Skull Session: Brian Hartline Says His “Main Goal is Chasing Coach Day,” Ross Bjork Supports CFP Expansion and Jacy Sheldon Reveals Her Signature Shoe

By Chase Brown on February 21, 2025 at 5:00 am
Brian Hartline and Ryan Day
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

One month and one day ago...

Have a good Friday.

 “I FEEL LIKE I HAVE GROWN.” Ohio State made Brian Hartline’s promotion to offensive coordinator official at 11 a.m. Thursday. One hour later, Hartline appeared on The Bobby Carpenter Show with Anthony Schlegel to discuss Ohio State’s national championship run and his excitement to lead the Buckeyes’ offense in the future.

On Emeka Egbuka galvanizing the receiver room

“When we had our trials and tribulations, and we were down in the dumps a little bit, his firmness in believing the kind of guys we were, the coaching staff we were, the team we had, the brotherhood we had, the culture we had, he was convinced that we were good, we’ll be fine, we’ll keep pushing forward – it’s not OK – but we’ll keep pushing forward, we have a special group and there’s better ahead. He really kept us going. He kept me going. As coaches, you can’t show that, but to hear that coming from Emeka, to see how he brought guys together, his conviction and the things he said really went a long way. After the outcome, the ability for us to win that big one, to see him crying, I just kept thinking of the things he said to our unit with the belief of the guys around him. That was pretty special, man. That was pretty special.”

On he and James Laurinaitis finally winning a title

“It was really good. We played back, I played back in the two as a player (against Florida in 2006 and LSU in 2007). The second one hurt the most for me, personally. That’s probably because I felt like we could have won that one – the first one got handled really quick. But then, even Alabama in COVID in 2020, I was feeling more of a 0-3 mentality here. Now, I’m batting 50 percent as a coach, and I can’t get the ones back as a player.”

On what he’s learned since becoming an offensive coordinator in 2023

“The main objective is to learn as much as I can. I want to be – this sounds weird – but I want to be the smartest guy in the room every time I walk in that room, football-wise. I love receiver play. I know receiver play. I’ll go toe-to-toe with anybody on that subject. But when it comes to football in totality, Coach (Ryan) Day is so impressive. To have Coach (Chip) Kelly come in the room and have his depth of knowledge-filled man that I know for football. I just wanted to learn. People were like, ‘You were the coordinator, now you’re not the coordinator, how did you feel about that?’ I was like, ‘Guys, hold on. My main goal is chasing Coach Day. I am not worried about what tag I have to be in this room. I have no interest in that.’ So, it was an easy transition whatever transition we thought that was. I just tried to add value.

“Learning from Coach Kelly was phenomenal – I pray I could have had two years with him – but he was very smart. He knew where he could let water roll off the duck and not really worry about it, but he also knew where he had to stand firm. Learning that balance is critical. The way he spoke to his staff and communicated, I think, was really, really important. I think he did a great job of demanding the offensive staff to improve and holding them accountable. That’s the biggest thing. He’s the head coach of the offense. That’s the mentality. So, learning how these guys operate has been so valuable.

“To answer your question, I feel like I have grown. My knowledge base on everything two years to be the coordinator (compared) to where I am now, I think I am lightyears ahead of where that was, and it’s all because Coach Day gave me the opportunity.”

Lightyears ahead?

I like the sound of that.

 “I’M FOR EXPANSION AGAIN.” Ross Bjork has shared his support of further College Football Playoff expansion. Amid reports that the Big Ten and SEC have discussed proposals to expand the CFP to either 14 or 16 teams, Bjork said Wednesday that he views expansion as an opportunity for the sport to “capitalize on the moment in college athletics.”

“If we’re sharing revenue with the athletes, which is the right thing to do, how do we produce more content? How do we have more high-level matchups?” Bjork asked reporters at Ohio Stadium. “Clearly, the viewership and the CFP people want to watch these games, and they want high-level matchups, so I think we owe it to the game. We owe it to our athletes to say, ‘Can we have more content?’ And more content means more games. So is that 14 (teams in the playoff)? Is that 16? I don’t know what the right number is.

“I think there’s a lot of different models that we’ve studied. The Big Ten and SEC were at the forefront. We had the biggest brands. But we also need to protect the game of college football to make sure that it’s accessible for as many people who can really live in this world as possible. So, I’m for expansion again.”

Whether we like it or not, and whether Bjork supports it or not, expansion is... inevitable. It's best if we all accept that sooner rather than later.

 IN RARE COMPANY. Jacy Sheldon’s signature shoe has arrived.

In August 2024, Footwear Nation reported that the former Ohio State All-American guard signed a deal with Holo Footwear that offered her both equity in the company and a signature shoe line. Six months later, Sheldon’s first shoe, the JS:01, is here.

According to Footwear Nation, Sheldon is one of four active WNBA players with signature shoes. The others are Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces.

“At this point in our game, any time a woman has the opportunity to get a shoe — and even equity – it’s huge,” Sheldon told FN. “I’m super excited to be a part of that small group and hopefully, as we continue getting more attention, the amount of shoes skyrockets.”

The JS:01 features several nods to Sheldon’s family and history. One of the shoe’s heel tabs reads “L.E.A.D.,” which stands for her mother Laura, sister Emmy, brother Ajay and father Duane. The other heel tab reads “I get to,” a mantra inspired by Emmy’s journey with Down syndrome. Additionally, the shoe’s lateral features the letter “O” for her home state of Ohio.

“We wanted to make it unique to her, from a design language (point of view), something that’s not out there. It’s obviously women’s-specific. We spared no expenses from what she wanted in the shoe,” Holo Footwear CEO Rommel Vega told FN.

Sheldon’s shoe will debut in May with a $120 retail price. It will launch exclusively at Dick’s Sporting Goods, which will offer the shoe in seven colorways, one for every month of the WNBA.

 TURNING THE PAGE. This week, some Buckeyes have posted pictures from winter workouts. Each of them has increased my excitement for spring football:

These posts from Ohio State generated excitement, too:

Ohio State football is back on March 17.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Pool House" - The Backseat Lovers.

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