Skull Session: Jeremiah Smith Says He “Can’t Get Big-Headed” Entering Year Two, Ohio State Has the Fourth-Most Valuable Men’s College Basketball Program in the Nation

By Chase Brown on April 10, 2025 at 5:00 am
Jeremiah Smith
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

I smile whenever I see posts like this:

Have a good Thursday.

 “I CAN’T GET BIG-HEADED.” When asked Monday who the vocal leaders of Ohio State’s wide receiver room were, Brian Hartline named Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss.

Jeremiah Smith’s response?

Challenge accepted.

“It’s something everybody wants to see from me – not just my coaches but players on the team as well,” Smith said Tuesday. “We had a leadership meeting and a lot of people called me out, saying they want me to talk more. I’m working on it. It takes time. I’m not really a guy that’s talkative.”

Seated 10 yards from him, Tate said Smith has made progress in finding his voice.

“He’s definitely been talking more and more,” Tate said. “He’s getting more comfortable with it. Guys like him, when he talks, people listen and watch what he does.”

Smith might not need to be – or want to be – the center of attention, but he is. The best evidence of that was the swarm of students who crowded around him following Ohio State’s Student Appreciation Day scrimmage on Saturday.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it,” Smith said of his aura, as modern contemporaries call it. “It’s a blessing for sure to see everybody come out. Everybody came up to me and asked for pictures and everything. I wish I could get everybody, but I can’t do it. It’s too much sometimes.”

Despite a freshman season with 76 catches, 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, Smith knows he can improve now and in the future.

“I can’t get big-headed,” he said. “There’s room for improvement. I never feel like you’ve got it. That’s one thing a lot of people mess up on. They feel they had one good year and relax. That’s not in me. I’m going to continue to do it for years and years to come.”

Smith won’t rest on his laurels. Neither will the 2025 Buckeyes, he said.

“We can’t live in the past. The 2024 team, they won the national championship; this year’s team (hasn’t),” Smith said. “We just took everything down in the weight room so we can focus on being ourselves.”

 WELL, THAT’S INTERESTING. The three most valuable men’s basketball programs in America are North Carolina ($378 million), Duke ($370 million) and Indiana ($279 million). But what about the fourth? 

It’s not Kansas.

It’s not UConn.

It’s not Kentucky.

It’s not Gonzaga, Louisville, Michigan State, UCLA or Villanova.

It's The Ohio State University.

According to a recent report from the Wall Street Journal, Ohio State men’s basketball program is worth $262 million.

It’s true. The associate professor of finance at Indiana University Columbus, Ryan Brewer, calculated the numbers. I’m sure he crunched ‘em, too. The fourth-most valuable college basketball program in America – behind bluebloods North Carolina, Duke and Indiana (!) – is Ohio State.

I’ll write what we’re all thinking… 

Heh?

Ohio State hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in three years, the Sweet 16 in 12, the Final Four in 13 and the national championship in 18. Not to mention, the Buckeyes haven’t won a title in 65, and it’s the program’s only title!

I don’t know what to make of Ohio State’s ranking, but I do know this: If the program has that kind of value, fans should expect more from the Buckeyes. That’s not a shot at Jake Diebler – no, it’s a call to action. Ohio State fans are ready for the Buckeyes to be relevant again. It’s up to Diebler, his staff and his players to make it happen.

 JUUUSSSTTT A BIT OUTSIDE. Jack Sawyer: Good defensive end, bad pitcher.

At the Cleveland Guardians home opener against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, the former Ohio State star threw the ceremonial first pitch. 

Despite Sawyer playing baseball his “whole life up until high school,” per the Columbus Dispatch, his fastball not only went over the head of intended catcher Steve Colavito – the son of former Cleveland outfielder Rocky Colavito, who died in December 2024 – but also the Guardians’ mascot Slider, whose height is described as “Really Up There!” in the Mascot Hall of Fame.

While I expected more out of The Scoop-and-Score, I’ll cut him some slack. A pitch thrown outside the zone is a ball, whether it misses by 10 feet like Sawyer’s or by 10 inches like Mike Clevinger, the former Cleveland and current Chicago pitcher who surrendered a walk-off walk and allowed the Guardians to win their home opener 1-0.

Thanks for the W, Sunshine.

 THE BEAST. This week, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler released the 2025 edition of THE BEAST. What is THE BEAST? Brugler calls it “the most comprehensive and detailed NFL Draft guide available,” and I agree. This year’s version includes over 400 player profiles (!) and rankings for almost 2,700 prospects!

Here’s where Ohio State’s prospects appeared in THE BEAST:

  • Will Howard - No. 8 quarterback, fourth round
  • TreVeyon Henderson - No. 4 running back, second round
  • Quinshon Judkins - No. 5 running back, second or third round
  • Emeka Egbuka - No. 4 wide receiver, first or second round
  • Gee Scott Jr. - No. 28 tight end, free agent
  • Josh Simmons - No. 3 offensive tackle, first or second round
  • Donovan Jackson - No. 6 offensive tackle, second round
  • Josh Fryar - No. 32 offensive tackle, free agent
  • Seth McLaughlin - No. 3 center, third or fourth round
  • JT Tuimoloau - No. 8 edge rusher, second round
  • Jack Sawyer - No. 11 edge rusher, second round
  • Tyleik Williams - No. 5 defensive tackle, second round
  • Ty Hamilton - No. 11 defensive tackle, third round
  • Cody Simon - No. 11 linebacker, fourth or fifth round
  • Denzel Burke - No. 16 cornerback, fourth or fifth round
  • Jordan Hancock - No. 25 cornerback, fifth or sixth round
  • Lathan Ransom - No. 8 safety, third or fourth round

Sure looks like Ohio State will tie Georgia for the most draft picks in a single year. If that happens, it would be pretty, pretty cool. Don’t you think?

 SONG OF THE DAY. "I Want to Break Free" - Queen.

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