Welcome to the Skull Session.
Congratulations, Lee Corso.
Saturdays won't be the same without you.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 17, 2025
Have a Good Friday.
“I WAS HAPPY FOR THEM.” Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord appeared on Jon Gruden’s QB Class this week. In his office hours session with the Super Bowl champion head coach, McCord called out Notre Dame fans, explained his two interceptions against [REDACTED] and shared his feelings toward Ohio State winning a national title in 2024.
On Ohio State’s come-from-behind win over Notre Dame in 2023
McCord took Ohio State’s offense 65 yards in 85 seconds to stun Notre Dame 17-14 in South Bend. After the game, McCord walked his walk and talked his talk to Irish fans, a situation Gruden asked him to explain in detail.
“You know how those Notre Dame boosters are. They’re letting us hear it all game,” McCord shared. “I was probably telling them to go the f— home, beat traffic. No Notre Dame fan is from Indiana. They have flights to catch to go back home.”
On his two interceptions in The Game
McCord’s first interception against [REDACTED] came on Ohio State’s third drive of the game. McCord called the turnover a “miscommunication” between him and his intended receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr., explaining that Harrison expected the ball to be thrown toward his back shoulder instead of his chest.
Gruden shared a different opinion on the pass.
“I personally put that interception on Harrison,” Gruden said before naming NFL quarterbacks Joe Montana and Brett Favre and sharing their belief that receivers need to “cross space” and work harder for the ball on routes over the middle.
McCord’s second interception came on Ohio State’s final drive. He said the Buckeyes had the [REDACTED] on their heels before that errant pass.
“The play before that, we threw a dig and Marvin caught it and it got punched out and we’re going tempo,” McCord said. “We’re getting (the play reviewed) right before, so they had a chance to scheme up and we changed the play. The rest is history.”
On his decision to leave Ohio State
McCord was in Columbus for three years, and in his lone season as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, he completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 3,200 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. He transferred to Syracuse for the 2024 season, where he completed 66 percent of his passes for 4,779 yards, 34 scores and 12 picks.
“I sat behind C.J. (Stroud) for two years. In the moment, I wanted to compete and play, but looking back, it was the best thing to happen for me, learning,” McCord shared. “The transfer portal is the Wild West. I had a few conversations and things happened fast. I thought going from year one to year two, I made a big improvement and wanted to come back (to Ohio State). They went a different direction.”
Gruden then asked McCord if he regrets not being a part of Ohio State’s 2024 national championship team.
“I was happy for them. It worked out for me going to Syracuse and obviously worked out for them,” he said. “It’s a rare instance where both parties benefited.”
Kyle is right.
He excelled at Syracuse; Ohio State won a national championship.
It really was a win-win, wasn't it?
"THAT'S THE HOMIE FROM OHIO STATE." One of McCord’s favorite wide receivers at Syracuse was Trebor Pena. The duo connected 84 times for 941 yards and nine touchdowns this past season. With McCord off to the NFL, Pena will also search for a new home next fall, though Pena’s departure was a lot messier… like, a lot.
This week, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown appeared on a local radio station, WTLA-AM, and shared that Pena entered the transfer portal after he asked for a larger NIL deal from the Orange. Brown said he declined Pena’s request, then he blasted the former Syracuse pass catcher on the live broadcast.
After talking w/ Fran Brown today on "Orange Nation," it sounds like the Trebor Pena situation came down to two things. #1-Pena asked for more money and Fran wasn't going to overspend. #2-Pena was questioning Rickie Collins' ability & was worried about himself more than the team. pic.twitter.com/qHKK99EcmL
— Steve Infanti (@SteveInfantiNC9) April 16, 2025
“We paid him enough. He was going to get paid more. There were some numbers that were asked to me that I didn’t feel I would be able to do and move on,” Brown said. “I treated him right, did everything that was needed, and I just said, ‘Yo, you got to go.’”
Brown didn’t stop there.
“You gonna make $2 million at wide receiver? That’s the homie from Ohio State (Jeremiah Smith). Ain’t nobody else making that money. I’m not giving no wide receiver $2 million in college. That ain’t me,” Brown said. “I ain’t doing that unless they tell me we have a chance to have Travis Hunter come back to college. He can come here and play for us, then he gonna get some of my check.”
