Welcome to the Skull Session.
Look at Jamison Battle, man, so inspirational.
Jamison Battle lands a contract with the Toronto Raptors after scoring 23 points across their first two NBA Summer League games. https://t.co/uoB7TYxsER
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) July 17, 2024
Have a good Wednesday.
THE BEST IN THE B1G. Bill Connelly of ESPN has released previews this summer for each college football conference. Connelly's Big Ten preview arrived on Tuesday, and amid the thousands and thousands of words, he named Ohio State the team to beat in the conference. Here's what Connelly wrote about the Buckeyes:
No. 1 - Ohio State Buckeyes
HEAD COACH: Ryan Day (sixth full year, 56-8 overall)
2024 PROJECTION: second in SP+, 10.5 average wins (7.5 in Big Ten)
Ryan Day is 56-8 as Ohio State's head coach. That's basically like alternating between 10-2 and 11-1 in perpetuity. Almost no one in the sport does better than that. But the fact that Day's entire program seemed to have fallen into an existential crisis at the end of last season speaks to the unique pressure of a job like Ohio State. Every loss is reason for panic, and a loss to your chief rival is equivalent to a five-game losing streak.
The Buckeyes have lost to Michigan (and failed to reach the Big Ten championship) for three straight seasons, and while they still reached the CFP in one of those years, that's not a great way to win hearts and minds in Columbus. If the team lives up to its capabilities this fall, however, hearts and minds will be swayed. Ohio State has the single-most proven unit in the country — third-year coordinator Jim Knowles' defense, which surged to second in defensive SP+ and returns 10 of the 14 players with 200-plus snaps — and an offense with the five-star talent, new coaching input and new quarterbacks who could allow it to bounce back after a down year. It's amazing to think back to what we were saying about the Buckeyes' defense heading into last season. After getting torched by Michigan and Georgia late in the 2022 season, Knowles had some proof-of-concept issues, but those all went away with a brilliant 2023. Ohio State ranked eighth in success rate allowed, gave up almost no big plays and dominated up front. This year's line includes stars in ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer and tackle Tyleik Williams. The secondary returns four of five starters and replaces one star safety (Josh Proctor) with another (Alabama transfer Caleb Downs). A couple of good linebackers are gone, but veterans Sonny Styles and Cody Simon both played and played well last year.
Granted, the Buckeyes still had the third-best offense in the defense-heavy Big Ten, but their No. 34 offensive SP+ ranking was their worst since 2011; they had one genuine weakness — they were a grisly 123rd in goal-to-go TD rate (and ranking 37th in rushing success rate and 31st on passing downs is unacceptable for this talent level) — but down for down they were mostly fine. To rebound, Day basically made some trades. Quarterback Kyle McCord left for Syracuse, and in came senior Will Howard (Kansas State). Most of the backup running backs left, and in their place strode Ole Miss' Quinshon Judkins, who will team with the dynamite-when-healthy TreVeyon Henderson to form a ridiculously talented backfield. At receiver, Day didn't make any major additions; he'll lean instead on senior Emeka Egbuka and a plethora of four- and five-star youngsters. Sophomore Carnell Tate caught 18 balls for 264 yards, sophomore Brandon Inniss had one catch for 58 yards and a touchdown (a great per-catch average!) and all-world freshman Jeremiah Smith was a spring star already. The line returns four starters and adds Alabama center Seth McLaughlin.
Day also brought in Chip Kelly; he hasn't been an offensive coordinator since 2008, but in 12 seasons as an FBS OC or head coach, he has fielded eight top-15 offenses (per SP+). Drag Ohio State back into the top 15, and with that defense you might have the best team in the country.
FAVORITE PLAYER: WR Emeka Egbuka. Will Howard actually ranked lower in Total QBR (23rd) than Kyle McCord did (seventh) last season. Ohio State is not guaranteed to improve a ton at QB, but while Marvin Harrison Jr. and tight end Cade Stover are gone from a receiving corps that undoubtedly propped McCord's numbers up a bit, Howard will still have Egbuka. The senior has 1,857 career receiving yards, 14 touchdowns and six career games with over 110 yards, and he has proved to be a big-time weapon on both deep routes (14 career catches for 513 yards on vertical and post routes) and the shorter, more reliable stuff (61 for 899 on outs, crosses and hooks).
Note: Connelly's Big Ten rankings were Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Iowa, UCLA, Wisconsin, Washington, Nebraska, Maryland, Minnesota, Rutgers, Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan State and Indiana.
As preseason King of the Conference, Ohio State has three regular season games that rank among the best in the league, Connelly stated. Those games were Ohio State at Oregon, Ohio State at Penn State and, of course, Ohio State vs. Michigan.
Oh, and one more item to address: Connelly has the Buckeyes' chances of winning the Big Ten title at 30.9% and winning 11+ games at 51.8%.
It's gonna be a fun year in Columbus.
THAT'S QUITE THE PAIR. This week, Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked the top running backs in college football entering 2024. While Brugler slotted Ashton Jeanty (Boise State), Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State) and Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) ahead of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, he made another belief clear: Ohio State possesses the best running back duo in America.
