Skull Session: Buckeyes Have Three Top-Five Freshmen, Ohio State Has Nation's Best Offense, and Malcolm Jenkins Buys Minority Share of EPL Team

By Kevin Harrish on October 21, 2021 at 5:59 am
Just two boys hanging out in today's skull session.
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Happy Friday Jr., everybody.

Don't forget to head on out to Buffalo Wild Wings in Grandview tonight to eat some food, drink some beverages and hang with friends while we record The Eleven Dubcast live onsite beginning at 7 p.m.

If you can't make it out tonight, no worries – we'll be recording shows live from Central Ohio BDubs locations throughout the rest of the season.

Word of the Day: Dubiety.

 THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT. Turns out that if you take the top-five true freshmen across all of college football, Ohio State has most of them.

3. RB TREVEYON HENDERSON, OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Henderson has only played six games at the collegiate level, and his name is already top 10-running back conversation in college football. Henderson has earned an 87.0 rushing grade while breaking 27 tackles, generating 18 runs of 10-plus yards and averaging 5.29 yards after contact per attempt on 69 carries. That yards after contact average is the second-best among Power Five running backs through Week 7.

4. DI TYLEIK WILLIAMS, OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

The sheer amount of high-end reps from Tyleik Williams on just 94 snaps played in his true freshman campaign is almost hard to believe. The 6-foot-3, 315-pound interior defender’s upper-body strength paired with his advanced hand placement for his age has led him to a 90.5 pass-rush grade, 30% win rate and 15 total pressures on 60 such snaps. Ohio State has the most talented defensive line room in college football, and Williams has been the most impressive player of the bunch.

5. CB DENZEL BURKE, OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Burke came to Columbus as a four-star recruit with little expectations to play significant snaps in his first year due to playing primarily receiver in high school. Burke was thrust into the starting spot to open the year due to injuries at the position and is now one of the rising stars at cornerback in college football. Burke has been tested with 33 targets in six games, and he has handled that load with ease, allowing only 14 catches — none of which have resulted in a touchdown or explosive play of 15-plus yards. He has totaled five pass breakups to go along with an interception and is playing disciplined with just one penalty on the year. Burke looks like a seasoned veteran in press at the line of scrimmage and knows how to play the catch point. The fact he’s doing this while still being relatively new to the position is quite impressive.

Having to start an excessive number of true freshmen is not generally the mark of a healthy program, but reality is a little more nuanced for Ohio State – the Buckeyes don't *have* to start true freshmen this season, they *get* to.

It's not like any of these guys were forced into action out of desperation – Ohio State has other players at all of these positions that are more than capable of playing the position and playing it well. These guys just proved to be too damn good to keep off the field. And that's a great place to be.

 ALONE AT THE TOP. For the past few weeks, whenever we mentioned Ohio State having the best offense in the country, we had to some very annoying self #WellActually work, acknowledging that Coastal Carolina technically led the nation in points per game.

That's not going to be a problem anymore.

Of course, there's always a chance that the Buckeye offense gets absolutely suffocated by the second-worst defense in the Big Ten this weekend and gives it right back to Coastal Carolina, but I'm feeling pretty good about it.

 SPOOKY! It wouldn't be Halloween time without some localized ghost stories. Love to be spooked.

I'll never forget how stupid I felt when I first learned that Hayes Hall – a building constructed back in the 19th century – was named after the U.S. President that helped found the university and not the football coach hired in 1951. This stupid sport has melted my brain beyond repair.

Anyway, I'd probably like to avoid any and all ghost encounters if at all possible. But if I must be haunted, getting haunted by a helpful deceased president is probably at the top of my list.

 MOVE OVER, TED LASSO. If anybody was looking for an English soccer club to pledge your allegiance, one has just fallen into your lap as Buckeye legend Malcolm Jenkins is now a minority owner of Burnley FC.

Jenkins, a 12-year NFL veteran, who remains an active player with the New Orleans Saints, has a minority stake in the club as part of the ALK Capital investment group that took over last December.

A highly respected and successful businessman in his native United States, Jenkins has built a holding company, Malcolm Inc., to manage his off the field business portfolio, philanthropic and brand partnerships, which cover a wide-ranging group of companies across Media, Tech, Apparel, Restaurants, Real Estate, Sport and Education.

Speaking about his minority investment in Burnley during his visit, Jenkins believes that the club is the perfect fit for him and the values that are integral to all his business ventures:

“I’m excited to enter this new relationship, as Burnley FC is known for its tenacity, work ethic, good sportsmanship and efficient operational infrastructure. It’s a great fit for me personally and my company to invest in the growth of the sport alongside a historic organization that aligns with our company values.

After receiving a tour of Turf Moor, Jenkins was impressed with his first look around the Clarets’ home:

“I think the club’s doing a great job with some of the updates around the stadium and to see the vision of where they want to go in creating a venue that’s not only a great place to come and watch a game is really exciting.”

I don't know how long it will be until he's thrust into coaching the team himself, but based on my movie and television consumption, I have to assume that's coming in the very near future and I can't wait.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Highway Star" by Deep Purple.

 NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. A North Korean defector escaped from a Chinese prison and now has a $23,000 bounty on his head... Jeff Bezos' quest to create Prime Video's version of Game of Thrones... Before America had its witch trials, Europe had werewolf trials... A new and cheaper form of meth is wreaking havoc on America... A man was arrested for uncensoring Japanese porn using AI...

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