Welcome to the Skull Session.
This was good #content:
...Who did it best pic.twitter.com/Rb1NlSemAj
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 8, 2025
Bold move to imitate your coaches, Cotton. We'll see how it plays out for them.
Have a good Wednesday.
OHIO STATE'S “NEXT ONE.” How much does the rate at which an Ohio State freshman sheds their black stripe matter for their futures as Buckeyes? Under Ryan Day, a lot. Here’s a look at the five fastest freshmen to shed their black stripe in Day’s previous six seasons as head coach:
2019
- No. 1: Garrett Wilson
- No. 2: Zach Harrison
- No. 3: Harry Miller
- No. 4: Jameson Williams
- No. 5: Ryan Jacoby
2020
- No. 1: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- No. 2: Kourt Williams
- No. 3: Gee Scott Jr.
- No. 4: Julian Fleming
- No. 5: Ty Hamilton
2021
- No. 1: Jack Sawyer
- No. 2: Marvin Harrison Jr.
- No. 3: TreVeyon Henderson
- No. 4: Emeka Egbuka
- No. 5: Reid Carrico
2022
- No. 1: Kye Stokes
- No. 2: Caden Curry
- No. 3: Jyaire Brown
- No. 4: C.J. Hicks
- No. 5: Kaleb Brown
2023
- No. 1: Carnell Tate
- No. 2: Jelani Thurman
- No. 3: Malik Hartford
- No. 4: Luke Montgomery
- No. 5: Bryson Rodgers
2024
- No. 1: Jeremiah Smith
- No. 2: Julian Sayin
- No. 3: Jaylen McClain
- No. 4: Eddrick Houston
- No. 5: James Peoples
Quite the diverse list, huh?
Wilson, Zach Harrison, JSN, Hamilton, Sawyer, Marvin Harrison, Henderson and Egbuka are either in the NFL or headed to the NFL. (Scott and Fleming could be headed there, but neither are expected to be drafted. More on Fleming in a moment.) Meanwhile, Miller and Kourt Williams medically retired, and six transferred: Jameson Williams (to Alabama), Jacoby (to Pitt), Carrico (to West Virginia), Stokes (to Cincinnati), Jyaire Brown (to LSU then UCF) and Kaleb Brown (to Iowa then UAB).
The others – Curry, Hicks, Tate, Thurman, Hartford, Montgomery, Rodgers, Smith, Sayin, McClain, Houston and Peoples – are still on Ohio State’s roster. Each of them will make an impact in 2025, with Smith at the forefront as the best player in college football.
All of that said, Quincy Porter becoming the first member of Ohio State’s 2025 class to lose his black stripe is a big deal.
Smith said as much on Tuesday.
“Quincy Porter (is a) big, tall receiver, just like me,” Smith said. “Came in, kept his head down, just working. I’m happy to see his future at Ohio State. Probably gonna be the next one up, for sure.”
I like the sound of that.
“I STAYED THE COURSE.” Former Ohio State and Penn State wide receiver Julian Fleming wants to take the next step in his football career. As he looks to make that happen, he has a message for NFL teams.
“I want them to know that I’ve never cheated my process, ever,” Fleming told Lions247. “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career, and I’ve always come out on top of every hurdle that I’ve ran into – whether it be injuries, a bad game, this, that and the third. But I’ve never, never changed my process.
“I sat behind great guys at Ohio State for two years, and it was great to learn from. But I never cheated the process. I stayed the course, and I did what was asked of me. I went behind two great receivers, three great receivers. I played with soon-to-be six first-round draft pick receivers that have been in front of me who are also my peers, playing with, and I’ve stayed the course. I’ve done everything that was asked of me and trying to act like a pro and doing what the team needs.”
While Fleming transferred to Penn State for his final season of college football, he rooted for his former coaches and teammates to win Ohio State’s ninth championship.
