Welcome to the Skull Session.
Don't mind me. Just thinking about The Greatest Run in College Football History again.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 11, 2025
Have a good Friday.
ONE OF THE MOST HATED TEAMS? In a recent episode of Josh Pate’s College Football Show, Pate named the top five most hated college football teams (listed in no particular order outside of Texas, who Pate said is the most hated team): Texas, Alabama, Miami, Michigan and Ohio State.
Here’s what Pate said about the Buckeyes:
“Ohio State made this list for me,” Pate said. “The reason I think enough people nationally hate Ohio State is because they win, obviously. But also, I gather through my correspondence with my audience, that everyone respected the run they just made in the playoff, but not everyone respected that they lost two games and still got that shot. A lot of people viewed Ohio State as this huge beneficiary of the new format, which they were, but I don’t hate them for that. A lot of you do hate them for that.
“A lot of you hate them because you hear a lot of whining when things don’t go their way. You say the same thing about Bama, by the way. The most consistent bits of feedback I got about Ohio State and Bama was either they win a game or they got 15 excuses why they lost the game.
“But, yeah I put Ohio State up there, too, because they made a run, they won a title – you got folks out there, and this part of the argument I don’t buy into, but their are a bunch of folks who say, ‘Well, I could win a title if I bought a class.’ Yeah, you couldn’t. And they didn’t in that way. In the way that’s suggested, they didn’t.”
If I were to summarize Pate’s breakdown into one sentence, you know what I would say?
They hate us cause they ain’t us.
They hate us cause they ain’t us!
THE BIG WINNER. The 2025 NFL draft has an insane running back class, with Ashton Jeanty (Boise State), Omarion Hampton (North Carolina), Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson and Kaleb Johnson (Iowa) among the headliners.
According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, Jeanty and Hampton are the “toast of the running back class.” However, Judkins is “racking up admirers across the league.” Following a few free agent running back moves this week – Najee Harris to the Chargers, Rico Dowdle to the Panthers and Javonte Williams to the Cowboys – Robinson believes Judkins could become a first-round pick in late April.
Teams love the talent of the incoming running back class, and they think there may be even more high-end juice than originally thought.
The big winner of that assessment appears to be Judkins, who raised eyebrows among multiple high-ranking talent evaluators when he ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at 6-feet and 221 pounds. He also showcased explosiveness with a 38.5-inch vertical and 11-foot broad jump, while lighting up interview rooms with his personality. One evaluator I spoke with told me that Judkins’ reps advised him not to work out at the combine after the Buckeyes won the college football national championship. He declined that advice and did a full workout, rather than waiting for Ohio State’s pro day. Given his penchant for playing a physical brand of football that illustrates his love for contact, teams were pleased to see him show up and compete at the combine when others would not.
Keep an eye on Judkins potentially scooting into the first round of the draft to a team that mirrors his style of play at the position and has a need for a long-term running back solution (*cough* Pittsburgh Steelers).
Shoutout Judkins, but please anywhere but the Steelers! Please anywhere but the Steelers!
IT’S A FAMILY REUNION (WHO WE INTRODUCIN’?). The Las Vegas Raiders made an unexpected trade last week, acquiring Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick (No. 92 overall).
With one year and $31 million left on his contract, Smith will be the Raiders’ QB1 for at least the 2025 season. Keyword: at least. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, a long-term deal is on the table for the veteran quarterback,
Whether Smith starts for one season or three, Todd McShay of The Ringer believes a door has opened for an Ohio State reunion in Las Vegas, one involving former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and former quarterback Will Howard.
“Don’t be surprised to see a couple of things from LV on draft weekend: RB (Ashton) Jeanty at 6 and QB Will Howard reuniting with Chip Kelly as a Day 2 pick,” McShay posted on X this week.
Throughout the 2024 season, Kelly said Howard impressed him with his decision-making, accuracy and athleticism. Howard thrived under Kelly at Ohio State, completing a program single-season record 73 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns. Howard led the Big Ten in all three categories and led the Buckeyes to their ninth national championship.
“He’s awesome,” Kelly said of Howard after the national championship game. “Will is as special as they get. He’s dialed in. He’s smart as heck. We put a ton on his plate. He goes to the line of scrimmage with two, sometimes three plays. He puts us in the right play all the time.”
Howard was as complimentary of Kelly before Ohio State faced Notre Dame.
“Really, really smart dude,” Howard said. “A ton of knowledge. He’s been around. He knows everyone. His schemes are really quarterback-friendly. … It’s a lot of really good stuff that he’s done.”
Man, to see their relationship continue in Las Vegas would be special. Kelly gets reacclimated to the NFL with a veteran quarterback, Howard develops and learns behind said veteran quarterback, and a few years down the road, the Ohio State duo will be back in action!
BEHIND THE SCENES. Ohio State football’s spring practice is around the corner.
To end the Skull Session, I wanted to offer a look at the media schedule for the next few weeks:
- Practice No. 1, Monday: Open practice window; press conference with head coach Ryan Day
- Practice No. 2, Wednesday: Open practice window; press conference with quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler and select quarterbacks, running backs coach Carlos Locklyn and select running backs
- Practice No. 3: TBA
- Practice No. 4, March 24: Press conference with Day, offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia
- Practice No. 5, March 25: Press conference with defensive line coach Larry Johnson and select defensive linemen
- Practice No. 6, March 27: Press conference with linebackers coach James Laurinaitis and select linebackers, co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey and select tight ends
- Practice No. 8, March 31: Press conference with Day
- Practice No. 9, April 1: Press conference with co-defensive coordinator Tim Walton and select cornerbacks, safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and select safeties
- Practice No. 10, April 3: Press conference with offensive line coach Tyler Bowen and select offensive linemen
- Practice No. 11, April 5: Student Appreciation Day
- Practice No. 12, April 7: Press conference with Day, Hartline and Patricia
- Practice No. 13, April 8: Press conference with select wide receivers, special teams players
- Practice No. 14: TBA
- Practice No. 15, April 12: Spring Showcase
Now that I have shared this confidential, top-secret information, you must promise to visit Eleven Warriors for all your Ohio State football news this spring. No visiting websites like [REDACTED], [REDACTED], [REDACTED] or [REDACTED].
Ok?
Promise?
Just kidding. Just kidding.
Or am I?
SONG OF THE DAY. “Follow You to Virgie” - Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton.
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