Welcome to the Skull Session.
I thought Lincoln Kienholz, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Jaylen McClain were Ohio State's final Dudes of the Week this offseason. Then, the Buckeyes posted this!
Week 6 Dudes of the Week
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 29, 2025
Brandon Inniss
Will Smith
Bennett Christian pic.twitter.com/0bvr1pSYvz
Turns out Kienholz was one of the final Dudes of the Week.
Oh well.
Have a good Wednesday.
“HE TALKS ABOUT IT EVERY DAY.” Former Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson still hasn’t moved on from the Rose Bowl.
Following Oregon’s 32-31 win over Ohio State in the regular season, the Buckeyes had one of the most dominant performances in college football history when the teams rematched in Pasadena and avenged their loss with a 41-21 beatdown of the No. 1-seeded Ducks.
Looking ahead to this season, Johnson said Ohio State will fall short of back-to-back titles. There’s no particular reason he believes that – just that he still holds a grudge for the Buckeyes.
“Ohio State is gonna get beat in the championship this year,” Johnson told reporters this week. “I got a lot of receipts that I’m keeping right now because, yeah, I hold grudges. I’m sorry. I hold grudges.”
Later, Johnson added: “I mean, obviously I wanted to win the Rose Bowl (last season), but we came up short. We’re gonna go back to the Rose Bowl this year, and if it’s Ohio State, we’re gonna come at Jeremiah Smith.”
Smith dominated Oregon in the Granddaddy of Them All, collecting seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammate, Emeka Egbuka, was also excellent in the CFP quarterfinal, recording five catches for 72 yards and one score. Egbuka’s touchdown involved this beautiful one-handed catch via a pass thrown on a rope from Will Howard.
Speaking of Egbuka, when he heard Johnson’s comments, he explained to the media that Johnson talks about the Rose Bowl constantly, which he finds amusing.
“He talks about it every day. I don’t know what’s up with that,” Egbuka said with a smile. “Nah, me and Tez are building a super close relationship, probably too close. He’s my roommate right now, so I hear him snore every night. It’s going well.”
Johnson agreed that he and Egbuka are becoming friends. Despite his jabs at Ohio State, Johnson had nothing but praise for his Buckeye teammate.
“He’s a good guy,” Johnson said. “He’s very twitchy for his size, and he runs really good routes and has really strong hands. That guy’s smart. He’s a human computer.”
Bucs rookie and former Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson (@tezMania15) still hasnt let the Rose Bowl loss go and his roommate, former Ohio State receiver @EgbukaEmeka, is tired of hearing about itand the snoring. pic.twitter.com/d0jmz6FtSr
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) July 28, 2025
“STYLES IS BUILT DIFFERENTLY.” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler continued his 2026 NFL draft positional rankings this week. After ranking Max Klare as his No. 2 tight end on Monday, Brugler ranked Sonny Styles as his No. 2 linebacker on Tuesday.
Here’s what Brugler wrote about the Iron Buckeye:
Best traits: Freaky physical traits
Styles is built differently. He immediately passes the eye test with his tall, well-defined frame and long arms (the strength staff at Ohio State raves about him), and he moves like an athlete who is 30 pounds lighter. With his speed, fluidity and reflexes, Styles has outstanding range to open and react to what he sees.
Must improve: Finishing skills
Between his first season as a starter and last year, Styles took a big step reading his keys and understanding field leverage. But he still needs to improve his tackling mechanics to be a better finisher. Though his long arms help him wrap, Styles leaves too much production on the field.
2026 NFL Draft outlook
Styles checks a lot of boxes that will be scouting catnip for NFL teams. A former five-star recruit, he is a 20-year-old senior with rare physical traits and the son of a former Super Bowl champion linebacker. On top of his freaky tools, he was voted an “Iron Buckeye” this spring for his training and discipline, and one member of Ohio State’s staff told me Styles is “one of the best leaders in the program.”
Styles isn’t quite the speed demon that Isaiah Simmons was coming out of Clemson, but there are certainly similarities between the two as former safeties and rare size-speed athletes. Simmons has struggled to become a consistent NFL starter, but he was a top-10 draft pick because the NFL will always bet on athletic traits. Styles has a chance to be a first-round pick for the same reasons.
Styles ranked No. 2 behind Georgia’s CJ Allen and ahead of Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr., LSU’s Whit Weeks and LSU’s Harold Perkins. As the only senior in Brugler’s top five, Styles ranked No. 1 in Brugler’s preseason top 25 senior linebackers, ahead of Alabama’s Deontae Lawson, Michigan’s Jaishawn Barham, Utah’s Lander Barton and Oregon’s Bryce Boetther.
Also of note, Arvell Reese checked in as Brugler’s No. 7 draft-eligible underclassman linebacker behind Allen, Hill, Weeks, Perkins, Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis and Ole Miss’ Suntarine Perkins.
It sure looks like James Laurinaitis’ Regulators will be one of the strengths of an Ohio State defense that fires Ryan Day up!
ALL IN FAVOR. Covers’ Brad Powers must be a human computer like Emeka Egbuka. This offseason, the Bet the Board podcast host calculated betting lines for all Power Four teams in the regular season and revealed that five programs enter the year as favorites in every game: Arizona State, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
According to Powers’ projections, Ohio State will be at least a double-digit favorite in nine games this season. The only games the Buckeyes are less than 10-point favorites for are Texas on Aug. 30 (-3), Penn State on Nov. 1 (-3.5) and at Michigan on Nov. 29 (-3.5), also known as the three toughest games on their schedule.
Not to discredit Powers’ work, but I don’t think he’s given enough credit to opponents outside of the Longhorns, Nittany Lions and Wolverines — namely, Washington and Illinois. Could I see the Buckeyes beating the Huskies and Illini comfortably on Sept. 27 and Oct. 11? Yes, yes, I can. But I am a little cautious about a kickoff under the lights in Seattle and an experienced, Bert-led team in Champaign. That said, I won’t be surprised if Washington and Illinois give Ohio State a run for its money this fall!
SO LONG, PARTNERS. Today is the last day without Ohio State football. Before the Buckeyes start preseason camp on Thursday, let’s reflect one last time on the 2024 season, courtesy of a showreel from Ohio State’s Ethan Miller:
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— Ethan Miller (@ethantlmiller) July 29, 2025
As one season closes another one begins #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/AvihYQKI9M
Time to run it back.
SONG OF THE DAY. “My Sharona” - The Knack.
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