** whispers ** Jeremiah Smith is making more than $2 million.
Still, Brown’s point stands.
Pena is good… but $2 million?!
He’s not that good.
“DEVASTATION BROUGHT DETERMINATION.” This week, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle wrote about how former Ohio State men’s basketball forward Jae’Sean Tate overcame his mother’s death and reached the NBA.
“When he was 8, his mother, Cori Key, was murdered by her boyfriend in Toledo, Ohio. Tate couldn’t comprehend the senseless tragedy. He was angry for years,” Lerner wrote. “Therapy and anger management helped him resolve his feelings. So did the support of his paternal grandfather, Dwight Stewart, and his father and stepmother, Jermaine and Jenice Tate, who took him in and raised him in nearby Pickerington.”
She continued: “Devastation brought determination.”
What followed was a beautiful story — one I recommend you read at some point on Friday or over the weekend. Here’s the remainder of the intro, which had me hooked from the lede to the final sentence:
Growing up in a house with three younger siblings, Tate, who is now the oldest of eight children, said he strived to be a role model for his brothers and sisters.
“I think anything in our childhood contributes to who we are today,” Tate said. “My stepmom and my father were very present. They made sure that we wanted for nothing. But as the oldest sibling, I did have to grow up a little bit faster with them working. That kind of is where I developed those good habits, that leadership, because they were looking up to me. And, you know, I still do it for them. Everything I do is to make my family proud.”
His mother’s death gave him perspective. It taught him that the only way out, is through.
“Jae’Sean doesn’t take anything for granted. Having some hard times and losing his mom, that made everything real for him,” said Stewart, Tate’s grandfather.
“He grew up fast and grew up smart. He always had a big hunger for things and he knew the way he would get it is by applying himself.”
The same can be said for his Rockets career. In his fifth season in Houston, Tate is the team’s longest-tenured player and the only one who was around for the entire rebuild — which culminated in the Rockets getting back to the NBA playoffs this season as the No. 2 seed in the West.
Through three losing seasons, a carousel of teammates and a coaching regime change, Tate was a constant.
“Just grateful,” Tate said. “It’s a dream come true, being an NBA player, being able to see it through. Had a lot of teammates throughout this past five years, and to be able to be here and get our first playoff berth since I’ve been here is what we’ve been working towards as an organization. And I’m just excited to see what we can do when it really matters.”
Seriously, the rest is so good. Read it this weekend!
“YOU KNOW NICO LEFT, DIDN’T YOU?” Another article I have to share, albeit for far different reasons than Lerner’s feature on Tate, is one from WVLT in Tennessee. The #content? A pastor from Maryville, Tennessee learned about Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee’s split moments after he was rescued from kidnappers in South Africa:
Maryville pastor Josh Sullivan was kidnaped at gunpoint and held for almost a week in South Africa. After being rescued, they immediately broke the news to him that Nico and the Vols parted ways. His pastor at Fellowship Baptist now has a request @AD_DannyWhite @TomHatley1 @wvlt pic.twitter.com/lJTTyUjnrh
— Sam Luther (@SamLuther_) April 17, 2025
Maryville pastor Josh Sullivan was rescued and reunited with his family late Tuesday night after being kidnapped at gunpoint and held for almost a week in South Africa.
The rescue involved a shootout that killed three kidnappers, but left Sullivan unharmed.
After being safely rescued, Sullivan was taken to see his family, and he then began touching base with some back in East Tennessee.
At Fellowship Baptist Church, pastor Tom Hatley said one of the first things he heard from those in South Africa was “He was upset over Nico”.
Hatley said that people were asked to talk about more lighthearted things after Sullivan was returned to safety, so some in South Africa told the longtime Vol fan the news that Nico and Tennessee had parted ways.
“And they said, well, you know Nico left, didn’t you? And his wife told me last night that the biggest conversation they’ve had has been about Nico. Hey, the boy was raised in East Tennessee, what can I tell you?” said Hatley.
First, welcome home, Josh. I’m glad you are safe.
Second, I’m sorry about Nico, Josh.
Third, thanks for the laugh, Josh.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Beautiful Things (Live at Coachella 2025)" - Benson Boone.
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