Skull Session: How Dabo Bested Tressel for Top Quarterback Recruit, Buckeyes About to Take Tokyo, and Zeke Hasn't Lost a Step

By Andrew Ellis on June 25, 2021 at 5:00 am
Who's ready for the fall?
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Hello, Friday.

I am here. You are here. We are here. And more importantly, today is officially the first Friday of summer. Kevin is still valuing his honeymoon more than this website, which quite frankly is inexcusable. Be that as it may, I'm filling in for the ole chap while he and his better half enjoy some well-deserved time on the West Coast.

I spent much of my day trying to understand name, image, and likeness. It turns out that NIL defeated me in our head-to-head battle because I have no idea what's going on outside of the information that Colin has been generous enough to provide. I saw a quote from an athletic director saying that they are "trying to build the plane while flying it." That seems pretty spot on from what I can see. 

I gave up after about 15 minutes and then went back to rewatching The Wire. 

 AN END-OF-THE-WEEK BANGER FROM ACROSS THE POND.

 DABO SWINNEY: JUST A GENUINE OLD FELLA. Everyone's favorite nemesis has been known for his weird (and usually horrible) takes. As a program, Clemson also handles things differently on the recruiting trail. Dabo doesn’t allow official visits in June, which is in stark contrast to all of the country’s other power programs.

Back in January of 2009, the Buckeyes and Tigers were battling it out for one of the nation's top quarterbacks. Virginia's Tajh Boyd grew up idolizing Troy Smith and seemed to be leaning towards Columbus, but it was Clemson who ultimately got his signature. In speaking with The Athletic's Grace Raynor, Boyd provided some insight into how a young Dabo beat out a seasoned sweater vest ($):

“The dream was always Ohio State,” Boyd, now 30, said. “When I got the Ohio State offer, that was it.”

Boyd instead signed with Dabo Swinney and Clemson, becoming the lone five-star prospect in Swinney’s first recruiting class as the Tigers’ new head coach in 2009. Ultimately, it came down to how different Boyd found Swinney to be than anyone else who recruited him.

“He told me when I came in, he was like, ‘One, I might not be here. If we don’t win, I’m going to be fired. Two, I’m not going to lie to you and say that you’re going to be just like whoever. I don’t know what that looks like,’” Boyd recalled. ‘“I can’t guarantee that you’re going to start, but you’ll have an opportunity.’

“I think his genuineness within that is the reason people come here to begin with.

Is anyone else throwing up in their mouths a little bit right now? 

 AQUILLA PUNCHES TICKET TO TOKYO, YODER COULD BE NEXT. After being named one of Ohio State's Athletes of the Year alongside Justin Fields, shot put thrower Adelaide Aquilla is now on her way to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I don't know about you, but I don't think I can even toss a shot put to my coffee table that's approximately three feet in front of my living room couch.

Former Buckeye gymnast Alec Yoder is also competing at the Olympic trials down in St. Louis. A 2019 Ohio State graduate, Yoder is looking to make the team on pommel horse and parallel bars. Things kicked off last night and there was no horsing around for the former Buckeye All-American.

Yoder scored a 15.05 – which was higher than either of his scores from nationals – and was nearly a full point ahead of second-place (Yul Moldauer). Yoder holds a lead of .95 points heading into Saturday's finals. A repeat performance would secure his spot on the Olympic team.

The Olympics will get underway on July 23. Buckeye nation – and the rest of America – will be rooting for you.   

 ZEKE'S STILL GOT IT. I somehow forgot that the man who delivered one of the greatest plays in Ohio State history is still just 25 years old. Ezekiel Elliott burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2016 when he rushed for over 1,600 yards and 15 scores. Since that time, the Cowboy offensive line has taken a step back, and so has Zeke's stat line. He's coming off a 2020 season that saw a career-low 4.0 yards per carry.

Fitness trainer Josh Hicks provided a sneak peek into Zeke's offseason just yesterday, and he sure looks like he's ready to bounce back in 2021. Dallas is certainly glad to have Dak Prescott back after suffering a compound fracture last season. Jerry Jones focused on defense in the draft as the Cowboys selected Micah Parsons in the first and didn't select an offensive player until the fourth round. 

 A TALE OF TWO VIRTUAL QUARTERBACKS. Justin Fields is battling the Red Rifle in the Windy City. Thus far Matt Nagy has made it pretty clear that Ryan Day's former gunslinger is going to have to wait his turn. The first images of Fields in Madden 22 emerged last week (LINK), and you have to give credit to EA Sports for doing a bang-up job. 

Mac Jones and the Crimson Tide got the best of the Buckeyes in the playoffs. There's really no denying that unfortunate fact. I think we can go ahead and give Fields the virtual victory, however. 

The 61 overall rating? Sure, that's bad enough. But Mac looks like he just downed a case of Keystone and is getting ready to change the oil on a Ford Focus.

 SPARTY'S GOT JOKES. Sometimes you see something on Twitter that is so simple (and juvenile) yet it still gives you a good chuckle.

Sebastian Cheeks is a four-star 2022 linebacker recruit who's fresh off an official visit to Michigan. We're all familiar with Pickerington's Jake Butt who's now suiting up for the Chicago Bears. He went 0-4 against Ohio State from 2013 through 2016. Shoutout to the Michigan State fan for providing us with something so simple yet satisfying. 

 OTHER EARTHLY HAPPENINGS. MLB's All-Star Game uniforms are the opposite of good... The oldest shark attack victim was just discovered 3,000 years after the incident... Emergency crews rescued a sex doll after mistaking it for a drowning woman... Ohio family is searching for their missing tortoise named Theodore... Dozens of cows escaped a slaughterhouse and took a trip through a California neighborhood.

Your word of the day is mystified simply because that's how I feel when trying to understand all of these NIL shenanigans. 

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