Skull Session: Ryan Day Wants to Win Multiple National Titles As Ohio State’s Head Coach, The Athletic Picks Jeremiah Smith to Win the Next Heisman Trophy

Welcome to the Skull Session.

Wait a minute...

Tradition pic.twitter.com/JXWX6ikx4d
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 29, 2025

Have a good Wednesday.

OUR FOUNDATION > YOUR FOUNDATION. How did Ohio State win the national championship this season?

Brick by Brick.

The Foundation of the 2024 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/SaOiCmuPv3
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 29, 2025

The rain fell,

the winds came,

but it did not fall,

because it had been founded on the rock.

Ryan Day deserves that brick.

THE NEXT WOODY HAYES? This week, Day made an appearance on "The Steam Room" podcast with Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley. The co-hosts asked him whether he would ever want to become an NFL head coach. Day, who will enter his seventh season at Ohio State in 2025, said the collegiate level is where he wants to be.

"I would never wanna say, 'I would never consider it,' because you don't know how these things change," Day said. "I was in the NFL for two years and had a great experience there and it's a great league. But now, the impact we can make on young people is, to me, more impactful in college. That's why I got into this game. It's to (make an impact on young people), and that's what I want to do."

If Day ever wanted to coach in the NFL, he has the résumé to do it: A 70-10 record, a national championship, four College Football Playoff appearances and two Big Ten titles. He's also produced 36 NFL draft picks, including 10 first-round selections, in addition to numerous award winners and All-Americans.

Yet, with accomplishments up the wazoo, Day has more he wants to accomplish at the collegiate level rather than the professional.

"Woody Hayes is the last (coach) to win multiple national championships at Ohio State," Day said. "That's something I've now set for myself. To be the next head coach to win multiple national championships at Ohio State. There's still a lot more to be done."

His motivations extend outside of football, too.

"This position can make a lot of impact throughout the community and the state of Ohio State," Day said. "I want to continue to do that with my family through different charities. Every year, I've learned more and more (about) what that is and what we can do."

Six weeks ago, people wanted Day canned.

I was teetering on that line, too.

But with wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, Day has proven to Ohio State and non-Ohio State fans that he belongs in the same conversation as Kirby Smart and (sad but true) Dabo Swinney as the sport's best coaches. That's an incredible accomplishment – one that could be made even better if Day becomes the first Buckeye coach since Woody to win multiple national titles with the Buckeyes.

LOOKING AHEAD. College football writers at The Athletic have spoken: Texas will win the College Football Playoff, and Jeremiah Smith will win the Heisman Trophy in 2025. Oh, and the Longhorns will beat the Buckeyes in the season opener. That, too.

National champion: Texas

Nine teams received at least one early national championship vote from our 31 staff members. Texas dominated the survey by earning nearly half of the votes (15), though there’s no consensus among the 16 people who didn’t choose the Longhorns.

Texas has made the College Football Playoff semifinals in back-to-back seasons, finishing in the AP top five in consecutive years for the first time since 2008-09. Is it ready to take the next step under Steve Sarkisian? All eyes are on Arch Manning — former five-star recruit, grandson of Archie and nephew of Peyton and Eli — who is set for some of the highest expectations for a first-year starting quarterback in college football history. Texas does return a handful of other standouts to help him, including potential All-Americans Anthony Hill Jr. and Colin Simmons on defense.

Beyond Texas, it may be a surprise to see that LSU received the second-most national championship votes in our survey, albeit with a modest four. The Tigers missed the Playoff in 2024, but they are No. 4 in Stewart Mandel’s initial Top 25, return quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and brought in one of the nation’s top transfer portal classes.

Each of (Stewart) Mandel’s top eight teams received at least one vote, including three for his No. 1, Penn State, which got a wave of crucial players to return and plucked defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State. The ninth team is Alabama, which is 14th in Mandel’s Top 25.

Just two voters believe Ohio State will win back-to-back titles, while one chose Notre Dame to get back to the championship game and this time win the title for the first time since 1988.

The only team on the list that has never won a national title is Oregon.

Heisman Trophy winner: Jeremiah Smith

Manning has the famous family, the name recognition and the team with the most national championship votes at the position that most commonly wins the Heisman Trophy, but he’s second in our early survey behind superstar Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

The No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024, Smith had 76 receptions for 1,316 and 15 touchdowns as a freshman for the national champions, making countless highlight-reel catches capped by a 56-yarder on third-and-11 that all but clinched the title against Notre Dame. He enters the 2025 season with name recognition too as the presumed consensus best player in college football and is a big reason the Buckeyes will have hopes of repeating despite their roster turnover — including at quarterback, where fellow 2024 five-star Julian Sayin is the favorite to take over for Will Howard.

Beyond the two frontrunners, a pair of rising stars in the SEC — South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers and Florida’s DJ Lagway — got multiple votes, as did standout Notre Dame tailback Jeremiyah Love.

Ohio State vs. Texas winner: Texas

Week 1 of the 2025 college football season features a loaded slate, including LSU at Clemson, Notre Dame at Miami and Alabama at Florida State, among others. LSU-Clemson could be a top-five matchup, as could the biggest headliner: Manning and Texas visiting Ohio State in a matchup of the 2024 national champion and our early 2025 favorite.

Both teams are breaking in a new starting quarterback, but Manning has more experience than Sayin and Texas may have fewer holes, making it the choice of 71 percent of our staff.

Incorrect. Correct. Incorrect.

That's how I assess The Athletic's choices in all three categories.

The Buckeyes will go back-to-back.

Jeremiah Smith will win the Heisman – or, for the first time ever, Heisman voters select two winners: Smith and Caleb Downs.

Ohio State beats Texas in the season opener.

Will that all happen?

I don't know.

But this is an Ohio State site! I have to show love for the Local Team!

FIRST-TEAM ALL-NAME? I like to think I am mature. People tell me I am mature, so I like to think I am mature. However, when Ohio State and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline offered a scholarship to Ethan "Boobie" Feaster, the No. 5 overall prospect 2027 class, I couldn't contain laughter.

Boobie Feaster?

#AGTG blessed to earn a offer from The Ohio State University @CoachSweeny @brianhartline @drobalwayzopen @Perroni247 @RivalsFriedman @adamgorney @On3Recruits @On3sports pic.twitter.com/vPKHnt5eHO
— Ethan Boobie Feaster (@BoobieFeaster23) January 29, 2025

Come on.

That's first-team All-Name.

Jokes aside – Feaster looks like an incredible prospect out of Texas. As a freshman at DeSoto High School, he collected 30 receptions for 634 yards and nine touchdowns as the Eagles went undefeated and won a 6A D-II state championship. Feaster improved those numbers to 57 receptions for 834 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore.

As of... **checks calendar** ... January 2025, Ohio State has one commit in the 2027 class: Wide receiver Jamier Brown, the No. 8 overall prospect out of Wayne High School in Dayton, Ohio.

For name and talent, Feaster would make a fine addition to the Buckeyes' collection!

BOONNUSSS COVERAGE. This Skull Session has an extra section. That section is to pass along #content from friend of the program, Colton Denning, who compiled all 76 of Ohio State's touchdowns from this past season into one video: