Skull Session: Ohio State Goes On a Hiring Spree, Jeremiah Smith is “Perfect In Every Single Way” and Chip Kelly Thinks Ryan Day “Stood Tall” During the Buckeyes’ Roller-Coaster Season

By Chase Brown on February 6, 2025 at 5:00 am
Jeremiah Smith
Adam Cairns/USA TODAY Sports
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Wait, Emeka Egbuka is goated.

Have a good Thursday.

 WELCOME TO COLUMBUS. ICYMI: Ohio State hired its next offensive line coach on Wednesday. His name is Tyler Bowen.

Bowen has been the offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech for the past three seasons. Before his time in Blacksburg, Bowen coached for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2021), Penn State (2018-20), Maryland (2017), Fordham (2015-16), Penn State (2014), Towson (2013) and Maryland (2010-12). He was an offensive lineman at Maryland from 2007-09.

While Bowen’s coaching experience intrigues me, his recruiting experience intrigues me all the more. According to 247Sports, Bowen brought All-American left tackle Olu Fashanu and All-American tight end Tyler Warren to State College. If he can bring the same caliber of players to Columbus, I will freak the freak out.

Come what may, this looks like an excellent hire for Ryan Day and Ohio State. I’m excited to see what comes of it – and I’m excited about Brian Hartline as offensive coordinator and Billy Fessler as quarterbacks coach, too!

 OK, MAN. Microphones need to be more expensive.

On an episode of The Ultimate College Football Show, former South Carolina linebacker Gerald Dixon fielded the question, “Is Jeremiah Smith a generational talent?”

“No, I think he’s a very good football player. When you hear the conversation, when you hear the comment, ‘Once in a generation,’ I’ve seen this before — this is Andre Johnson, this is Andre. If you want to put him in the Julio Jones category, I don’t believe so. Is he a better college receiver than Julio Jones? Absolutely, because Julio wasn’t a developed receiver. But you talk about specimen, catch the ball at 2 yards, put his head on the goal post — I’ve seen Jeremiah Smith get caught from behind. I haven’t seen Julio get caught from behind.

“When I talk about generational talent, you have to have said, ‘I have never seen this before on this athlete.’ Forget the accolades, forget the stats. We’re talking about pure ability and skill set. Does he run a 4.2? Does he run a 4.3? … 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, 4.4, you can find those guys, but you’re not finding 6-foot-3, 4.3, vertical 42 (inches), broad jump 11-foot-4 on a broken foot. That’s what Jonesy did at the combine. In the first 10 years, Jonesy had yards, production. He put 350 yards on an NFL player. 

“When I talk about generational, I want to see a player that I’ve never once in my lifetime seen. That’s Shaquille O’Neal, that’s Megatron (Calvin Johnson), that’s Tyreek Hill. … I’ve seen this guy before. I’m not doubting that he should be the first overall pick whenever he comes out. The No. 1 recruit of last year? Absolutely. The best receiver in college? No doubt. But generational talent? No. Because I’ve seen this before. I played against it.”

OK, man.

Smith started the season opener as a freshman at Wide Receiver U, and at 18 years old, he led a position room that featured five-stars Emeka Egbuka (a future first-round pick!), Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss with 76 catches, 1,315 yards and 16 total touchdowns.

But no. He’s not generational.

Jeremiah, your thoughts?

And Dixon’s co-host, Cooper Petagna, your thoughts?

“I think he is a walking definition of what a generational talent is. … To see a guy with his size, 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, and he’s had three straight years of 1,000 yards receiving. People will say, ‘Yeah, two years back in high school, the genetics, the cousin of (NFL quarterback) Geno Smith.’ But you’re talking about a guy who broke pretty much every (freshman) record at Ohio State. Receiving yards in a game, 187 against the No. 1 team in the country in the Rose Bowl. … Receiving yards in a season, receptions in a season — belonged to Cris Carter — TDs in a season. I get it. They played a longer season. I understand all that.

“You watch the tape of this guy — I watched every single target last night —  he’s the best player I’ve ever scouted. I don’t say that lightly. I’ve been alive for 32 years. I’ve been consuming football since I was 5. For 27 years, this is it. This a guy over the last 35 years, if you look at all the guys in the Hall of Fame and look at all the guys that have led the NFL in receiving, and I know this is long-winded, but there’s maybe five guys I would take at the same position: Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, Jerry Rice. The combination of the size, speed, athleticism, ability to beat you anywhere on the field, take the top off the defense, the strength at the catch point, the dependability, all of it. If God could create a receiver, he would create Jeremiah Smith. He is perfect in every single way.”

That’s more like it.

 “THE BROTHERHOOD THERE IS REAL.” In an appearance on The Audible with Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel, Chip Kelly discussed his decision to leave Ohio State for the Las Vegas Raiders. Since Dan Hope covered that on Wednesday, I’ve decided to dive into some other material in the Skull Session, namely the reasons Kelly thinks the Buckeyes won a national title in 2024.

According to Kelly, those reasons are The Brotherhood and Ryan Day.

