Welcome to the Skull Session.
Ohio State celebrated 3/11 with 3rd-and-11 at 3:11.
3rd and 11 on 3/11 at 3:11 pic.twitter.com/HFzY6iXp9M
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 11, 2025
ICYMI: Will Howard broke down that play on a podcast appearance last week.
Have a good Wednesday.
SECOND TO KIRBY → SECOND TO NONE. It’s March. That means it’s time for madness in the NCAA Tournament. It also means it’s time for Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman’s top-25 college football coach rankings for The Athletic.
Following Ohio State’s national championship in 2024, Ryan Day rose to No. 2 on both Mandel and Feldman’s lists. Day improved five spots from No. 7 for Mandel and three spots from No. 5 for Feldman:
Stewart Mandel
1. Kirby Smart, Georgia (2024: No. 1)
2. Ryan Day, Ohio State (2024: No. 7)
Had I put out this list the day after last year’s Michigan-Ohio State game, he would have fallen out of my top 10. But the Buckeyes beat four consecutive top-10 opponents to earn Day’s first national championship, making him one of just three active coaches with a ring. That four-game losing streak to Michigan remains an eyesore, but he’s 70-10 overall.
3. Steve Sarkisian, Texas (2024: No. 13)
4. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama (2024: No. 3)
5. Dan Lanning, Oregon (2024: No. 25)
Bruce Feldman
1. Kirby Smart, Georgia (2024: No. 1)
2. Ryan Day, Ohio State (2024: No. 5)
Day makes the jump from No. 5 to No. 2 after leading the Buckeyes to the national title. The 45-year-old is 70-10 with a sterling 46-5 record in the Big Ten. In six seasons, his teams have never finished outside the top 10.
The downside: The Buckeyes have lost four in a row to archrival Michigan, including as 21-point favorites in 2024. Still, the way Day and his staff managed the longest season in college football history was impressive — especially how he got the team to bounce back from a devastating rivalry loss to go on a dominant College Football Playoff run.
3. Dabo Swinney, Clemson (2024: No. 2)
4. Steve Sarkisian, Texas (2024: No. 11)
5. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama (2024: No. 4)
I see this as a great accomplishment for Day. I think Day sees it as a great accomplishment, too. But I also know he’s not satisfied. He won’t be until he usurps Smart as the best coach in college football.
To do that, he needs to beat Michigan, win some more Big Ten titles and win some more national championships.
Oh, wait.
Did I just name Ohio State’s yearly goals?
I did!
Day will be No. 1 in no time!
GEORGE TO “ENHANCE” BGSU. Eddie George had one year remaining on his contract as Tennessee State’s head coach, but all signs pointed to the 51-year-old entering a new chapter of life.
That chapter began in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Monday.
“I asked God maybe three weeks ago, give me a sign of what’s next, and I promise you, this is exactly what happened,” George said. “As I’m driving back from Indianapolis from the (NFL) combine, I’m driving through Bowling Green, Kentucky. I see the sign ‘Bowling Green,’ and I look down at my phone, and it’s a message from Urban Meyer talking about, ‘Are you interested in the Bowling Green job?’ I put the phone down and was like, ‘Oh, boy, what are you trying to say?’
“I know given the timing of where everything is, we’re two weeks out of spring ball. I’m thinking about how we're going to run the ball (at Tennessee State) this spring and all this stuff. … I just continued to walk in faith and not by sight, and I said, ‘OK, if this is meant for me, I’m going to go for it.”
And so he did.
On Sunday, George and Bowling Green agreed to a five-year contract with a base salary of $600,000 and a 2.5 percent annual increase, according to Michael Burwell of The Toledo Blade. George will also receive additional annual compensation of $100,000 and has several incentives built into the deal, including $32,500 if the Falcons become MAC champions and $25,000 if the team makes a postseason bowl appearance.
“I think it’s exciting. Exciting times for the university, exciting times for the football players,” former Bowling Green quarterback Josh Harris told The Blade about the hire. “I look forward to seeing him bring more energy, more excitement, the expectation that comes along with being a Buckeye, being a professional athlete for so long, having so much success. You don’t do that stuff by accident.”
George’s energy and excitement were evident in his introductory press conference, especially as he reflected on the first touchdown of his Ohio State career, which happened to come against – you guessed it – Bowling Green.
“That was the touchdown that started ‘Touchdown Eddie.’ (They) would say, ‘Eddie, Eddie, Eddie,’” George recalled. “Flying back in to Ohio and coming back to this region, this part of the country, I forgot just how cold it really is. I’ve been in Nashville for the last 20 to 30 years. My blood changed. I got soft. I’m excited to be back into the cold weather.
“But it just brought back a rush of memories. The sunsets are different here in Ohio and the people really embrace you. The community is so strong. They really rally around the university, and I got that feeling of, man, just love here at this university.”
Bowling Green went from pitiful to respectable in six seasons under George’s predecessor, Scot Loeffler, as the Falcons went a combined 7-22 in years one to three, and a combined 20-19 with three bowl game appearances in years four to six.
As George begins his tenure, he’ll look to continue Bowling Green’s upward trend, though he must replace All-American tight end Harold Fannin Jr., wide receiver Malcolm Johnson Jr., running back Terion Stewart and quarterback Connor Bazelak.
George said he’ll meet that challenge head-on.
“We don’t stray away from what made this program successful. I’m not here to blow it up. I’m here to enhance it,” George said.
“BRIAN HARTLINE IS NOT CHIP KELLY.” Former college football coach and current Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo claims he can tell, almost immediately, if a play caller has “it.” That’s what DiNardo told Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch, at least.
“The way (play calling) is usually talked about is, ‘Is play calling art of science?’” he told Oller. “I like to say the play sheet being developed through the week is science, and the calling of the play sheet is art.”
DiNardo believes Hartline has the science down pat, but the art? He thinks Hartline will need input from Day and other assistants (like offensive line coach Tyler Bowen), something his predecessor, Chip Kelly, seldom needed.
“Ohio State’s situation is fascinating,” DiNardo said. “Clearly it was an art with Chip Kelly, with collaboration with Ryan Day. I think about their conversation in the Notre Dame game, when they threw that long pass (to Jeremiah Smith) on third-and-short. There was a specific conversation between Ryan and Chip on that play.”
For that reason, DiNardo sees the loss of Kelly as a concern for Ohio State.
“Brian Hartline is not Chip Kelly,” he said. “But Ryan will be on the headset.”
OK. Up until that comment, I tracked with DiNardo. Then he said, “Brian Hartline is not Chip Kelly,” and I scoffed.
Who said he has to be?
When Kelly came to Ohio State last winter, he had been a play caller at New Hampshire (1999-2006) and Oregon (2007-08) and a head coach for Oregon (2009-12), the Philadelphia Eagles (2013-15), the San Francisco 49ers (2016) and UCLA (2018-23), making him one of the most, if not the most, overqualified offensive coordinator in college football history.
Hartline has been coaching – just coaching! – since 2017.
So, yes, Hartline is not Kelly.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t become like him!
How about, “Hartline is not Kelly… yet.”
I like the sound of that.
NEED A QUARTERBACK? Jordan Reid of ESPN ranked the top 12 quarterbacks available in the 2025 NFL draft. Three former Buckeyes appeared in his rankings: Kyle McCord, Quinn Ewers and Will Howard. And, yes, those three quarterbacks are in order.
Here, look:
No. 6 - Kyle McCord
Where he excels: Many evaluators have been complimentary of McCord throughout the predraft process. "He was the best QB at the Shrine Game and it wasn't even close," an NFC North area scout said.
He carried that over to the combine with a steady throwing session. He shined with his ball placement, showing anticipation by throwing the ball to spots where his receivers could easily grab it. His physical traits aren't as gaudy as some of his counterparts, though his arm is stronger than I thought after watching him in person.
His performance on the predraft circuit is a continuation of the growth he showed at Syracuse. McCord had solid stats at Ohio State in 2023 (3,170 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions) but didn't show high-upside, pro-ready attributes. But when I visited Syracuse practices during preseason camp, it was clear he looked more comfortable in first-year coach Fran Brown's scheme. The move paid off, as McCord had an FBS-leading 4,779 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season.
McCord displayed quick decision-making, getting rid of the ball in 2.46 seconds on average, the seventh-fastest rate in the FBS. He understands his limitations and plays in structure, immediately taking what's available early in his progressions. But he also showed the ability to push the ball down the field, as his 36 completions on passes of 20 or more air yards led the FBS. I have a Round 4 grade on McCord but he could hear his name called as early as the end of Day 2.Where he needs work: While he showed drastic improvement at the combine, McCord still has room for growth in ball placement. He's effective at getting the ball to the correct spots on his reads, but locations within the strike zone tend to be unpredictable. His 11% off-target rate ranked 48th in the FBS.
