Welcome to the Skull Session.
Ohio State football starts preseason camp in three sleeps.
Lights. Cameras. Buckeyes. pic.twitter.com/oQfQYcDRTM
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 25, 2025
Have a good Monday.
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” After Michigan defensive end Derrick Moore said Ohio State’s 2024 national championship wasn’t “a real win” because the Buckeyes didn’t beat the Wolverines last season, Westwood One’s Jim Rome eviscerated Michigan and the two-faced nature of Michigan Men.
“The thing about the Michigan Men, you Michigan Men, you’re always acting like you’re above this. ‘We’re actually the class in this. We are Michigan Men. We are the actual personification of class.’ What are you talking about? ‘I want to congratulate (the Buckeyes) on their natty win, but it wasn’t really a win because we beat them.’ Oh, OK. Let me set you straight, my man. It definitely was a real win,” Rome said.
“Now, I know The Game is everything – it is, unless you win the national championship. The Game is everything unless you go to the College Football Playoff and then proceed to hammer Tennessee, then run rampage over Oregon, then punch Texas in the face and then go beat up Notre Dame in the natty. You do all that, and believe it or not, people will actually forget that you somehow, miraculously lost The Game. Believe it or not, Men of Michigan, the natty does not run through Michigan.
“I know the whole rap that you could lose every game, every year, but if you beat Ohio State to win only one game that year, it’s a successful year. I get that. I’m not even saying that’s not accurate. That is true. Sherrone Moore obviously proved it last year. Listen to the nonsense that’s coming out of their mouths. I get that. You going into The Shoe and beating them last year was miraculous and incredible – I’m not trying to take that from you – but don’t get it twisted, and stop acting like that win was better or more important than winning the natty, and that because you got that win their championship doesn’t count.”
No more flag planting for Michigan?!
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) July 25, 2025
Easy for Michigan to say after they got over on the Buckeyes and started a melee in the Horseshoe. pic.twitter.com/eK9Zqj6vi3
Let Jim Rome cook.
Or, wait, let Jim Rome burn?
I like that better.
As Rome burned, he did share some heated words for Ohio State. They were harsh but fair.
“And by the way, Ohio State, stop losing to your archrival at home when you’re a three-touchdown favorite and clearly the best team in the country and then trying to fight them after that happens,” Rome added.
As I said, harsh but fair.
But back to the Michigan Men. I am so glad someone in the national media called out the Wolverines, who claim to have “class,” but are deceitful, dishonest, irresponsible and more. I mean, seriously. To proclaim that Ohio State’s national championship doesn’t count because it didn’t beat you at the same time, you, the Michigan Wolverines, are under investigation for an illegitimate three seasons with sign-stealer Connor Stalions on your staff, is inconceivable.
I need Ohio State to win The Game this season and shut their mouths. I neeeeeed it!
“HE’S JUST SO DAMN SMART.” Baker Mayfield loves Emeka Egbuka.
In May, Mayfield took Egbuka and his family to brunch in Tampa. And then in June, he said this about the former Ohio State wide receiver:
“At this level, you have to have talent, and he has that, being a first-round pick. The thing that sticks out is how cerebral he is. He’s so smart. Right now, I think we could plug-and-play him at every spot – he understands the offense that well. That’s just him being a pro already. He’s not a rookie. He doesn’t act like it, at least. It’s been really good to see him take that ownership. He takes it really serious. He’s in constant communication (with me and the coaches). He always wants to be in the right spot at the right time. He’s much like (Jalen McMillan) in his understanding of zone coverage and like Chris (Godwin) as well in his understanding of when to be open, the voids in the zone defense and how to be friendly to the quarterback. It’s a nice luxury to have.”
And then in July, Mayfield continued his praise for Egbuka in an appearance on Jason and Travis Kelce’s New Heights Podcast:
Jason Kelce:
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) July 25, 2025
"Baker, what are you looking forward to this year with Tampa Bay?"
Baker Mayfield:
"... Emeka Egbuka is an absolute stud. He is the real deal." pic.twitter.com/nvtIhvc2c4
“Emeka Ebgbuka is an absolute stud. He is. He is the real deal. ... OK, you know how you can’t just teach guys leaving the ground to catch the ball? It’s always grounded when (Egbuka) catches it. He keeps moving. There’s YAC potential out the wazoo there. But he’s just so damn smart. And he’s willing to block, willing to do everything we ask him to do. But then, I mean, we can plug-and-play him at any of the three receiver spots right now. It’s pretty exciting.”
Mayfield threw 570 passes in 2024. His top four targets were Mike Evans (110 targets), tight end Cade Otton (87), Godwin (62 in seven games) and McMillan (58).
I am confident Egbuka will crack the top four in 2025, either replacing Godwin – who suffered a dislocated ankle last season and is on the PUP list during training camp – or McMillan. My guess is McMillan, as the Buccaneers signed Godwin to a three-year, $66 million deal this past offseason, indicating that Tampa Bay has been pleased with his recovery and projections for how he can continue to contribute to the franchise for years to come.
Either way, Egbuka will get his this season, and I’m eager to see it.
“I’M HAVING A BLAST.” Mayfield loves Egbuka like Pittsburgh Steelers fans love Will Howard. (To be clear, I am sure Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans love Egbuka, too.)
Each time Howard took the field for team drills on Saturday, the crowd roared. He told reporters after practice that he had no idea the cheers were for him.
“I’m just trying to go out there and execute. I genuinely did not know that was for me,” Howard said. “I thought Joey Porter did something on the sideline, but that’s cool.”
Will Howard has received huge cheers every time he has come onto the field today.
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) July 26, 2025
It’s no secret that future Pro Football Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers will be the Steelers’ QB1 this fall. However, there’s still no clear answer regarding who will be QB2: Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson or Howard.
As Howard competes to be Rodgers’ backup, he’s having fun and working hard.
“I’m having a blast,” Howard told Sports Illustrated’s Noah Stackbein. “It’s my dream. It’s my childhood dream. So, I’m trying to remember that every day while also keeping it a business and taking care of business and executing. But at the end of the day, man, it’s fun, it’s football. I’m playing a game I’ve been playing since I was 7 years old, and I’m loving it—”
Sorry.
Carry on.
“I think the thing I’ve been focusing on most through this offseason and this training camp is just throwing the ball through people. I think a big knock on me through the draft process was my arm strength, and I don’t necessarily agree with that. … I think sometimes I take some velocity off the ball, maybe to place it or to be too accurate, but I’ve been trying to focus on throwing the ball through people. Even if there’s a guy wide open, still putting velocity on that thing, keeping all my cleats in the ground and using the ground and using my power to really get everything on every throw that I can.”
We love a self-aware king.
Serious question: If Howard adds some power to his throws, what else does he lack? He's 6-foot-4, 236 pounds. Last season, he set Ohio State's single-season completion percentage record, he had a 35 to 10 touchdown-to-interception ratio and he ran the football hard while plowing forward for extra yards. I mean, seriously, with some more power, this dude could have it all!
OUR TOP 25 PLAYS... IN VIDEO! Last week, Eleven Warriors' Andy Anders and Matt Gutridge ranked Ohio State's top 25 plays of the 2000s — and some honorable mentions that just missed the cut. Friend of the program MattBuckeyeGuy compiled the top 25 plays into a video over the weekend. Here's your chance to watch all of them and kick off this week with a bang:
The complete series... in articles!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Ride All Day" - The Figs.
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