Skull Session: The Buckeyes Start Preseason Camp, Ohio State Ranks Third in America in Total Reported NIL Deals and Mike Vrabel is “Excited to Be Back” in Northeast Ohio

It's called BIA for a reason...

Does Ohio State have the best secondary in the country? pic.twitter.com/Ubnevc6jz0

— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 31, 2024

Have a good Thursday.

 AT LONG LAST… Ohio State’s preseason camp is here. Before practice starts at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, I’ll share the offensive, defensive and special teams Buckeyes I’ll be keeping tabs on throughout August.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH: CARSON HINZMAN

Hinzman started in Ohio State’s 12 regular-season games in 2023, but Ryan Day and Justin Frye benched him for the Cotton Bowl because he was a little too candid in an appearance on a now-deleted podcast. Wait, no. It’s because, for some reason, Day and Frye wanted to give Matt Jones a chance to improve his draft stock. (It did not; Jones went undrafted.) 

But, hey – new year, new Hinzman. 

This preseason, Hinzman will shape two position battles on the offensive line, competing with Seth McLaughlin to start at center and, if he loses that battle, competing with Tegra Tshabola and Luke Montgomery at right guard. Regardless of where he competes, Day said last week that Hinzman “having that year under his belt is gonna pay off.” 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH: SONNY STYLES AND C.J. HICKS

With 147 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, four pass breakups and one interception in 42 career appearances, Cody Simon is a lock to be Ohio State’s middle linebacker this season. But who will be the Will linebacker? James Laurinaitis will choose between two former five-star prospects, Styles and Hicks.

In their two seasons as Buckeyes, Styles appeared in 23 games and made 13 starts at defensive back, recording 62 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one pass breakup, while Hicks appeared in 15 games, collecting 14 tackles and one tackle for loss. While Styles has an advantage in on-field experience, Hicks has an edge in positional expertise. Styles moved to linebacker in March, and while he has progressed well, he’ll need to perform well practice-to-practice in fall camp to beat out Hicks.

SPECIALIST TO WATCH: NICK MCLARTY

A 6-foot-7, 255-pound punter from Australia – I repeat, a 6-foot-7, 255-pound punter from Australia – McLarty will compete with fellow Australian Joe McGuire and Anthony Venneri, a walk-on transfer from Buffalo, to be Ohio State’s top punter this season following Jesse Mirco’s transfer to Vanderbilt. Last month, McLarty told Eleven Warriors that he’s “loving” life at Ohio State after adjusting to the 14-hour time difference. If he continues to have success this preseason, we could see the 20-year-old freshman boot the ball around for Ohio State in 2024.

 THAT’S A LOT OF DEALS. This week, JustGamblers reported that Ohio State ranks third behind Florida and Texas for the most reported name, image and likeness deals since March 2021. The Buckeyes have 286 reported NIL deals over the past three-and-a-half years, while the Gators have 498 and the Longhorns have 367.

According to a report from Amanda Tonoli of Columbus Business First, TreVeyon Henderson ranks sixth in the nation with 14 NIL deals. His sponsorships include American Eagle, Chipotle, DSW, Homage, Ricart Automotive and Value City Furniture. Henderson is also one of 85 Buckeyes featured in EA Sports College Football 25, receiving at least $600 for his participation.

Tonoli reported that several other Buckeyes, including Will Howard, Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs, are also among the college athletes with the most NIL deals.

In 2022, Day said the Buckeyes needed $13 million in NIL deals to build a roster. Last week, new athletic director Ross Bjork said Ohio State football players have received about $20 million in the past year.

While Ohio State’s athletic department declined to comment on specific NIL details and numbers with Tonoli, university president Ted Carter said the school is well off amid his appearance for the Columbus Metropolitan Club.

“We have tremendous fans. We have tremendous donors. We are leading in a lot of areas,” Carter said.

Ohio State?

Leading in a lot of areas?

What’s new?

