Welcome to the Skull Session.
The bye week is almost over.
As my co-worker Andy would say, "Huzzah."
Have a good Thursday.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY… MONEY! Make it back-to-back Skull Sessions with section titles in honor of The O’Jays – a band I learned on Wednesday originated in Shaker Heights, Ohio!
While the MONEY section in the Wednesday Skull Session referred to a potential scheduling agreement between the Big Ten and SEC, the MONEY section in the Thursday version of the Eleven Warriors Morning Constitutional looks at the size of the Brink’s truck Ohio State needs to deliver Ryan Day his over $10 million salary to be school’s head football coach.
This week, USA TODAY shared the results of its annual coaching compensation survey, which revealed Day is the second-highest paid coach in the Big Ten behind Lincoln Riley (USC) and the fifth-highest paid coach in college football behind Kirby Smart (Georgia), Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Steve Sarkisian (Texas) and Riley.
Day will earn $10.02 million guaranteed this academic year, a number that includes a $9.95 million base pay and a $75,000 endorsement deal from Kroger. He can also make up to $1.55 million in performance-based incentives, including:
- $50,000 for a Big Ten championship appearance
- $250,000 for a Big Ten championship
- $100,000 for a first-round appearance in the College Football Playoff, $250,000 for a quarterfinal appearance, $350,000 for a semifinal appearance, $500,000 for a championship game appearance or $1 million for a championship
- $50,000 for being named Big Ten Coach of the Year and $100,000 for being named a national coach of the year
- $50,000 for a team GPA above 3.0, $100,000 for a 3.3 or $150,000 for a 3.5
With or without those incentives, Ohio State needs a massive Brink’s truck for Day. Some think he’s earned that with his 61-9 overall record, two Big Ten titles, three College Football Playoff appearances and one national championship appearance. Yet, there are others who think he hasn’t because of his teams’ shortcomings over the past three-plus years – especially in big games.
No matter the camp each Ohio State fan finds themselves in seven weeks into the 2024 college football season, Day has a chance to earn favor from all fans as the Buckeyes enter the second half of the year. A top-three win over Penn State here, a win over Michigan there, a Big Ten championship, a College Football Playoff appearance, a national championship? It’s all there for Day to take. If he does, Buckeye Nation will love him forever. If he doesn’t, there could be calls for Ross Bjork to collect donations for Day’s… ** checks notes **… $37.28 million buyout.
THE BEST RECEIVERS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL? Remember when Jeremiah Smith broke the internet with his one-handed catches in Ohio State’s win over Michigan State?
TWO UNBELIEVEABLE ONE-HANDED CATCHES BY JEREMIAH SMITH
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2024
THEY CAN'T GUARD HIM pic.twitter.com/vGUUs6rn41
After the Buckeyes beat the Spartans, Smith took the podium for a press conference and then headed to Ohio State’s team bus, where he tuned in to Alabama-Georgia. The first moment he saw was Alabama freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams’ 75-yard touchdown to seal a 41-34 win for the Crimson Tide.
ABSOLUTE SCENES IN TUSCALOOSA!!!
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2024
RYAN WILLIAMS WITH A 75-YARD TD TO RETAKE THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/pvc9ML7E7G
“He made that big catch, and I was like, ‘Woah, yeah, he’s different,” Smith told Richard Johnson of CBS Sports last week.
Then Smith made a bold claim.
“I feel like we’re the best receivers in the country right now as freshmen,” he said.
It’s interesting. I would have thought a comment like that would have made more headlines. But here we are, one week after Johnson posted the article in which it was featured, and I saw it Wednesday on X. There could be several reasons the comment failed to generate buzz – from impersonal to personal, from unknown social media algorithms to my overall lack of awareness (again, smooth-brained Skull Session writer here).
Or another reason could be that it’s not as controversial as I think?
Through six games, Smith has 34 touches (32 receptions, two carries) for 585 yards and eight touchdowns, while Smith has 24 touches (23 receptions, one carry) for 578 yards and seven scores. Both receivers were in-season additions to the Biletnikoff watch list, making them two of almost 60 running backs, tight ends and wide receivers nominated for the award.
For an 18 and 17-year-old, that’s insane.
Smith’s got a point!
COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S TOP NEWCOMERS. Smith and Williams are two of the best receivers in college football. They are also two of the best “newcomers” in the sport, according to Eli Lederman and Max Olson of ESPN.
This week, Lederman and Olson identified the top 50 newcomers in college football. They featured five Buckeyes in the top 16, including Smith (No. 2), Seth McLaughlin (No. 9), Will Howard (No. 10), Caleb Downs (No. 14) and Quinshon Judkins (No. 16). Williams checked in at No. 3 behind Smith.