“I’m always going to root for my guys, so it was really exciting to see them play,” Fleming said. “And they did, they did super well. I can’t sit here and say they didn’t. They came out. They played. They showed that they were one of the top teams in the country. They were the best team that day.”
He still claims Ohio State as his alma mater, too.
“I stayed the course at Ohio State. I paid my four years. That’s my alma mater,” Fleming said. “To this day, I’ll still claim them as my alma mater. I have no bad blood with any of the coaches. There are still people that I can keep in touch with to this day, including my past teammates. It’s just a decision I made, and I stuck with my decision.”
According to Lions247, Fleming posted “modest marks” at Penn State’s pro day: 4.68 seconds in the 40-yard dash; 34.5 inches in the vertical jump; 10 feet, 3 inches in the broad jump; 4.27 seconds in the pro shuttle; 7.14 seconds in the 3-cone.
Fleming will continue working out ahead of the draft and plans to attend local days with the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants. His conversations with those teams have been “brief,” but Fleming expects the dialogue between him and those teams to increase once he’s completed his workouts.
“I contribute whatever they ask of me,” Fleming said. “At the end of the day, it’s a team sport, and the team always comes first. Then that takes priority. Whatever’s asked of me, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”
Godspeed, Julian.
Godspeed.
ALL-UNDERRATED TEAM. One can make the argument that Jordan Hancock had the best workout at Ohio State’s pro day, running the fastest 40-yard dash (4.42 seconds) while also recording the best vertical jump (41.5 inches) and broad jump (10 feet, 6 inches).
Hancock also looked fluid while going through defensive back drills, helping showcase the versatility he believes will allow him to play several positions in the NFL. His fluidity can be traced back to the countless hours of training with Matt Guerrieri and Tim Walton, learning how to line up in different spots.
Hancock’s performance at pro day, as well as his performance across four seasons at Ohio State, earned him a spot on Jordan Reid’s All-Underrated Team for the 2025 NFL draft.
Love sharing this list every year.
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) April 8, 2025
My all-underrated prospects list.
Offense:
QB: Kyle McCord, Syracuse
RB: Brashard Smith, SMU
WR: Jalen Royals, Utah St
TE Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame
OT: Jalen Travis, Iowa State
G: Miles Frazier, LSU
C: Jake Majors, Texas
DEF:
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) April 8, 2025
NT: Vernon Broughton, Texas
DT: Cam Horsley, Boston College
EDGE: Fadil Diggs, Syracuse
LB: Smael Mondon Jr, Georgia
OLB: Josiah Stewart, Michigan
CB: Nohl Williams, Cal
CB: Zah Frazier, UTSA
NCB: Jordan Hancock, Ohio St
S: Malachi Moore, Alabama
I think Guerrieri would agree with Reid’s selection.
“Jordan was critical for us to be able to do a lot of things. Anytime you have the flexibility to play outside corner, slot corner, nickel, star, that kind of stuff, and then be able to play high safety is critical,” Guerrieri said last week. “Tim (Walton) and I knew that at some point we would need that kind of depth, so we had trained Jordan as a high safety last spring and throughout camp. It was really important for us to be able to do that.”
Guerrieri said Hancock had so much success in those roles that he and Walton have made him the standard current defensive backs should pursue while cross-training in the secondary.
“We’re training guys to do it,” he said. “Part of Tim and my philosophy is to be able to play defensive back – not just star, not just safety, not just corner. It’s important for the NFL, too. We talk to the scouts. We talk to the pro coaches. … It’s important, man, when you look at these guys and the flexibility.”
A MAN OF CULTURE. I always knew I liked Ryan Day. It’s not because he’s a national champion head coach, and it’s not because he’s a good human. No, it’s because his favorite meal is chicken parm. That, dear reader, makes him a man of culture. (His other selection, a bone-in ribeye, does the same.)
That’s our head coach.
That’s the head coach.
SONG OF THE DAY. "What Would I Do Without You" - Drew Holcomb.
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