Welcome to the Skull Session.
I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day. And I hope you all...
Have a good Tuesday.
PLAYER → COACH. This week, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg ranked all FBS college football head coaches as players. This neat exercise, which Rittenberg states “can shed light on how they manage their rosters and oversee their programs,” featured four coaches with Ohio State ties, including Ryan Day, Luke Fickell, Marcus Freeman and Eddie George.
Honorable Mention - Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes
Few New Hampshirites have had better careers within the state than Day. He was a star quarterback for Manchester Central High School, becoming Gatorade Player of the Year in 1996 after setting state records for career pass yards (4,099) and touchdown passes (57). Day then attended the University of New Hampshire, where he started for then-offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. He set nine team records there, including career touchdown passes, completions, completion percentage and total offense.
No. 30 - Luke Fickell, Wisconsin Badgers
The conversation about Fickell's athletic career has to start with wrestling, since he won three consecutive state titles in Ohio and posted a record of 106-0. He then played nose guard for Ohio State, starting all four seasons for the Buckeyes and setting a team record with 50 consecutive starts in the mid-1990s. Fickell finished with 206 career tackles, including 26 for loss and six sacks, while adding two interceptions.
No. 19 - Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
A Parade high school All-American from the Dayton, Ohio, area, Freeman played college ball at Ohio State, where he started 37 games at linebacker, often alongside James Laurinaitis. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in each of his final two seasons, and finished with 268 career tackles, including 23 for loss and six sacks, as well as two interceptions and two forced fumbles. A fifth-round NFL draft pick, Freeman spent time with three teams before retiring because of a heart condition.
No. 2 - Eddie George, Bowling Green Falcons
The debate between George and Deion Sanders for the top spot gave these rankings a fun new flavor. Sanders' overall athletic exploits gave him the edge, but he doesn't have a Heisman Trophy. George captured the 1995 Heisman after a monster season with Ohio State: 328 carries for a team-record 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns, while adding 47 receptions for 417 yards. A massive player recruited by some colleges to play linebacker, George had 12 consecutive 100-yard rushing performances in 1995 and swept the Heisman, Maxwell, Walter Camp and Doak Walker awards. He had 1,442 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior, and was a College Football Hall of Fame inductee. A first-round NFL draft pick in 1996, George won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and made four Pro Bowls. He joined Jim Brown as the only running back to eclipse 10,000 rushing yards while never missing a start.
Man, Eddie vs. Deion is tough. It’s hard to fault Rittenberg for choosing Prime Time!
“GIVE HIM THE BALL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.” Aaron Glenn learned a valuable lesson about Garrett Wilson during his first OTAs as New York Jets head coach.
“Give him the ball as much as possible,” Glenn said. “Give him the ball as much as possible. That’s it.”
Smart man.
Wilson, who has collected 279 catches for 3,249 and 14 touchdowns in three NFL seasons, said Glenn’s comment is music to his ears.
“That’s awesome to hear,” he said.
Glenn will need assistance to put the ball in Wilson’s hands this fall. It will come from Justin Fields, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets this offseason. Wilson and Fields were teammates for two seasons at Ohio State, where the duo connected 73 times for 1,155 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019 and 2020.
“It’s someone that I’m familiar with, someone that I have a great relationship with, someone that I love just watching him play,” Wilson said. “Since I’ve met Justin, it’s been a pleasure to line up alongside him. And then when I’m on the sideline, I just get to watch him. … I didn’t think we’d get this opportunity on this level, so it’s exciting. I’m still taking it in all the way. It’s cool. It’s cool. We’ve been picking up where we left off.”
WR @GarrettWilson_V recalls a big @justnfields' play at @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/aaP9SUZ8Y3
— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 21, 2025
This offseason, the Jets picked up Wilson’s fifth-year option, keeping him under contract for the two seasons Fields will be in New York. If the duo can recreate some of the magic they had in Columbus, it could lead to lucrative deals for the quarterback and wide receiver, perhaps Wilson more than Fields.
“I’m hopeful I’m a Jet for life and we get this thing rolling and that all of our best days are ahead of us,” Wilson said. “I don’t know exactly what that looks like, but I’m gonna go do my part to make sure it’s undeniable when the time comes, and when those conversations are being had, I’m going to make sure that it’s undeniable.”
Wilson later added that he and his representatives have had “a few discussions” with the Jets front office about a long-term deal; however, he tries to keep his mind on football, not business.
“I try not to worry about it too much,” he said. “When that stuff happens, that’ll be the cherry on top.”
STROUD’S BOUNCE-BACK CAMPAIGN? While Justin Fields was Garrett Wilson’s quarterback for two seasons at Ohio State, C.J. Stroud threw passes to the 6-foot, 183-pound receiver during his final year with the Buckeyes in 2021.
That season, Wilson posted career highs in receptions (70), receiving yards (1,058), and touchdowns (12), while Stroud emerged as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and a Heisman Trophy finalist. In 2022, Wilson headed to the NFL, and Stroud returned for another standout season, earning the same honors. Stroud joined Wilson in the league in 2023, and the Houston Texans quarterback followed in his former teammate’s footsteps by winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
C.J. Stroud NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. pic.twitter.com/B88YpHTizb
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 9, 2024
Poised to continue his ascent as one of the league’s budding stars, Stroud experienced a sophomore slump in 2024. He threw three fewer touchdowns, seven more interceptions and was sacked 14 more times (52 total) as opposing defenses adjusted to his game.
Following his step back, CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin named Stroud the No. 1 candidate for a bounce-back campaign in 2025.
Stroud put together one of the best rookie seasons any quarterback has ever had. He averaged 8.2 yards per attempt, had the NFL's lowest interception rate, led the league in passing yards per game and finished sixth in Tru Media's expected points added (EPA) per dropback on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, making the Pro Bowl and finishing eighth in MVP voting, As the supporting cast atrophied around him, Stroud took a significant step backward in Year 2. He dropped down to 7.0 yards per attempt, saw his interception rate more than double, had his yards-per-game average dip by over 50 yards and checked in 28th in EPA per dropback, posting a negative average. A change in offensive coordinator from Bobby Slowik to Nick Caley, plus investments in the offensive line and receiving corps, provide some hope for a bounce-back in 2025.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Stroud can be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL next season — the Texans just have to keep him upright!
MATT PATRICIA, ACTUAL SCIENTIST. If we called Jim Knowles “The Mad Scientist,” should we call Matt Patricia “The Actual Scientist”?
From 1992-95, Patricia played four years of college football at RPI, where he was a four-year letterman as an offensive lineman and earned a degree in aerospace engineering. Following his graduation, he spent two years as an application engineer for Hoffman Air & Filtration Systems in East Syracuse, New York. He almost became an engineer for nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers with the Westinghouse Electric Company before deciding to become the defensive line coach at Amherst in 1999, kickstarting what has been a 25-year career in football coaching.
Last week, Patricia spent time with some of Ohio State’s aerospace engineering students to share his experience in the classroom and the professional field:
I think its safe to say Matt Patricia is one of the smartest minds in football.
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) May 23, 2025
The defensive coordinator is talking today with OSU Aero Space students about his experiences.
Patricia has a degree in rocket science and worked in the field for two years before coaching. pic.twitter.com/pfwsQl7GS5
Pretty cool!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Old Man" - Neil Young.
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