Welcome to the Skull Session.
Boom.
#BOOM Arizona 2026 offensive lineman Aaron Thomas commits to Ohio State, giving the Buckeyes another quality offensive tackle in their recruiting class. https://t.co/Isq07Lm1tG
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) June 26, 2025
Have a good Thursday.
“WE KNOW WE CAN BE BETTER.” Woody Hayes said to avoid apathy like the plague, but when it comes to the once-great Ohio State men’s basketball program, it’s hard to evade indifference. Ross Bjork understands that.
“Yeah, we sense that,” the Ohio State athletic director said in an interview with The Columbus Dispatch’s Adam Jardy this week. “We know we can be better. We know the atmosphere can be better. It’s all about (on-court) consistency. The fans … when they come to a game, they’re going to expect consistency in the performance.”
Ohio State has made the Schottenstein Center’s in-arena experience a focal point this offseason, as the Buckeyes have invested in a versatile scarlet and gray court for 2025 and a new $5.2 million scoreboard for 2026. Bjork told Jardy that the athletic department has also explored how in-game promotions and music could improve the atmosphere.
“What we have to do is, separate from the game itself, have the atmosphere in the Schott just be better again,” he said. “We’ve got to just make Ohio State basketball exciting and fun. Of course, winning helps, and that’s a great marketing plan, but at the same time, there are some elements that I think we can do that make the atmosphere better.”
With over 20,000 seats, Value City Arena has “really, really good bones to it,” Bjork told Jardy. Because a return to St. John Arena and the construction of a new venue are out of the question, Bjork said Ohio State will do its best to “tweak around the edges” to make the Schottenstein Center better. He hopes the tweaks will put more fans in seats and allow the Buckeyes to be at the forefront of an era where “every dollar matters.”
Another important note from Jardy’s article is that Ohio State still has plans to build a new arena for its men’s and women’s hockey teams. The women have appeared in four consecutive national championship games, with victories in 2022 and 2024. Yet — and I cannot believe this is still the case – the women compete on the same ice I used to watch friends play intramural games on while I was in college.
“We definitely need and we’re pursuing a new ice hockey arena that would be 4,000-5,000 seats that would be for men’s and women’s (hockey),” Bjork said. “Once you get that project off the ground, then that’s where you can really look at, OK, what happens (to Value City Arena)?”
THE NEXT ED REED? The Ringer’s Todd McShay has a Summer Scouting Series in which he evaluates the current top prospects for the 2026 NFL draft. This week, he evaluated Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
The podcast starts hot.
“Ronnie Lott, Sean Taylor, Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed – those are the names that come up when you start to have the conversation of the best safeties in NFL history. So, Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, is he next up?” McShay said. “We’re gonna deep dive into his tape today, just 305 days until the NFL draft.”
The podcast continued hot.
“I think he has the best instincts and recognition skills of any defensive back I’ve evaluated since Ed Reed,” McShay said of Downs.
“I came (into this podcast) in a defensive position because one of our listeners, when we were talking about Caleb Downs after the draft in the way-too-early mock, dropped a, ‘That’s way too early for a box safety,’ but Caleb Downs is not just a box safety. This guy is an interchangeable dude who can play high,” said Steve Muench, McShay’s co-host and former ESPN NFL draft analyst. “Go back and look at the pick he had against Mississippi State when he was a freshman at Alabama. He’s reading the quarterback, he’s getting off the hash, he’s tracking the ball and he’s plucking the ball out of the air. This guy can cover over the top. He can do all of those things. When you see him fill, when you see him run the alley, when he’s coming from a high safety spot, he gets downhill in a hurry. He is quick. He closes well. He breaks on the ball well. This is a guy that can play anywhere you would ask a safety to play.”
I think Muench loves Downs.
I don’t know.
Kidding, of course he does.
And what’s not to love?
In 2024, Downs earned unanimous All-American honors as he collected 82 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two interceptions and seven pass breakups amid a national championship season for Ohio State. Oh, and who could forget that 79-yard punt return touchdown against Indiana?!
There is much more in the podcast I’d love to address in the Skull Session; however, for brevity’s sake, I will share these timestamps and keep this train a-rollin' like The Doobie Brothers.
