Skull Session: Ryan Day Says Ohio State’s QB Has to Be “The Hardest-Working Guy in the Building,” Jake Diebler Calls the Buckeyes’ Decision to Skip the Postseason “Really, Really Hard”

By Chase Brown on March 18, 2025 at 5:00 am
Ryan Day
Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Ohio State football is back...

And trolling Notre Dame... lol.

Have a good Tuesday.

 THE HARDEST-WORKING GUY IN THE BUILDING. Ryan Day looked relaxed in his Monday press conference, except for one moment: When Bill Landis asked Day to share what he wants Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair's mindset to be as the quarterbacks battle to become QB1 next fall.

The moment Landis said the word quarterbacks, Day locked in.

A former quarterback at New Hampshire (where he collected 8,492 yards of offense and accounted for 53 total touchdowns across four seasons) and quarterbacks coach for Boston College, the Philadephia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers and Ohio State, Day cares deeply about the position and how it operates for the Buckeyes. That's evident each time he speaks about Ohio State's quarterbacks. Monday was no different.

"To me, it's the process of understanding how to get better and when you make a mistake, you learn from that mistake and grow quickly. A lot of it has to do with their preparation. When a guy walks into the huddle or that practice, you can tell if he's prepared or not. ... The first level of understanding is what. If you don't know what to do, you have no chance of playing quarterback at Ohio State. All that work has to be done prior to.

"Then you have to learn how to do it. You're footwork, how the ball is supposed to come out, your technique. Why are we calling this play? Why are we calling four verticals? Why are we calling a crossing route? All those things. Then, you have to go put it on the field, and you're still going to make mistakes. You have to keep growing from it. It's understanding that the process is going to be a battle. You have to make sure that when you walk into the building every day of the year, you're prepared, that you understand you're going to fail, and that you have to learn quickly. If you're continually making the same mistakes over and over again, it's going to take longer to get to where you want to be and win the job.

"And then, as we start getting closer to the preseason, we have to take care of the football, do really well on third down, win in the red zone. And then everybody is different. Every quarterback is different. Will (Howard) was a lot different than C.J. (Stroud), C.J. was a lot different than Dwayne (Haskins), and Dwayne was different than Justin (Fields). Everyone is different. These quarterbacks are different as well – different size, different makeup, different skill sets.

"The No. 1 job for the quarterback is being the hardest-working guy in the building. There shouldn't be any question. Like, if someone says, 'Who's our hardest-working guy?' It should be the quarterback. If it's somebody else, that's a problem. They should be the first one in the building and the last one to leave. "And then they have to be tough. If it's 4th-and-2 against Texas, we have to find a way to get 3 yards. Those guys understand that. They know it. Mick (Marotti) reinforces that in the weight room daily. But those are some of the things we talk about at quarterback."

NOTE: That was all one quote.

Landis' question: What should the quarterbacks' mindset be?

Day's answer: Well, there's this, this and this. Then, there's this, this and this. And then, there's this, this and this.

That fascinated me.

Many people think the quarterback position is about completing passes and throwing touchdowns, but it's more than that. It's about preparation, learning from mistakes, footwork, technique, taking care of the football, doing well on third down, winning in the red zone and "being the hardest-working guy in the building."

So, yes, Kienholz is an athlete, Sayin has a quick release and St. Clair – well, he's new here, so we'll see what stands out about the five-star freshman. But can one of them set themselves apart in all the other areas Day mentioned?

Whoever that is will be Ohio State's QB1 next fall.

May the best man win.

 "REALLY, REALLY HARD DECISION" Ohio State declined its invite to FOX's College Basketball Crown tournament, forgoing a postseason appearance after missing its third straight NCAA Tournament.

On The Jake Diebler Show with Paul Keels and Ron Stokes, the rookie Ohio State men's basketball coach revealed the reasons for the Buckeyes' decision to skip postseason hoops.

"Really, really hard decision because the competitor in me and the competitiveness of this team and program certainly wants to play and keep playing," Diebler said. "If there's a championship to be won, let's go make a run at it. We had some time since (the loss to Iowa on) Wednesday to evaluate what the future could hold. We saw (Sunday) night that we were very much right there for the NCAA Tournament. The biggest thing, I think, for us is we've been playing in big-time, meaningful games for a significant stretch. Our guys poured everything they had into it. We have guys who, quite honestly, they are banged up. They're dealing with some injuries and the overall totality of the season. We've still got some guys sick right now. It's been a lot."

Diebler added that the Crown's timeline didn't help Ohio State, either.

"The timing of the Crown's not ideal," Diebler said. "We can be open and direct about that, too. But it was more about everything else we've had going on physically and what we've had going on this year that we thought the best thing for us to do was turn it down. The idea of the Crown, I love what they're trying to do. The timing of it – it's tough."

