Skull Session: Jim Tressel Joins the Baldwin Wallace Board of Trustees, Phil Steele Names 12 Buckeyes Preseason All-Big Ten Honorees and Taylor Mikesell Heads Overseas

By Chase Brown on June 27, 2024 at 5:00 am
Jim Tressel
Doug Hise / Correspondent
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

EA Sports College Football 25 is almost here.

Have a good Thursday.

 BACK WHERE IT ALL STARTED. Jim Tressel is headed home.

On Monday, Baldwin Wallace named Tressel to its Board of Trustees. Given the Tressel family's loooooong legacy at the university as alumni, athletes and coaches, Baldwin Wallace chairman Lee Thomas said Tressel's experience with the school, as well as his experience as a football coach and academic administrator, make him a valuable addition to the board.

“BW has a diverse and talented board,” Thomas said in a statement. “But Jim represents a rare opportunity to add the voice of a university president, which is especially valuable as we navigate a challenging environment for all of higher education.”

In the same statement, Tressel thanked his alma mater for the chance to serve.

“Due to the exceptional preparation at BW, I was blessed to enjoy a 47-year career in higher education,” Tressel said. “As I accept the honor of serving on the BW Board, I am certain that my mom and dad would be proud that I seek to serve their beloved Yellow Jackets.”

Tressel graduated from Berea High School in 1971 and attended Baldwin Wallace from 1971-74. While he pursued a degree in education, Tressel played quarterback for the Yellow Jackets, becoming a four-year letterwinner and winning all-conference honors as a senior.

The son of Lee Tressel, a Baldwin Wallace alumnus and coach of the Yellow Jackets' football team for 23 seasons, Jim Tressel started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Akron. After several assistant coaching roles, Tressel became the head coach at Youngstown State, where he won four Division I-AA national titles. He then coached at Ohio State, where he compiled a 94-22 record and won the 2002 BCS national championship.

Following his 35-year coaching career, Tressel was Akron's executive vice president for student success from 2012-14. Tressel then spent the next nine years as Youngstown State's president and retired from the position in 2023.

Now, he lives in Florida, has a podcast and is a member of the Baldwin Wallace Board of Trustees.

How's that for a retirement plan?

 PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN SZN. Last week, Phil Steele released his preseason All-American teams for the 2024 college football season. Seven Buckeyes appeared on the list, including Donovan Jackson and Tyleik Williams on the first team, TreVeyon Henderson, JT Tuimoloau, Caleb Downs and Denzel Burke on the second team and Emeka Egbuka on the third team.

This week, we'll look at where Steele ranked Ohio State's preseason All-Big Ten teams:

First Team

  • Running back TreVeyon Henderson
  • Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka
  • Offensive lineman Donovan Jackson
  • Defensive end JT Tuimoloau
  • Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams
  • Cornerback Denzel Burke
  • Safety Caleb Downs

Second Team

  • Offensive lineman Josh Fryar
  • Defensive end Jack Sawyer

Third Team

  • Quarterback Will Howard
  • Running back Quinshon Judkins
  • Cornerback Davison Igbinosun

I just have one question: What does Steele have against Quinshon? The two-time first-team All-SEC running back gets demoted to third-team All-Big Ten?

Wait, that was two questions...

 NEW BEGINNINGS. Former Ohio State women's basketball standout Taylor Mikesell will continue her professional career in Munich, Germany, this summer after she signed a one-year contract with Gernika Bizkaia.

"I have heard good things about the town, the club, and the fans," Mikesell said in a team press release. "I am very excited to get to know my new teammates and start the season."

A three-time All-Big Ten honoree at Ohio State, Mikesell averaged 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for her college career, which also included two years at Maryland and one year at Oregon. She also shot 43.4% from the floor, 42% from behind the 3-point line and 88.3% from the free-throw line in five seasons.

The Indiana Fever selected Mikesell with a second-round pick (No. 12 overall) in the 2023 WNBA draft, but the team waived her that summer. Three weeks into the regular season, Mikesell signed with the Atlanta Dream and appeared in nine games. This past offseason, Mikesell earned a camp invite with the Los Angeles Sparks but did not make the final roster.

The Massillon, Ohio, native will now pursue a career in Bavaria. Gernika Bizkaia head coach Lucas Fernandez is excited for her arrival.

"We are sure she will be an excellent creator on offense," Fernandez said. "Her most notable attribute is her 3-point shooting, which she can execute from any situation, whether it's clean shots or under pressure."

Best of luck in Germany, Taylor.

See a Bayern Munich game for me.

 CIRCLING BACK... Hire coaches. Build buildings. 

Those responsibilities matter the most when we evaluate an athletic director's performance at colleges and universities across America.

With one week before he becomes Ohio State's next athletic director, Ross Bjork earned much experience with the former as special advisor to Ohio State president Ted Carter and current athletic director Gene Smith.

Since he arrived in Columbus on March 1, Bjork has hired four new head coaches: Jake Diebler (men's basketball), Kirin Kumar (softball), Justin Haire (baseball) and Emily Gackowski (rowing). While two of those hires involved the promotion of former assistant coaches, the work required to install that many program leaders is considerable.

So far, I've been impressed with Bjork's choices.

Ohio State's impressive run to the end of last season endeared me to Diebler. Then, he retained Bruce Thorton, landed Meechie Johnson, Aaron Stewart and Sean Stewart from the transfer portal and put on a public relations masterclass with the Buckeyes' "Vet Week." All of those developments have increased excitement around the program tenfold.

Kumar and Haire both come to Columbus with decorated resumes. Kumar was a two-time MAC Coach of the Year at Miami, winning four MAC regular-season championships and three MAC Tournament titles. Haire was a four-time Big South Coach of the Year, winning five Big South regular-season championships and four Big South Tournament titles. Both coaches should continue their success at Ohio State, where it's been far too long since the Buckeyes hoisted Big Ten trophies and made NCAA Tournament appearances.

Gackowski, Bjork's latest hire, was a veteran assistant for the Buckeyes before she earned a promotion. Gackowski was well-respected in college coaching circles for several years, and those who follow women's rowing expect her to lead Ohio State back to prominence.

Time will tell if Diebler, Kumar, Haire and Gackowski were the correct hires and if Bjork gets to build buildings on Ohio State's campus. But for now, I've liked what I've seen from Bjork, and I hope the trend continues.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Back Where It All Begins” - Allman Brothers Band.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. New Jersey man flies to Florida to attack another player over an online gaming dispute, deputies say... Americans favored to top overall medal count in Paris Olympics. China will challenge for most gold... Two pandas are preparing to head to San Diego Zoo from China... It's a “Forrest Gump” reunion: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright get de-aged in new film “Here”.

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