Skull Session: Bucks That Made a Jump, Student Day Scrapped, and Nick Saban Rebuffs LeBron James

Taver Johnson, Bill Davis, and "select" linebackers and cornerbacks will be made available to media Wednesday morning following practice.

Follow 11W, Dan Hope, James Grega, Andrew Lind, and Kevin Harrish on Twitter for live updates from the WHAC.

ICYMI:

• The first Recruiting Heat Check of April.
• After losing seven of nine captains, Urban Meyer looking for leaders.
• Thayer Munford, the lowest rated recruit of 2017, on the brink of starting.
• Reserve your (or your business’) spot next to the life-size statue of Woody Hayes coming to Newcomerstown!

Word of the Day: Cosset.

 THE OFFSEASON JUMP. The expectation is every Buckeye makes a jump every offseason. That, however, is not the case. Yet every year, some players make a jump to a previously unknown level of play.

Urban Meyer, despite not wanting to crown his team as national contenders just yet, spoke on that earlier this week.

From theozone.net:

As Greg Schiano said, there are going to be struggles in the spring. That’s why it’s always interesting to hear about which players are standing out to the coaches. On Monday, folllowing the Buckeyes’ ninth practice of the spring, Urban Meyer was asked who has made a jump this spring from last year.

“You have [linebackers] Baron [Browning] and Pete Werner, you have Justin [Hilliard], even though he’s a year older, he’s really made a nice jump,” he said. “It’s the linebacker crew, [defensive tackle] Davon Hamilton, you see a heartbeat there, and he’s a big, powerful guy, so he’s had a very good spring so far.

“Offensive line, Malcolm Pridgeon is making a jump. I know he’s a JC guy but it’s really his second year in the program. Those are a couple names. And [tight end] Luke Farrell, Luke Farrell graded a champion. He’s had as good a week as he’s ever had.”

The more I read about linebacker play, the more I feel for Tuf Borland suffering an Achilles injury when he did. By the sound of it, that whole unit took a leap, though we'll have to wait to see what casserole Billy Davis puts on our plates.

I'm not expecting Malcolm Pridgeon to bloom into a Young Orlando Pace, but both he and Luke Farrell would add valuable depth to the team if they keep the form.

 STUDENTS NO LONGER APPRECIATED. Urban Meyer installed "Student Appreciation Day" as one of his first executive orders. This year it appears those traditional plans have been shelved in wake of a new spring schedule (and three-headed quarterback competition):

An Ohio State spokesman confirms to me that there will not be a student appreciation football practice this spring for the first time since Urban Meyer was hired.

— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) April 3, 2018

I know it's probably not exactly how it happened; it still amuses me to think of Meyer knee-deep in Student Appreciation Day paperwork and saying, "You know what? Fuck it. We have appreciated the students enough. Maybe this year they'll show up before kickoffs."

 SABAN CLAPS BACK AT KING. As mentioned yesterday, LeBron James cease-and-desisted Alabama over their video of Alabama legends chewing the fat in the barbershop.

As it turns out, even the King needs more than a lawyer's screed to intimidate the Prince of Darkness.

Saban: I think LeBron James is a great player. I'm sorry someone can be offended by something we were having fun with. I enjoyed it and we're going to continue to do it.
 

— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) April 3, 2018

Ah, the classic passive-aggressive apology of lamenting "anyone that was offended."

Props to Saban, though, for not wilting. Lawyers talk a lot of shit. Sometimes it's justified. Most of the time it's not.

 WORD FROM THE WISE. Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson interned under Bill Parcellls and assisted Bill Belichick before directing Pete Carroll's football administration at USC..

Needless to say, Jackson knows greatness.

From si.com:

MJ: I don’t know where I can compare and contrast Jay to Bill, but what I can say is whether it’s Pete or Jay or Bill—and I’ve been around a lot of really good coaches—they know their philosophy. They know who they are. They know what they’re about. These are programs. These aren’t just teams. These are systems. They know every element of it, and they know what works, and they don’t deviate from it. Although they’re very different in styles, they’ve figured themselves out and they’re very, very confident in who they are. That’s the one commonality in the great coaches I’ve been around. 

The image piece is part of who they are. They are authentic. They don’t try and fake it. As flashy [a dresser] as Jay might be, he’s as gritty and hard-nosed and tough of a guy as I’ve been around. He has a real blue-collar element, and that’s evident in the way he coaches. They all know who they are and what they’re about."

I feel the same way about Urban Meyer. Despite making more in a month than most workers make in a year, he still maintains a "blue collar element." It wouldn't surprise me to hear about Meyer glassing a shit-talking Michigan Man at the Bogie Inn.

 BLUE OL THANKFUL FOR REAL COACH. Jim Harbaugh's offense has been trash because it lacks competent quarterback and offensive line play.

Ed Warinner is in charge of the Wolverine offensive line now, and northern birds are already chirping.

Ben Bredeson on Ed Warinner (former OSU OL coach -- last year at Minn) "He produced a lot of NFL talent and some great lines over there. Obviously, Im not going to sing Ohio States praise for that long, but he did a helluva job, so Im excited to have him here.

— angelique (@chengelis) April 4, 2018

Long bet: Michigan's 2018 offensive line play encapsulates the recruiting gap between Meyer and Harbaugh.

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