Welcome to the Skull Session.
Soooooo..
Ohio State will add nine elevated field-level suites and 400 premium chairback seats to Ohio Stadium's south end zone before the 2026 college football season. https://t.co/9yjQwcubrO
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) June 3, 2025
What do we think about this?
Have a good Wednesday.
THE COMPUTERS! This week, ESPN updated its College Football Power Index for the 2025 college football season. Ohio State ranked No. 4 behind Texas, Georgia and Alabama in the initial release, with Penn State rounding out the top five.
| TEAM | FPI | PROJ. W-L | WIN OUT% | WIN CONF% | CFP% | MAKE NC% | WIN NC% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEXAS | 28.5 | 10.4-2.1 | 8.9% | 34.1% | 83.9% | 37.7% | 24.1% |
| GEORGIA | 26.6 | 10.1-2.3 | 6.3% | 26.9% | 78.6% | 30.0% | 17.9% |
| ALABAMA | 24.2 | 9.6-2.8 | 3.9% | 17.2% | 66.2% | 20.2% | 10.8% |
| OHIO STATE | 23.8 | 10.4-2.2 | 8.6% | 40.3% | 70.6% | 21.3% | 10.8% |
| PENN STATE | 21.5 | 10.2-2.2 | 7.0% | 25.1% | 63.8% | 14.4% | 7.0% |
Take that, Jim Knowles!
FAVORITE BUCKEYES. Over the past two weeks, Eleven Warriors has asked readers to vote for their favorite Buckeyes of The Ryan Day Era™. From quarterback and wide receiver to defensive end and linebacker, here's the all-time Ryan Day lineup, as voted on by the 11W community.
Quarterback: C.J. Stroud
Stroud received 36 percent of the votes and earned the title of QB1. His backups would be Justin Fields (32 percent of the vote), Will Howard (26 percent) and Dwayne Haskins (6 percent).
Running Back: J.K. Dobbins
Dobbins received 52 percent of the votes to become Day’s bellcow. TreVeyon Henderson (42 percent) would be the pair and Quinshon Judkins the spare (3 percent), with Trey Sermon (2 percent) in a depth role.
Wide Receiver: Jeremiah Smith
Smith needed one season to become our readers’ favorite wide receiver of Day’s tenure. That’s remarkable, considering his 30 percent share of the votes outperformed Chris Olave (25 percent) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (18 percent), not to mention Garrett Wilson (11 percent), Emeka Egbuka (10 percent) and JSN (6 percent).
Tight End: Cade Stover
Our readers love Farmer Gronk. The Lexington, Ohio, native earned 66 percent of the votes, creating a Grand Canyon-sized gap between himself and second-place finisher Jeremy Ruckert (24 percent). Gee Scott Jr. (6 percent) and Luke Farrell (3 percent) would also serve in depth roles.
Offensive Lineman: Donovan Jackson
Jackson took the No. 1 spot in our poll with 39 percent of the votes. Paris Johnson Jr. wasn’t far behind, earning a 33 percent share ahead of Dawand Jones (20 percent) and Seth McLaughlin (7 percent). Commenters also named Josh Simmons and Block O recipient Thayer Munford for the “Other” selection. If I were to create a five-man unit from the poll, it would be LT Johnson, LG Jackson, C McLaughlin, RG Simmons (?) and RT Jones. Man, that five would be dominant.
Defensive Tackle: Tyleik Williams
Free 91. Williams received a dominant share of the votes in our poll, earning 62 percent to Ty Hamilton’s 26 percent and Mike Hall’s 6 percent. Readers also mentioned DaVon Hamilton, Tommy Togiai and Haskell Garrett as “Others” in the comments section, but acknowledged that Williams, Ty Hamilton and Mike Hall Jr. stand out above the rest. (I agree.)
Defensive End: Chase Young
Jack Sawyer produced one of the best moments — if not the best moment — in Ohio State football history with his scoop-and-score in the Cotton Bowl; however, he’s not our readers’ favorite defensive end in Ryan Day’s tenure. That honor belongs to The Predator. Young earned a massive 61 percent of the votes in our poll, with Sawyer (33 percent) and JT Tuimoloau (3 percent) coming in second and third. With Young and Sawyer manning the edges, Tuimoloau and some “Others” like Zach Harrison and (outside linebacker) Baron Browning.
Linebacker: Cody Simon
O Captain! My Captain! Ohio State’s latest Block O recipient will quarterback Day’s defense after earning 39 percent of the votes. Tommy Eichenberg (32 percent), Pete Werner (18 percent) and Steele Chambers (5 percent) will pack in behind him, or fill other linebacker spots, in Ryan Day’s defense.
Cornerback: Jeff Okudah
His name is Jeff, and he is our readers’ favorite cornerback of The Ryan Day Era. Okudah earned 66 percent of the votes in our poll, with Denzel Burke’s 13 percent coming in second place. Jordan Hancock (8 percent) edged Shaun Wade (7 percent), with commenters also mentioning Davison Igbinosun in the “Other” category. With Okudah, Burke, Wade and Hancock, Day’s defense would have two No. 1 cornerbacks and two of the most defensive backs Ohio State has had in decades. Not bad!
Safety: Caleb Downs
The best safety in college football received the most votes in our poll. Who would have thunk? Coming off a unanimous All-American season, Downs earned 69 percent (nice) of the votes, with another fan-favorite, Lathan Ransom, earning 22 percent. Just like that season, the Downs-Ransom duo would lead Ryan Day’s defense with Jordan Fuller (6 percent) and Josh Proctor (2 percent) providing depth.
The Starters
- QB: C.J. Stroud
- RB: J.K. Dobbins
- WR: Jeremiah Smith, Chris Olave and Marvin Harrison Jr.
- TE: Cade Stover
- OL: Paris Johnson Jr., Donovan Jackson, Seth McLaughlin, Josh Simmons and Dawand Jones
- DE: Chase Young and Jack Sawyer
- DT: Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton
- LB: Cody Simon and Tommy Eichenberg
- CB: Jeff Okudah, Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock
- S: Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom
This is a 16-0 team if I’ve ever seen one.
My goodness.
WIDE RECEIVER U. This is a Brian Hartline appreciation section.
In the four offseasons that Pro Football Focus has ranked wide receiver rooms across college football, Ohio State has never ranked outside the top three.
Since PFF Began Ranking Position Units, Ohio State has had a Top 3 Receiving Corp Every Year pic.twitter.com/Q3vhcW1XsQ
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 2, 2025
- 2022: JSN, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka
- 2023: Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming
- 2024: Emeka Egbuka, Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate
Ohio State is Wide Receiver U.
“LOVE YOU FOREVER.” Last month, Fleming and his girlfriend, Alyssa Boyd, were involved in a tragic ATV accident that seriously injured Fleming and killed Boyd. On Monday, Fleming honored Boyd with an Instagram post.
Rest in peace, Alyssa.
Please continue to keep Fleming and Boyd’s family in your thoughts and prayers!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Memories" - Maroon 5.
CUT TO THE CHASE. The iconic Goodyear Blimp is 100. To celebrate, a flight over Ohio... North Dakota promises flush toilets at historic sites... Snack Wrap unwrapped: Here’s why McDonald’s will bring back a fan favorite on July 10... Knicks fire coach Tom Thibodeau after first Eastern Conference finals berth in 25 years... An innovative "ice battery" system is being used to cool buildings and lower energy costs.