“What makes Ohio State so special is that the brotherhood there is real. It is. Those guys truly love each other. They played for each other. They were as connected as any team that I’ve ever had an opportunity to be around,” Kelly said. “There was a maturity in that group.”

Kelly named Donovan Jackson, Seth McLaughlin, Will Howard, TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Cody Simon, Lathan Ransom and Caleb Downs as the team’s leaders, though he admitted to leaving some names off the list.

“Sometimes it falls on the shoulders of one or two people, but it certainly fell on the shoulders of an entire group,” Kelly said. “I know I’m missing guys because the list keeps going on and on, but that’s what made that whole group so special. From the first day I got there, I was like, ‘Wow, it’s a really mature group. It’s a really focused group.’ It was definitely the reason we won. Those players were special. That’s something I will take with me and cherish those memories. To be around that group of guys is the reason you coach.”

Later in the podcast, Kelly elaborated on how Ohio State’s maturity, in part, modeled after Day. Before the Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff run, Day's leadership, combined with the players’ maturity, helped the team handle its roller-coaster season.

“To watch what (Day) did and how he stood tall through everything was – but I know him so well, like, I didn’t expect him to behave any other way. I told him when he got the job that you’re built for this stuff. I knew he would be successful,” Kelly said. “The unique part of what we do is that you don’t get to write your own narrative. It just happens. There’s probably a plan that everybody has in their plan and kind of how to visualize it, but I don’t think it ever happens how you visualize it. There are ebbs and flows, there are ups and downs, but it’s the people that remain consistent. He stood tall as a leader in front of the players, in front of the coaches, in front of everybody.

“In the back of my mind, I knew we were going to win because I watched how Ryan prepared. I watched how Will prepared. I watched how JT prepared. I watched how that whole group prepared. They did it the right way. They stuck together as a group. It didn’t surprise me, the results, and even the score of the results.

“We use the word mudita, which is, ‘I vicariously derive joy from other people’s success.’ That was evident on our football team. Our guys, as much as they wanted to win it for themselves, they really wanted to win it for other people. I think that’s what defines a team.”

Man, Kelly’s comments are great.

I’ll miss the 2024 Buckeyes.

They were one of the all-time Ohio State greats.

 TOP 10 MOMENTS. Andy Anders has inspired me. This week, the Eleven Warriors ranked his top 10 plays of the 2024 Ohio State football season, and I’ve decided to follow suit in the Skull Session, save for one small tweak. I’ve ranked the top 10 moments of the season, a word I’ve chosen so I can be a little more flexible in this exercise. They’re also my top 10 favorite moments, not necessarily the best moments.

“Scoop-and-Sawyer” in the Cotton Bowl

Duh.

“Third-and-Jeremiah” in the CFP final

Also duh.

Caleb Downs’ punt return touchdown against Indiana

The entire stadium, including the press box, erupted for this moment. None of the 100,000+ people inside the Horseshoe could believe that after 10 long years, Downs recorded Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since Jalin Marshall had a 54-yard score against Indiana on Nov. 22, 2014. It was one of the more electric moments I’ve witnessed at Ohio Stadium – and I’ve seen a lot of football off the banks of the Olentangy.

TreVeyon Henderson’s house call in the Cotton Bowl

Henderson, the home-run hitter, knocked one out of the park here. Henderson halted Ohio State’s momentum with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty earlier in the half but responded with a 75-yard score – one that mirrored his first-career touchdown against Minnesota in the 2021 season opener. Momentum was back on the Buckeyes’ side where it belonged.

Davison Igbinosun’s interception against Penn State

One could argue that this interception saved the season. Ohio State led Penn State 14-10 at halftime; however, if Igbinosun hadn’t picked off Drew Allar, the Buckeyes would have trailed 17-14. That’s a whole different ballgame, especially in an environment like Beaver Stadium. Had Ohio State lost in State College, and all other final scores in the regular season remained the same, I’m not sure the Buckeyes would have made the College Football Playoff, let alone became national champions.

Jeremiah Smith’s diving touchdown against Tennessee

Remember: If God could create a receiver, he would create Jeremiah Smith. That was a good word.

Jeremiah Smith’s one-handed catches against Michigan State 

See above.

Carnell Tate’s diving touchdown against Northwestern

A Chicago native, Tate collected two touchdowns in his homecoming game, which came 16 months after his mother’s death in July 2023. Tate’s first score came on a go route. The 6-foot-2 receiver laid out to catch a pass from Howard, who said after the game he “couldn’t be happier” that Tate had a standout performance against Northwestern.

Will Howard’s dimes in the College Football Playoff

Howard was dialed in the postseason. His dimes to Emeka Egbuka against Tennessee and Oregon were some of the best passes I’ve seen from an Ohio State quarterback. Both of those passes, in addition to some other well-placed throws, are enough for top-10 consideration.

Quinshon Judkins’ stiff arms

Carlos Locklyn said it best. He doesn’t coach soft-batch cookies. Quinshon Judkins? He’s no soft-batched cookie.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Titanium” - David Guetta ft. Sia.

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