No. 4 - Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
What he does best: Reactionary reads
Aside from his run anger and athleticism, Judkins has a unique ability to stay on his feet because of his body balance to absorb contact and his quick eyes to react to the pursuit geometry. Although his sophomore stats weren’t as eye-popping as his freshman numbers, Judkins still finished top-five in the country last season in forced missed tackles (78) and led the SEC with 75.2 percent of his rushing yardage coming after contact (up from 59.3 percent in 2022). Good backs can attack defenses on designed runs. Great backs make reactionary reads to adjust on the fly when pursuit shuts down the intended path.
Must improve: Third-down consistency
Most college backs are below average in pass protection, so it is important to have realistic expectations when scouting the position. Considering his size and ability, however, I had higher hopes for Judkins as a blocker. Based on last year’s tape, he had a few bright moments in pass pro, but he’s very green and struggles to stay square to rushers due to mistimed hand strikes and confused footwork. Judkins didn’t see a lot of targets as a pass catcher last season, but he was adequate catching the football as a screen/dump-off option.
2024 season/2025 NFL Draft outlook
Just a three-star recruit out of high school, Judkins made an immediate splash as a freshman at Ole Miss with 1,567 rushing yards (falling just short of Herschel Walker’s SEC freshman record). He rushed for 1,158 yards last season as a sophomore, although his yards per carry dropped from 5.7 to 4.3. This offseason, he entered the transfer portal and signed with Ohio State, joining TreVeyon Henderson to form the best running back duo in college football in 2024. I don’t think Judkins will blow anyone away with his athletic testing, but he has a natural feel for the position and runs with patience, balance and quickness through the hole. Though he needs to show continued development as a blocker and receiver, he doesn’t fumble the football and competes with necessary finishing toughness. Judkins starts the season as a projected Day 2 draft pick.
No. 5 - TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
What he does best: Open-field run skills
Henderson is a home-run threat any time he gets the ball with any type of space. He can stack cuts on cuts on cuts (usually to the outside) without stopping his feet before smashing the accelerator to outrace pursuit to pay dirt.
Must improve: Patience on inside runs
Henderson is built low to the ground and can grind through contact with low pad level. But he also tends to make too much contact inside and isn’t as effective working through tight spaces. Instead, Henderson eagerly looks to bounce runs outside, where he can get out in space, instead of committing himself inside. His fit in Ohio State play caller Chip Kelly’s scheme, specifically same-side inside zone, will be studied closely by evaluators.
2024 season/2025 NFL Draft outlook
The top-ranked running back in the 2021 recruiting class, Henderson looked like a future first-round pick as a freshman (6.8 yards per carry in 2021). He missed time the past two seasons due to injury, but the Buckeyes offense was noticeably more dangerous when he was back on the field. Numerous Ohio State projected top-100 draft picks bypassed the 2024 NFL Draft for one more season in Columbus. Because of the nature of his position, Henderson was the most surprising of the group. His production likely will take a hit in 2024 as he shares the offensive workload with Judkins, but the backfield timeshare should help Henderson stay healthy for his senior year in Columbus.
I'll say it... Ohio State possessing Judkins and Henderson... that's unfair to the rest of college football. The Buckeyes should apologize... to absolutely nobody!
Ohio State's running back room suffered a blow last week when TC Caffey suffered a torn ACL. Even still, the Buckeyes have freshmen James Peoples (a top-100 overall recruit in the 2024 class) and Sam Williams-Dixon as the spares to Judkins and Henderson's pair. If the youngbloods can't handle the workload, we could even see Brandon Inniss or... *takes a deep breath* ... Caleb Downs tote the rock.
However the depth chart shakes out, Ohio State has the best running back duo in America – one so talented that it makes the Buckeyes' entire running back room the best in America, too.
You love to see it.
“I GREW UP OBSESSED WITH THE GAME.” Yes, coaches are thankful for the release of EA Sports College Football 25, too. Especially James Laurinaitis. This week, Max Olson and Bruce Feldman of The Athletic interviewed the Ohio State linebackers coach (and some other coaches) to learn more about his experience playing the old NCAA Football video games. His answers were so good that Olson and Feldman made him the article's header image!
I grew up obsessed with the game. Like, obsessed. Between that and Madden, I would do full dynasty mode and then I would go into franchise mode on Madden. I would export the draft classes and then draft off of that on Madden. I was so obsessed with those games, and the amount of hours I played getting through those seasons was probably incredible.
When I was in middle school, I would always use the Minnesota State Mavericks and have them going into the Big Ten. I created these purple and gold unis and these all-white unis. Then I would create myself, usually at quarterback. Of course, he was like 6-5 and could run as fast as you can and throw far and accurate. I went on a Heisman campaign as myself. Then I started to build my own dynasty.
When you’re younger, that’s how you learned all the school fight songs. That’s how I still know what fight song goes with what school.
