Skull Session: Ohio State Rebrands Its Spring Showcase As a Spring Game, Will Howard Thinks Emeka Egbuka Will Be “Special At the Next Level” and Ty Hamilton is Underrated

By Chase Brown on April 3, 2025 at 5:00 am
Emeka Egbuka
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

I had too much #content to choose from for this Skull Session. You know what that means: A Rapid Fire Skull Session!

Have a good Thursday... and please try to enjoy each section equally and not show preference for any over the others...

 REBRAND SZN. Ohio State really said:

Spring Showcase.

Spring Game.

This move was inevitable for two reasons. One, Ryan Day has shared several times that he wants his inexperienced roster to have game-like reps in the Horseshoe before Ohio State hosts Texas in the season opener on Aug. 30. And two, a rebrand allows the Buckeyes to roll out a new wave of promotions, which could lead to more butts in seats, which means more revenue, which means more – eh, you get the picture.

 AN "EYE-OPENING" EXPERIENCE. In an appearance on 97.1 The Fan's Morning Juice, Day discussed how he balances being a dad and a football coach while on college visits with his son RJ, a quarterback at St. Francis DeSales in Columbus.

"It's allowed me to spend time with RJ, which has been great on that front, with how much he loves football. Being a dad, but walking into a building and seeing the recruiting process of some of the other programs has been a little eye-opening to me. It allows us to take a look at our process," Day said. "But more than anything, it confirms during the process what parents really want – and the people that we want here at Ohio State – is someone who will take care of your son.

"After (RJ had his) third visit, I was like, 'Listen, I'm not really interested in going to see your weight room or your stadium.' Quite honestly, I was like, 'You can save the academic presentation. My son is a 4.0 (GPA) and will get his degree. I want to get around the people. I want to know the strength coach. I want to know the position coaches. I want to know the men and women in that building that will help raise my son.' It's a great reminder that a mom and dad are turning their son over to your program and to you. That's our job. We have to win games, but winning games allows us the opportunity to continue to help mold these men. That's our job."

Man, Day just gets it.

This is the kind of stuff that makes Day a championship coach and Ohio State a championship program.

The People! The Tradition! The Excellence!

 ONE-LEGGED WILLY. Mark your calendars. It's (almost) time for Will Howard to take Jon Gruden to school.

A message for Will: Memorize Spider 2 Y Banana. Gruden will love you.

 "HE'S GOING TO BE SPECIAL." In an appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast this week, Howard praised Emeka Egbuka, whom he said has been "special for his whole career" at Ohio State.

"I think he's a special guy, and he's been special for his whole career here, and he's going to be special at the next level," Howard said. "I see something different with him. He's got unbelievable route running ability, he's got great speed, he's got some of the best hands I've ever been around, and on top of that, he's one of the best guys I've been around."

That's tremendous praise, but also deserved praise.

In four seasons at Ohio State, Egbuka set the program's all-time receptions record with 205 catches, collecting 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns on those receptions. He also carried the ball 24 times for 145 yards and two scores while showcasing his talents as both a punt and kick returner.

 UNDERRATED, UNDERAPPRECIATED. To borrow from Master Yoda (and Andy Anders last week), there is another...

Five years after his brother, DaVon, became a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Ty Hamilton will look to hear his name called in the 2025 NFL draft. If his athleticism scores are an indication, it should happen sooner rather than later. (His career stats are also a good indication: 66 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three fumble recoveries and one touchdown).

 CORRECTIONS NEEDED. This week, the NFL Network ranked its top-five Ohio State wide receiver prospects as Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, Emeka Egbuka, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. I think some minor corrections are in order...

... Harrison, Wilson, Olave, JSN and Egbuka.

Thoughts?

 YOU ASKED. WE DELIVERED. We restocked the Eleven Warriors Dry Goods Store this week with three shirts: Goal Line Stand University, History Made (Again), Messed with Texas, and Catholics vs. Draft Picks Champions Edition. Each shirt costs about three Chipotle bowls. While Chipotle bowls are short-lived, these shirts are forever – just like diamonds.

 I'LL BE YOUR HUCKLEBERRY. Val Kilmer died on Wednesday. I watched several Doc Holliday/Tombstone and Ice Man/Top Gun videos in his honor. I think this is the best of them:

Rest in peace, legend.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Georgia On My Mind" - Noah Kahan (Ray Charles cover).

I need to hear from the Eleven Warriors Court of Public Opinion: Is Kahan's cover good or bad? I love Kahan, but I'm leaning toward the latter because, to me, it doesn't possess the same heart and soul Charles delivered in the OG rendition...

Oh, yes. That's the good stuff.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. Hardwood is basketball’s longtime foundation. A German company would love to change that to glass... Nintendo Switch 2 launches in June with new Mario Kart World game... NASA’s Webb telescope captures photos of the asteroid that won’t hit Earth in 2032... Behold Sunny and Gizmo: Babies of beloved California bald eagles Jackie and Shadow named.

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Former Santa Clara Center Christoph Tilly Transferring to Ohio State

Christoph Tilly

NFL Buckeye Free Agency Tracker: Justin Fields Joins the Jets, Jerome Baker Joins the Browns and Joey Bosa Joins the Bills

Jerome Baker vs. the Jaguars
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