"It's clear that he knows where to go with it, but receivers still have to work way too hard to catch it at times," an AFC national scout said during the season.
A nightmare five-interception performance against Pittsburgh in October highlighted many of McCord's flaws. Head-scratching decision-making when facing early pressure forced him into the worst game of his career. And his 12 interceptions were tied for fifth most in the FBS.
No. 7 - Quinn Ewers
Where he excels: Ewers played well against major opponents, with his best game of this past season coming in Week 2 against Michigan, when he finished with 246 passing yards and three touchdowns. Another moment that scouts frequently bring up is his game-saving throw on fourth-and-13 in overtime of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. Multiple evaluators have applauded Ewers' tremendous poise in such a heightened moment.
Ewers sat out two games early in the season because of an abdominal strain before returning against Oklahoma in Week 7, throwing for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 34-3 win. He threw for 2,665 yards, 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this past season, and his completion percentage of 65.8% ranked 26th in the nation.
Ewers could have entered the 2024 draft and perhaps been a mid-to-late Day 2 pick, but he returned for another year of development under coach Steve Sarkisian. He served as a point guard, distributing the ball to the wealth of playmakers in Texas' offense. He also had to deal with adversity beyond the abdominal injury. He was benched in the first half of Texas' Week 8 loss to Georgia for redshirt freshman Arch Manning, but returned after halftime to throw two touchdown passes."He's tough as nails mentally because all of the background noise is impossible to ignore," an AFC area scout said.
Where he needs work: Texas' offense mostly shifted away from deep passes in 2024, going for more of a quick passing attack. Ewers threw a higher percentage of passes at or behind the line of scrimmage (34.2%) than all but seven of 129 qualified passers, and his 7.1 yards per attempt ranked 110th. Texas' downfield passing game was mostly nonexistent last season, depriving scouts opportunities to see whether Ewers' downfield touch and accuracy had improved in games.
Ewers looked more comfortable at the combine with these type passes, as he was able to connect frequently down the field. Those specific throws are what scouts were looking for, as he struggled on the few deep throws he made this past season.
Scouts have also flagged Ewers' tendency to panic when under duress. His 12.0 QBR when facing pressure ranked 83rd in the country, as he didn't show the awareness and suddenness to consistently escape a collapsing pocket. Durability is also another area NFL evaluators question; he sat out seven games because of injuries over the past three seasons.
NOTE: Dillon Gabriel is No. 8
No. 9 - Will Howard
Where he excels: There wasn't a prospect that did more for their draft stock during the College Football Playoff than Howard. Following his worst performance of the season against Michigan in the regular-season finale, he threw for 1,150 passing yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions during the Buckeyes' four-game run to win the national championship.
Howard was comfortable in the pocket and scanned through his progressions efficiently. His accuracy impressed me the most, as he completed over 80% of his passes in two of the four games (Tennessee and Notre Dame). Howard's growth was evident, and he boosted his stock multiple rounds during Ohio State's championship run.
Before 2024, Howard played four seasons at Kansas State (2020-2023). He took advantage of the Buckeyes' many playmakers, throwing for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this past season. He added another seven scores on the ground. A physically imposing QB, Howard is a dual-threat passer with a good enough arm and the mobility to be an extension of the run game. His 89.6 QBR led all passers in the FBS.
Where he needs work: Many of Howard's warts show up when defenses speed up his processing. He tends to drop his eyes and immediately looks for running lanes. He must become more patient and read progressions even at the hint of pressure.
Another factor is how open the Buckeyes' targets tend to be when making completions, as 34.8% of Howard's attempts last season were deemed as wide open, the ninth-highest mark in the FBS. Scouts want to see more throws into tight windows or contested coverages because that's what he'll have to do in the NFL.Howard struggled with his ball placement at the combine, especially on dig routes over the middle. The lack of familiarity with the receivers in Indy showed, as his accuracy was sporadic and he had trouble throwing to spots. QBs at the combine often struggle in syncing up with the timing of receivers they've never worked with, but Howard's issues are worth noting.
Reminder: Only one of these quarterbacks led their team to a national championship during their college careers!
Hint: It was Will Howard!
SONG OF THE DAY. "End of Beginning" - Djo.
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