Skull Session: 2018 Class Didn't Live Up To Hype, Edmonton Elks Sign Another Buckeye, and Women's Hoops Competes For Big Ten

By Kevin Harrish on February 15, 2022 at 5:15 am
Ryan Day is getting in on the action in today's skull session.
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Ohio State's got a game to play today, but frankly, I'm not quite done enjoying Saturday's road win at Michigan. Thankfully, the Buckeye video team has me covered.

That was glorious, but I hate it when my favorite scenes get left on the cutting room floor.

Word of the Day: Oppugnant.

 B1G'S BEST. The Ohio State men's hoops team is actually sneaky close to first place in the Big Ten and could make things interesting down the stretch, and so is the women's team.

That Tweet isn't exactly true – Indiana is still alone in first place with a 10-3 record while Ohio State is in a three-way tie for third with an 11-4 record. However, the Buckeyes are absolutely in striking distance with four games remaining, beginning with No. 13 Maryland on Thursday.

If y'all haven't tuned in to watch this team yet this year, do yourself a favor. Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Mikesell are fun as hell to watch and they got that in-and-out game with Rebeka Mikulášiková, who leads the team in both rebounds and assists.

 2018 CLASS REVISITED. Ohio State's 2018 recruiting class was, at the time, the most highly-rated recruiting class in program history. It... hasn't exactly turned out that way.

Four years later, it's not even viewed a top-10 class in hindsight, with The Athletic giving it a revised ranking of No. 12.

Ohio State’s 2017 recruiting class was one of its greatest, a star-studded crew that finished No. 2 in last year’s re-rank. The 2018 class was more highly rated by 247Sports back on signing day. Four years later, you could call this one a success if you’re judging it solely by wins and losses. But it’s not unfair to say, relative to its No. 2 ranking and grand expectations, this class has underperformed.

The true superstar of the class was Olave, a late three-star find who produced more than 2,700 career receiving yards and 35 TDs and should be a first-rounder. Petit-Frere was a huge recruiting win who played up to his five-star hype and could be a top-50 pick. They are the only members of this class who’ve earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.

The Buckeyes’ defense disappointing in 2021 can be traced back to how this defensive class panned out. When they signed, Urban Meyer believed the defensive backs and D-line were the strengths of the class. “You need to replace great players with great players,” he told BTN, “or obviously you’re not going to be as good.” This class yielded 11 defenders who’ve made starts, but only two – Smith and Sevyn Banks – who’ve started more than 10 games.

Togiai went pro after one season as a starter and five defensive signees departed via the portal. The rest have, for a variety of reasons, mostly played rotational roles. To be fair, though, there’s still time for returning players Josh Proctor, Taron Vincent and Cameron Brown to take big steps in 2022 and improve the reputation of the class.

Harsh, but completely fair.

But as they said, the story ain't over yet, though. A bunch of these guys are running it back for one last ride, and a solid number of them are penciled in as starters ahead of spring ball. You've got those three they listed – Proctor, Brown and Vincent – along with Matthew Jones, who I think might be one of the best interior linemen in the country next year.

But the larger point remains. I mean, there's a reason Ohio State played so many second and third-year players last year.

 BUCKEYES OF THE NORTH. Apparently, the Edmonton Elks saw what happened when the Cincinnati Bengals stockpiled a squad of former Ohio State players and decided they'd give it a shot too.

Duran Carter – son of Cris Carter, for those unaware – becomes the third Buckeye on to sign with the Elks in the past month, joining J.T. Barrett and Jalin Marshall.

So if y'all were looking for a reason to care about the CFL, they've got you covered.

 LOVE IS IN THE AIR. Yesterday was Valentine's Day. I'm sure some of y'all would have loved a heads up about that in yesterday's Skull Session, but I was a bit preoccupied with my team choking away the Super Bowl – my bad.

But if you needed a last-minute card, the Buckeyes had you covered.

If I weren't still trying to make up for bringing my wife to Arby's for our very first Valentine's Day dinner four years ago, I absolutely would have printed off one of these bad boys and slapped our names on it. However, I am trying to remain married.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Love It When You Hate Me" by Avril Lavigne.

 NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. An avatar robot goes to school for a sick boy... What it was like to date before the Internet... Google made a smart lamp that you’ll probably never be able to buy... The secret sex lives of cosleeping parents... The unsolved "witchcraft" murder that shocked Britain...

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