Welcome to the Skull Session.
The Glenville to Ohio State pipeline lives on.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 19, 2025
You love to see it.
Have a good Friday.
HE’S JUST LIKE ME. Let’s all enter the weekend with a laugh, courtesy of Will Howard’s girlfriend, Skyler.
@whatupskye Hes so Ken
Pink - Lizzo
This is exactly what my childhood room looks like – with fewer medals and trophies, of course. I was a good athlete, but not a Division I quarterback, national champion, or NFL draft pick!
HOTEL CALIF—BOWLING GREEN? How about another laugh? In an interview with The Athletic’s Cameron Teague Robinson, former Ohio State running back and current Bowling Green head coach Eddie George shared that he lived out of a Best Western before finding a home in the area.
When he wasn’t building his program or interwining himself with the school’s alumni base, George was “eating waffles for breakfast in the lobby and going to dinner at local restaurants,” Robinson wrote.
“I have a hard time envisioning Eddie in a Best Western,” former Bowling Green and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer told Robinson.
Me too, but I think it’s hilarious that he did!
“WE DIDN’T PLAY OUR BEST.” In an interview with Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt, former Ohio State linebacker and current Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman discussed what he’s learned from his team’s 34-23 loss to the Buckeyes in the national championship game last season.
“I think in those biggest games, those biggest moments, you've got to play your best. You can't make mistakes. Not against a team like Ohio State,” Freeman said. “You think about the first drive on offense – I think it was a 19-play drive – we execute, we're physical, we go down, we score. Defensively, we didn't play our best, and trust me, credit to Ohio State. They had some elite playmakers. They played really, really well.”
Like all competitors, Freeman still thinks about what he and his team could have done differently to beat Ohio State and win the program’s first national title since 1988.
"I wish we could go back and, dang it, we got to play our best, and the outcome might still be the same, but there were moments in that game I thought that's not how we have played all year long,” Freeman said. “For me, I think about that game and I say, OK, listen, we fought to the very end, right? You're down 21, I think, at half – or something like that, 14 or 21, and it was an eight-point game in the fourth quarter.
“But as I think about it, it's like, OK, what didn't I do to prepare them the right way for that opportunity? What didn't I do as the head coach to make sure we were ready to play our best in that moment? Was the game too big? Did I make it too small? I think of many different reasons in I want everybody in our program to think that way. What didn't I do to make sure I was prepared to take advantage of that opportunity? It's really hard to get there.
“And it’s something I will always remember, we made some changes already after we debriefed from that game. And hey, if we're in that situation, here are some different things we'll do as we prepare for it. But at the end of the day, you've got to play your best when you're playing the best."
I’ve written it before, and I’ll write it again. Early in his head coaching tenure, Freeman put his foot in his mouth a couple of times regarding the Buckeyes. But since then, I’ve had nothing but admiration and respect for him. He runs a great program at Notre Dame, and I hope he has success each time he leads the Irish on the field against a team not named Ohio State.
“WE’RE GOING TO COMPETE.” Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork announced last week that the school will begin revenue sharing with four sports in 2025: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball.
In a press conference on Tuesday, women’s volleyball head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg said she’s excited to have her program included in the plan, explaining that revenue sharing will allow the Buckeyes to compete at the highest level in the sport.
“To be one of four sets the tone for the conference and our program,” Oldenburg said. “Volleyball is big in the Big Ten, and in order to compete, you have to keep up with the big dogs. By saying we’re one of the four at Ohio State to get revenue share, we’re going to compete with the big dogs.”
Bjork said the school will share $18 million annually with student-athletes in the four sports. While Bjork declined to comment on the amount each sport would receive, he said coaches will have control over how their programs allocate revenue-sharing funds. Oldenburg said she’s opted to enter this new chapter with an “incentive-based” model for her team.
“It’s going to be year by year – we have a plan in place, but it’s not locked in stone,” she said. “This is something new, and it could change, so to be able to be flexible but also understand that we have the support of the administration, I think we are in a great spot.”
Bjork said last week that he wants Ohio State to capitalize on volleyball’s growing popularity in Central Ohio, from the Buckeyes’ men’s and women’s teams to The Columbus Fury, one of eight Pro Volleyball Federation franchises across the United States.
“We think, with the attention that our program can receive, we think the Columbus market, volleyball is a booming sport,” Bjork said. “The Covelli Center is an amazing atmosphere, so we thought volleyball could be a sport that could drive more revenue, but also the attention that it gets within the Big Ten.”
Still, Oldenburg made it clear that revenue-sharing alone won’t determine the program’s success on the court.
“This roster is based on our values, our culture, where we’re headed, where we want to go,” Oldenburg said. “I would say that this team is hungry to get back on the court, and it’s not driven by money. Even in the future, as athletes are getting paid more than they are now, I still hope that’s the culture that we maintain because I think in the long run that will win matches.”
Later, she added: “For us, it’s just about continuing to work hard, getting the right kids and going out to compete.”
That's what I like to hear!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Straightjacket" - Quinn XCII.
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