Skull Session: Michael Thomas Mentors Chris Olave, Gee Scott Befriends a Homeless Man, and Oklahoma Quarterback Has Incredible Name

By Kevin Harrish on May 16, 2022 at 5:40 am
Gee Scott Jr. is smiling in today's skull session.
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My Cincinnati Reds pitched a combined no-hitter and lost, so my week is already off to a hot start.

But hey, I guess that's just on me for having any semblance of hope in a baseball team that sold away all hope this offseason.

Word of the Day: Ostensible.

 BUCKEYE BEST BUDS. Putting Michael Thomas and Chris Olave on the same roster sounds like a Buckeye fan's pipe dream or Madden move, but the Saints did us all a favor and actually did the damn thing.

And while some elite veteran receivers might get a little perturbed by their team bringing in another receiver with the No. 11 overall pick in the draft, it sure doesn't sound like that's gonna be a problem here.

The veteran receiver was one of the first players to welcome the 11th overall choice to New Orleans, FaceTiming with Olave shortly after the draft. It was during the call that Thomas invited Olave to work out with him as both train in Southern California during the offseason.

“I couldn’t turn that down,” Olave said, via Mike Triplett of ESPN.

Olava spent more than a week working with Thomas before flying to New Orleans for the team’s rookie minicamp this weekend. The two worked out together a year ago, too, when Olave still was playing for Ohio State.

“I feel like that was exactly a year ago,” Olave said. “That was cool being out there with him, and finally being on the same team is going to be huge. I can’t wait.

“He kind of showed love to me since college, so we’d text back and forth every now and then. . . .I feel like we have the same mindset. We both want to dominate. We’re both competitors. Just when we get on the field, we turn into a different person. Just knowing him and knowing he’s on the other side of the field, that’s going to make us better and make us go hard.”

I'd say the Saints are a quarterback away from having an absolutely elite passing game, but honestly, I think this team is going to be fun as hell even with Jameis Winston at the helm.

He averages more than an interception a game in his career, but the guy is certainly not shy about throwing the ball downfield – and these receivers are gonna love it (provided he throws the ball to them, and not the defense, of course.

 BEST NAME IN FOOTBALL. Oklahoma lost both five-star quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams from last season. But they just got a significant upgrade at the position, in my opinion.

Folks, meet new Sooner quarterback General Booty.

A few things here:

  1. His full name is General Axel Booty, which somehow makes it even better.
  2. He is the nephew of former USC quarterback John David Booty
  3.  He's actually damn good at football. He led all junior college quarterbacks with 3,115 passing yards last season and threw for 528 yards and eight touchdowns in a single game.

Now, he's got an uphill battle to start this year with former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Pitt transfer Davis Beville both on the roster, but he's still got three years of eligibility remaining, so there's still a strong chance we get to see some Booty on the field in the future.

Personally, I'm saddened that the Buckeyes didn't pursue him. With Master Teague III, Nicholas Petite-Frere, and Lejon Cavazos all departing, Ohio State's All-Name team took a significant hit. But at least we still have Steele Chambers.

 GEE SCOTT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. Gee Scott is quickly – and I mean QUICKLY – becoming one of my favorite Buckeye players for reasons that have nothing to do with football, and I don't think he'd have it any other way.

This week, he's tearing at my heartstrings by befriending a homeless man, hooking him up with some cash, buying him a hotel, giving him a little makeover, and taking him to the absolute best restaurant in all of Columbus, if not the world.

Shoutout to Gee, and shoutout to Eugene, who has some extremely good taste in restaurants.

If I ever see him in Columbus, you know damn well where we're going.

 JOHNNIE D! Johnnie Dixon's dominance in the USFL continued this weekend with this absolutely stellar catch.

If I were an NFL team, I'd take a flier on him. You've seen what he's been doing in the USFL and you see what other Hartline-coached receivers are doing.

All he needs is a shot.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Yesterday" by The Beatles.

 NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. The invincible business of counterfeit goods... A kidnapping deemed a hoax, the newbie detective who cracked the case, and the Harvard-trained lawyer whose mental unraveling set the whole story in motion... Hopkins students create edible burrito tape... Questions to ask when you're trying to spot a liar... Scientists successfully grow plants in moon soil for the first time...

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