes early entry, pre-event floor access, front-row seating)
- $250 - Family Package (includes two adults and up to three children 18 and under)
- $800 - Group Ticket (includes up to 10 attendees, adult or children)
Space for the event is limited, so if you want to learn how to have a Body By Mick or just watch Ohio State football players create their Body By Mick, register and secure your spot today!
Who knows? You may even run into me there!
That’s the best reason to go, obviously.
SONG OF THE DAY. “Drops of Jupiter” - Train.
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