No. 2 - Jeremiah Smith
Smith, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound freshman, is already one of college football's most complete wide receivers halfway through his debut season. Through six games, he leads Ohio State's primary receiving corps in yards (553), yards per reception (17.3) and touchdowns (seven). These are not empty calories, either. Smith's seven contested catches rank tied for 19th nationally, and he hasn't dropped a pass since the Buckeyes' opening drive of the season. He has added a series of one-handed grabs and had an impressive performance in a loss to Oregon Saturday night.
No. 9 - Seth McLaughlin
McLaughlin was a 24-game starter over the previous three seasons at Alabama, and he's now an integral part of one of the nation's best offensive lines. McLaughlin has played the third-most snaps within a Buckeyes blocking unit that has allowed only five sacks (10th fewest) and paved the way for a rushing attack averaging 5.9 yards per carry this fall. Ten months after his snapping struggles spilled over at the Rose Bowl, McLaughlin is putting together an All-American-caliber season in Columbus.
No. 10 - Will Howard
A second-team All-Big 12 selection a year ago, Howard was the choice to replace Kyle McCord and take charge of a Buckeyes offense that has national title expectations. He has settled in through six games, sitting fourth among all Power 4 starters in completion percentage (73.3%), sixth in QBR (87.7) and 25th nationally in passing (1,574 yards). Howard's inexplicable game-ending slide in Saturday's loss to Oregon overshadowed a performance in which he completed 28 of 35 passes for 326 yards and three total touchdowns and shouldn't distract from his role driving the nation's sixth-highest scoring offense (43.5 PPG).
No. 14 - Caleb Downs
Prior to Week 6, only one defense across the country had yet to allow a completion over 30 yards this fall, and it was the one that has Downs, the dominant sophomore, starting at free safety. The reigning Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year winner after a prolific debut season at Alabama, Downs has transitioned seamlessly into Jim Knowles' secondary, logging 25 tackles and a half sack across six games in which he has been targeted just twice. Perhaps the most coveted portal defender last offseason, Downs is living up to the hype with the Buckeyes.
No. 16 - Quinshon Judkins
Joining TreVeyon Henderson this fall, Judkins now makes up half of one of the nation's best running back tandems. A two-time 1,000-plus rusher at Ole Miss, Judkins ranks 46th in total yardage (491 yards) among FBS rushers while splitting carries with Henderson, but his 6.9 yards per attempt ranks 20th nationally. With 269 rushing yards after contact this fall, Judkins' physical running style looks Big Ten-ready and prepared for the long haul of a deep Buckeyes playoff run.
Beyond Ohio State, Oregon had several representatives on the list, including quarterback Dillon Gabriel at No. 7, defensive tackle Derrick Harmon at No. 12, cornerback Jabbar Muhammad at No. 44 and wide receiver Evan Stewart at No. 50.
Some of the Buckeyes’ future regular-season opponents had players near the top of the rankings, including Nebraska with quarterback Dylan Raiola (No. 34); Penn State with cornerback A.J. Harris (No. 18); and Indiana with quarterback Kurtis Rourke (No. 5), wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (No. 21) and defensive tackle Mikail Kamara (No. 28).
HOOPS, HOOPS. HOOPS. Ohio is a football state. But I think — I think! — basketball is the second-favorite sport among most Ohioans. I could be off in that assumption, but that’s how I see it. And if that assumption is correct, I think those in the Buckeye State will love what Jake Diebler has cooked up for the future.
According to Adam Jardy of The Columbus Dispatch, Diebler organized a Zoom call with Cincinnati coach Wes Miller, Dayton coach Anthony Grant and Xavier coach Sean Miller to discuss the potential of a tournament involving all four programs.
“As someone who grew up in Ohio and is a product of the basketball culture here in Ohio, to get these four programs together, it just made too much sense,” Diebler told Jardy. “Being the head coach at Ohio State, I believe you have a responsibility to keep pushing the basketball community to grow and anything we can do to help that in our state is important.”
Diebler said Wes Miller, Grant and Sean Miller have the same desire.
“I think all four of us are board figuring out a way to continue this,” Diebler said. “If it’s these off-site deals, if we could travel throughout the state and do it, I think we’re all open to seeing where this could go, which I believe it’s going to be really, really impactful. We’re already seeing it’s going to be impactful this year but has the potential to grow.”
Things I’d love to see: this.
But here’s what I’d love to see more: Get all the Division I programs involved. That could be too tall a task for Diebler and Co. to tackle off the bat, but if this tournament ever comes to fruition, I’d want to see Akron, Bowling Green, Cleveland State, Kent State, Miami, Ohio, Toledo, Youngstown State and Wright State in there, too. That would be a great tournament – one much better than the Emerald Coast Classic or whatever it is the Buckeyes won last year.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Cardiac Arrest" - Bad Suns.
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