While he was not explicit, we can infer that Diebler has an issue with the Crown's timeline because it overlaps with the NCAA transfer portal window. The Crown runs between March 31 and April 6, while the NCAA transfer portal opens on March 24 and closes on April 22.

Diebler told Keels and Stokes that Ohio State has already been "evaluating some very specific needs from a roster standpoint." The Buckeyes plan to address those needs through the transfer portal and roster retention.

"That's what's happening right now. There aren't a lot of answers yet on the development of guys," Diebler said. "The portal has created an instability in rosters across the country. It can be good for everybody. That's why we've chosen as a program to embrace it and make it a part of how we build our roster."

According to Adam Jardy of The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State has been linked to at least one player planning to enter the portal: Campbell forward Colby Duggan. A 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward, Duggan started in 22 of 32 games for the Camels and averaged 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 34 percent from 3-point range.

We'll see what becomes of Duggan.

For now, all we know is that Ohio State will spend another March without a Big Dance, which doesn't sit well with Diebler.

"I'm angry we're not playing in the NCAA Tournament right now," he said. "I am. I'm super excited and optimistic about what's next. We took some steps forward this year. We're not satisfied. There's a truth to that, too. We'll get to where we need to go. There's no doubt in my mind."

 TOUCHDOWN TREVEYON. Besides Jack Sawyer's scoop-and-score in the Cotton Bowl, I think I will remember one moment from Ohio State's championship season above the rest: TreVeyon Henderson's 75-yard touchdown in the same game. While at the NFL Scouting Combine, Henderson broke down the touchdown in great detail:

"This is actually a special moment for me because a couple of plays before this I shoved a Texas player. So I went to the sideline, I prayed, I repented, and then I came back – you know, we're going into halftime, it was very close. We came out with the screen, it was a couple of more seconds to go. The most important part is I see the pressure coming, and I have to wait patiently. I have to bluff them, act like I'm gonna block him and then I leak out. Then, I have to get in phase with my blockers. From there, my blockers did their job and that's a touchdown.

"I was thinking, you know, 10 yards and get out of bounds and try to make something shake after that. Shoot, that's more than 10 yards. Really, man, really special moment. When I got in the end zone, man, just pointing to the sky. I was so full of joy."

Same, TreVeyon.

Same.

 ON CAMPUS. Ohio State announced Monday that former NASA administrator and U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Boldn Jr. (ret.) will deliver the school's spring commencement address on May 4.

From Chris Booker of Ohio State News:

Appointed NASA’s 12th administrator, Bolden served the space agency from 2009 to 2017. As administrator, Bolden led a nationwide NASA team to advance the missions and goals of the U.S. space program.

“It’s an honor and privilege for Ohio State to have the opportunity to welcome Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden to our campus to share his lessons on life and leadership with our spring graduates,” said president Ted Carter. “Maj. Gen. Bolden is an exceptional leader who has dedicated his life to serving our country. In every role throughout his distinguished career, he has elevated the United States’ safety, security and prosperity. He perfectly embodies the Buckeye mission to serve a purpose greater than ourselves. This will be a special day for our graduates, their loved ones and the entire Ohio State community.”

Bolden oversaw the safe transition from 30 years of space shuttle missions to an era of exploration using the International Space Station and innovative space and aeronautics technology development. He led the agency in the transition to the use of commercial vehicles for the transport of U.S. cargo and crews to low Earth orbit and boosted NASA’s leadership in aeronautics with a new strategic plan leading to the design and development of new experimental airplanes that will make flight faster, quieter, cleaner and safer.

“It is quite an honor and privilege to be invited by a dear friend and fellow Naval aviator, President Ted Carter, to deliver the commencement address to The Ohio State University Class of 2025,” Bolden said. “I am excited to return to campus, where I have enjoyed my affiliation with the John Glenn College of Public Affairs for many years, and to join the graduates and their families in celebrating the completion of their studies at this prestigious institution.” 

Before leading NASA, Bolden served for 34 years in the Marine Corps – including 14 years as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Office. After joining the office in 1980, he traveled to orbit four times aboard the space shuttle between 1986 and 1994, commanding two of the missions and piloting two others. His flights included the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and the first joint U.S.-Russian shuttle mission, which featured a cosmonaut as a member of his crew.

After his final shuttle flight in 1994, he returned to active duty with the Marine Corps and served as the deputy commandant of midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. His service also included leading the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Forward in support of Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait, serving as deputy commander of U.S. Forces in Japan, and commanding the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing prior to his retirement from the Marine Corps in January 2003.

Bolden’s many military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006 and the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2017.

Man, I wanted Ohio State to run it back with Chris Pan. The 2025 class deserves a proper send-off with an ayahuasca-fueled speech about Bitcoin, don't ya think?

 SONG OF THE DAY. "All I Do (Stevie Wonder Cover)" - Allen Stone.

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