Welcome to the Skull Session.
Happy Independence Day.
Have a fun and safe holiday.
Word of the Day: Free
“RYAN DAY IS A WINNER.” This week, Ross Bjork started his tenure as Ohio State’s athletic director, succeeding Gene Smith after his 19 years in the role. Before Bjork settled into his office at the Fawcett Center, Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch interviewed the Kansas native and asked him to share his opinion of Ohio State football coach Ryan Day.
“He’s been great,” Bjork told Rabinowitz. “He’s one of the smartest coaches I’ve ever been around in my career. … I love his energy. I love his passion. I think I can help him in a lot of ways. Look, we’re in this thing together. We know what the expectations are. That’s what he signed up for. That’s what I signed up for. Let’s go and keep building this thing the right way and make sure we meet those expectations.”
Bjork added that he’s been impressed with the culture Day has created at Ohio State. When examining Day’s five years as head coach, Bjork said Day has enhanced the program in how he cares for his staff and roster.
“You can have all the talent in the world, and by all accounts, our roster is one of the best rosters, if not the best roster, in the country,” Bjork said, “but in today’s environment, if the culture and the leadership is not at the highest level, then you won’t be successful. … He has really, really focused on those components in the offseason. He’s really dialed in on making sure that there’s cohesion in culture and leadership from players to coaches. Everybody’s on the same page. That’s the thing I’ve been most impressed about.”
For all the talk about 2024 being a make-or-break season for Day or a national title or bust season for Ohio State, Bjork told Rabinowitz it’s important to rate success on more than “the scoreboard.” Still, Bjork reiterated that he and Day understand “what the expectations are” for Ohio State this fall and that he expects the Buckeyes to meet them.
“Ryan Day is a winner,” Bjork said. “There’s no question about that. He knows what he’s doing at the highest level. So, how do we continue to support him and support the program? We all know what the expectations are, so I think you have to look at the totality of how the program is led on a day-to-day basis. If we have the right person and there are little things that are barriers we need to knock down, then that’s my job to help him get through those things.”
All of Bjork’s comments combine to create a massive vote of confidence in Day. But also note, he said, “We know what the expectations are” like 1,000 times. That tells me Bjork likes Day, but if the head coach cannot accomplish the team’s goals this fall, including beating “That Team Up North” as a goal of utmost importance, the already hot seat Day sits on could get that much hotter next offseason.
THANKS, SNOOP DOGGY DOG. Before C.J. Stroud became the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the Houston Texans to the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, he was a 12-year-old quarterback in Snoop Dogg’s youth football league in Los Angeles.
In a recent feature from DJ Bien-Amie of ESPN, Stroud’s mother, Kimberly, discussed the start of her son’s football career in California, including how Snoop Dogg and his league helped Stroud put his best foot forward as a preteen.
“The Snoop Dogg league was super instrumental in C.J.’s journey,” Kimberly said. “It was a village that raised C.J. Stroud. It wasn’t just his mother. It was mainly God, but He put people on our path to help C.J. along his journey. The Snoop Dogg league was one of those.”
Kimberly said C.J. took to the league and his new team immediately. According to Priest Brooks, his team’s head coach, C.J.’s teammates “locked onto him,” and so did he. Brooks became a father figure to C.J. after his dad, Coleridge, had been sentenced to 38 years to life in prison.
Throwback to when @SnoopDogg revealed that CJ Stroud came up playing in his youth football league pic.twitter.com/XQvXBdNiqO
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 19, 2024
“Coach was such an amazing person,” Kimberly said. “He was so instrumental for C.J. during the harder years of his adolescence — when dad wasn’t there anymore, when mom was working long days.”
Kimberly said Brooks often welcomed C.J. and his teammates into his home. There, C.J. connected with Snoop Dogg, and he and Snoop have remained connected years later.
“It’s special because (Stroud) is what we breed kids to be,” Snoop told Bien-Amie. “Good students, good athletes, respecting their elders, their parents and being a great listener. C.J. was a great listener. That’s what he’s translating on that football field into a great leader. … I like to get information from him because he’s the future. … So, to be able to tap in with the youth and stay active. That’s a gift. I love the fact that my football league has created that.”
I love it, too.
Who would have thought C.J. Stroud hanging out with Snoop Dogg would lead him to Ohio State and the NFL?
JOEY BACKUP. In a recent interview with Complex Sports, former Ohio State and current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was asked to compare life in Ohio to life in Louisiana, where he spent his final two college seasons at LSU.
While Burrow said Louisianna has better food and a “more passionate” sports culture — he said Louisianans have little to root for compared to Ohioans, as LSU, the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans are the three teams of record in the state — the Athens, Ohio, native credited his home state with better weather, nature and nightlife.
Joe Burrow chooses between Louisiana and Ohio on a new episode of #HereOrThere @JoeyB
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) July 1, 2024
"Louisiana's fans are more passionate..." pic.twitter.com/TJl1mIkjjb
Regarding the nightlife in Ohio and Louisiana, Burrow admitted he experienced more of it in the former than the latter. That’s because he was living “the backup quarterback lifestyle” in Columbus.
“I really didn’t go out in Louisiana like that,” Burrow said. “I was living the backup quarterback lifestyle at Ohio State. I could be wrong.”
I don’t know exactly what Burrow means, but if I had to guess, he had more than his fair share of visits to High Street during his three years at Ohio State.
One night at Out-R-Inn, another night at Little Bar and another night at Threes Above High, the Library, the Bier Stube, Ethyl & Tank, Ugly Tuna or another watering hole.
You get the picture.
THE MAN IN THE ARENA... Cincinnati native and Winton Woods High School senior Justin Hill committed to Alabama over Ohio State on Wednesday.
While it hurts to miss on the No. 6 edge and No. 58 overall prospect in the 2025 class, Ohio State's coaches cannot dwell on Hill's unfortunate decision. Instead, those coaches must look ahead to Saturday, when four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn will choose between Ohio State, USC, Texas and Texas A&M.
Given James Laurinaitis' recent X posts, I think the Ohio State linebackers coach gets the memo...
The Man in the Arena
— James Laurinaitis (@JLaurinaitis55) July 2, 2024
— James Laurinaitis (@JLaurinaitis55) July 3, 2024
Go get 'em, Threes.
SONG OF THE DAY. “America” - Lee Greenwood.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Yes, some animals can have babies without a mate. Here’s how... Flying objects and shrunken heads: World UFO Day feted amid surge in sightings, government denials... Open on July 4: Retailers and airlines. Closed: Government, banks, stock market... Cape Cod residents heartbroken by dolphin deaths... Americans celebrate Fourth of July.