- 16:25 - Summer Scouting Series: Caleb Downs
- 20:08 - Position-specific rankings for Caleb Downs
- 33:20 - Caleb Downs tape evaluation
- 44:20 - Where does Caleb Downs rank in the 2026 draft class?
HEY ROOKIE! Four Buckeyes heard their names called in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL draft. This week, ESPN shared where each of them stands following a series of camps and offseason training.
No. 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Emeka Egbuka
Egbuka is going to have a big role in the Bucs' offense, especially with Chris Godwin still recovering from ankle surgery, and even after. He has shown up a ton in the short passing game -- really helping Tampa Bay stretch the field horizontally, and at times looking like a running back once the ball is in his hands -- but he's also been on the end of some big plays downfield.
"The thing that sticks out is how cerebral he is," QB Baker Mayfield said. "He's so smart. Right now, I think we could plug-and-play him at every [wide] receiver spot; he understands the offense that well. That's just him being a pro already." — Jenna Laine
No. 24, Minnesota Vikings - Donovan Jackson
It's difficult for an offensive lineman to stand out in no-contact practices, so the most important development for Jackson is that he worked with the first team at left guard for the majority of spring practices. Part of that can be attributed to right guard Will Fries' ongoing recovery from a fractured right leg. Blake Brandel, last season's starter at left guard and Jackson's primary competition at that position, has filled in for Fries on the right side. But there is every reason to believe Jackson has the inside track to emerge from training camp.
"It does give you some real beneficial options to see guys progress through the learning phase," coach Kevin O'Connell said, "and all of a sudden you've got three or four guys that maybe are a little more versatile than we thought." — Kevin Seifert
No. 28, Detroit Lions - Tyleik Williams
Williams was a limited participant throughout the offseason program as the team was being cautious about his health after coming off a long championship college season. Williams says he has felt great vibes from the team. He could play a big role right away as he's expected to fill in for starting defensive tackle Alim McNeill as he recovers from a torn ACL that ended his 2024 season.
"Knowing what we know and where he's at and what he can do, we like what he is," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "He is smart. He can get lined up. I know he's been grinding in the rehab, the training, so that's good." — Eric Woodyard
No. 32, Kansas City Chiefs - Josh Simmons
Simmons has been working as the starting left tackle during offseason practices. Even though these are noncontact sessions, it still represents progress. Simmons is coming off a torn patellar injury, and his timetable for a return to play was uncertain when the Chiefs drafted him. Now, minus a setback, it appears he's on schedule to be their starter when the season begins. "We weren't quite sure how much we were going to be able to get out of him, but he looks strong,'' coach Andy Reid said. "You can tell that he rehabbed. He did a nice job with it.'' A stronger test for Simmons will come during training camp, when he and his teammates will put on the pads for the first time and the physical part of the game will come into play. — Adam Teicher
Add these to the #DevelopedHere file!
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY… MONEY! According to contracts The Columbus Dispatch’s Joey Kaufman obtained on Tuesday, Ohio State will pay a combined $2.7 million for its 2029 non-conference games against Navy and Youngstown State.
Before I discuss more finances, I learned on Wednesday that Navy sailors are sometimes called “squids.” I would appreciate it if someone could explain that to me in the comments, please and thanks. I could Google it, but I know we have some vets in the community and learning about it from firsthand sources is the best course of action.
But I digress.
According to the contracts, Ohio State owes Navy $1.9 million for the 2029 season opener and Youngstown State $800,000 for the third non-conference game that fall. When combined with Ohio State’s $1.8 million agreement with Charlotte – the final non-conference opponent that year – the Buckeyes will pay a combined $4.5 million to start 2029 with a 3-0 record. Quick math tells me that’s $1.5 million per win!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Keep This Train A-Rollin'" - The Doobie Brothers.
CUT TO THE CHASE. An Alaska brown bear has a new shiny smile after getting a huge metal crown for a canine tooth... Fan banned by MLB after heckling Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte to tears with barb about his late mother... The Maine, the Myth, and the Legend of Cooper Flagg... Todd Haley details Bill Parcells asking Dan Campbell to start a practice fight... US cancer deaths decrease, but global cases expected to soar.