When I got to college and was actually in the game, I just always played with Ohio State. I never really thought about playing with yourself, but I do remember having that little star underneath and it would start to pulsate whenever you were about to make a play. That was pretty sweet.
I remember Marcus Freeman being salty because in the 2007 and 2008 games, our junior and senior years, I was ranked higher than he was. That really bothered him. Marcus was terrible at the game, all right? Let’s just put that out there. He’s my boy, but I used to whip up on him all the time. We used to play all the time. There was nothing but pure joy when you played that game. I’m sure he did (win sometimes), but it didn’t feel like it. I had to have over a 90 percent winning percentage against him. We always loved to compete. When you’re playing video games, that’s one of the most competitive things you can ever get into, I think. Guys would get so heated! And that never stopped.
When I got to the NFL, the most trash-talking experience you would have was when you played a game of Madden after practice. It was insane. If someone got skunked, like 21-0, that was the most embarrassing, shameful thing that could happen to you. It’s like the “Game of Thrones” (scene) — shame! It’s just straight shame. There would be times where you would lose to someone and you wouldn’t talk to them for the rest of the day or a couple days because you’d get so salty over it.
I have three daughters now. Coaching cramps the free time to play video games.
Former Ohio State linebackers Marcus Freeman and James Laurinaitis play each other in NCAA Football 09 (Courtney Hergesheimer / The Columbus Dispatch).
Laurinaitis loved the game and he was in the game — pun intended.
As Laurinaitis mentioned in The Athletic article, he played as himself in four NCAA Football releases. In NCAA 09, Laurinaitis was a 99 overall, which placed “that little star” underneath his character. This week, that character appeared in the “CBS Sports All-EA NCAA Football Team,” spanning from 2000-13.
Spot on rating here @CBSSports
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 15, 2024
@JLaurinaitis55 x @EASPORTSCollege pic.twitter.com/rwc645pn6E
James Laurinaitis | Ohio State | 99 overall
Paul Posluszny | Penn State | 98 overall
Brandon Spikes | Florida | 98 overallThe linebacker position might be undervalued today, but that wasn't the case when EA Sports was churning out "NCAA Football" games on an annual basis. The list of linebackers to choose from was long with over a dozen of them boasting ratings in the mid-to-high 90s. Ultimately, these three stood out from the rest of the pack.
Laurinaitis was a one-man wrecking crew on defense, and you didn't really need to lock on anyone else if you were playing with the Buckeyes. The same could be said for Paul Posluszny, and Brandon Spikes was capable of causing a fumble every time anyone used the hit stick. The best part of this trio is that they also had the built-in advantage of being able to pick off a pass thrown well over their heads, a feature of every linebacker in the old "NCAA Football" games. Hopefully that gets corrected this time around.
Once a one-man wrecking crew, he now teaches Ohio State linebackers to be the same. Could we see some stars appear under Cody Simon, C.J. Hicks and Sonny Styles' names later this season? One can hope!
NO WHITE OUT, NO FUN. On Monday, Penn State football announced that its annual "White Out" will be when the program hosts Washington – not Ohio State – in 2024. Instead, Beaver Stadium will have a "Helmet Stripe" theme when the Buckeyes travel to State College in November.
I think that's lame.
APPARENTLY... prominent Penn State beat reporter Audrey Snyder feels the same.
At least Penn State didn’t make the White Out game against Illinois, right?
There’s no question that the White Out is not being used for the biggest home game of the season this year. However, the majority of Penn State fans who have participated in surveys from the athletic department, and even those who participated in The Athletic’s fan survey this month, said they prefer the White Out to be at night, regardless of opponent. The visual spectacle looks better against the night sky. The challenges associated with getting high school prospects to campus for a Saturday game at noon as opposed to 3:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. could also detract from some of the value of the White Out. The majority of fans are getting what they want, which is always important.
Still, if it was up to me, I would’ve picked Ohio State for the White Out. Lean into the biggest game on the schedule. Go all out, fully recognizing that White Out crowds are different than usual ones. Granted, some of that craziness has to do with a day full of tailgating that likely won’t happen if Penn State plays Ohio State at noon, but the Nittany Lions will need everything to try and spoil the Buckeyes’ season in November.
Should Penn State lose the previous week to Ohio State the feeling among the fanbase going into the White Out might be different. It could feel like a bit of an emotional letdown. However, in this new era of college football and with the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, one loss won’t spell the end of the season.
To be clear, I don't want Penn State to beat Ohio State. I just want the environment in Beaver Stadium to be at its best when the Buckeyes arrive. Why? Because it's fun, and college football should be fun!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Honey Hold Me" - Morningsiders.
CUT TO THE CHASE. No kidding! King Charles III bestows royal title on rare golden goat breed... Singer Ingrid Andress says she was drunk during panned MLB anthem performance, will get treatment... Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, the father of Kobe Bryant, dies at 69... LeBron James at 39 still is the center of attention for USA Basketball. That won’t change in Paris... Tiger Woods delivers stinging response to suggestion he should retire.