 “I’M EXCITED TO BE BACK IN THIS AREA.” This offseason, the Tennessee Titans did not retain Mike Vrabel. Following his departure from Nashville, Vrabel moved home to Northeast Ohio for the first time in decades. An Akron native and Walsh Jesuit graduate, Vrable became a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns.

Coach Vrabel has been a major asset for this group pic.twitter.com/AdqVgP4Jlp

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) July 30, 2024

This week, Browns staff writer intern Patrick Warren wrote about the Ohio State All-American, three-time Super Bowl champion and one-time NFL Coach of the Year, detailing his return to Cleveland.

Roughly 35 years ago, Mike Vrabel was a middle schooler in Northeast Ohio wearing bright orange Browns sweatpants to school and occasionally chowing down on a dog bone.

"I absolutely ate dog bones, I mean I don't think you were a Browns fan in middle school in Northeast Ohio if you didn't try to get down a couple of those," Vrabel said July 30 during Browns training camp. "They would make the dog bones into necklaces and you just kind of go down and grab one every once in a while."

...

(Vrabel) is back in Ohio for the first time since his days working as a linebackers and defensive line coach for Urban Meyer's Ohio State teams in 2011-13. ... It's been a long journey for the former Patriots All-Pro linebacker, who went from Ohio State to the Texans before accepting his first head coaching job with the Titans in 2018. The Titans let Vrabel go after the 2023 season, where he held a 56-48 record and three postseason appearances – including a run to the AFC Championship game in 2019. ... Now, the Akron native is returning to his roots. Just months after entering the Patriots Hall of Fame, a symbol of where his football career took him, he will soon make a trip to Walsh Jesuit High School where his football career began as the school's Distinguished Alumni Award winner.

"I think that's where the foundation was. I mean Gerry Reardon was and is a good mentor for me, my high school football coach," Vrabel said. "I think that's where the foundation was laid in that education there, the community at Walsh and everything that it provided me as I went on to Ohio State and ultimately the NFL. So, I'm excited to be back in this area, that's going to allow me to be around a little bit more often and enjoy some of the things at the school."

It's not often that a team gets the chance to hire a former Coach of the Year to their staff. Yet, it's clear that Vrabel is embracing his role, stating that his goal is to help the Browns in any way he can as well as learn from the talented coaching staff Cleveland has to offer. The 48-year-old will focus on the tight ends room but will be present in all offensive meetings – providing a defensive perspective to what the Browns would like to accomplish on offense, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski.

From running sprints with QB Jameis Winston to lining up against TE David Njoku, Vrabel has been a presence on the practice field during training camp. When it comes to working with the three-time Super Bowl champion, Njoku summed it up in one word: "Awesomeness."

That’s the same word I would use when I think about Vrabel being the college football equivalent of a support staffer for the Cleveland Browns.

Awesomeness.

 “NEW HOME.” Duane Washington Jr. will take his talents overseas for the 2024-25 season, as the former Ohio State men’s basketball standout signed a contract with Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) on Tuesday.

! Brate! pic.twitter.com/iNQcCIaayj

— Duane Washington Jr. (@dwizjr) July 31, 2024

Coming off the 2024 NBA Summer League with the New York Knicks, Washington has NBA and G League experience in his three years as a professional hooper, which also included stints with the Indiana Pacers, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Phoenix Suns and Westchester Knicks. In 79 NBA appearances, Washington averaged 9.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Before his professional career, Washington spent three years at Ohio State and averaged 11.4 points, 1.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. His best season came in 2020-21 when he recorded 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest while earning third-team All-Big honors.

First and foremost, cheers to Duane Washington Jr. I am excited to see how he performs in Europe. Secondly, do I sense a future Carmen’s Crew appearance for D-Wiz?

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Ride On” - AC/DC.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. Washington, DC, sues StubHub, saying the resale platform inflates ticket prices with deceptive fees... German city renamed "Swiftkirchen" for Taylor Swift concerts gets 1,400 bids for the signs... Judge hears NFL’s motion in "Sunday Ticket" case, says jury did not follow instructions on damages... DeShaun Foster rocks a “We’re in L.A.” shirt at the first practice of fall camp.