Welcome to the Skull Session.
Day one is in the books.
Brick by Brick
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 31, 2025
Day 1 pic.twitter.com/CAKJdrrEjx
Onto day two.
Have a good Friday.
GOING BACK-TO-BACK? Ryan Day had a quote Thursday that should inspire us all as we enter the weekend.
When asked about Ohio State’s identity coming off a national title season in 2024, Day said this of the 2025 Buckeyes: “They want to have their own identity, but they also want to be the first team to win back-to-back national championships at Ohio State.”
Yes. Yes. I would like that very much.
“YOU HAVE TO BE YOU.” Day’s mind wandered to Will Howard a couple of times on Thursday.
In his 22-minute press conference with the media, Day received a couple of questions about Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz, the Ohio State quarterbacks dueling to become QB1. Day name-dropped his national championship signal-caller in both answers.
When asked about how he evaluates Sayin and Kienholz, Day said, “You want to see command on the offense. When you stand in there at quarterback, you want everybody in that huddle to believe in you. You want them to follow your command. That’s a big part of it. Then taking care of the football, making routine plays routinely, getting us into the right play.
“That’s one of the things last year I feel like Will probably doesn’t get enough credit for was all the little things that kept the offense moving. Sometimes throwing the ball away to keep us on schedule — and then I say it all the time, ultimately as a quarterback, third down, red zone and two-minute is where you make your money.”
Then, when asked about Sayin and Kienholz’s extraordinary traits, Day said, “Every quarterback I’ve been around, you take something from. Will’s extraordinary trait physically was his size. He was big in there. But he did have an extraordinary leadership style, and his mindset was definitely unique to him.
“But I try to tell these guys all the time, like, you have to learn something from the guys who were here before. Both Julian and Lincoln saw Will lead. You don’t have to be Will Howard, though. You have to be yourself. You have to be you. You also have to command. There are things you learn from and grab onto and recognize that helped us win a championship; Will had some of those things. But no two quarterbacks are the same. It’s maximizing each guy and challenging them in those areas. A big part of that’s going to be leadership.”
I think Day liked Howard.
No, I think he loved Howard.
This preseason, Sayin and Kienholz will have the chance to earn the same favor from Day — and neither of them will do it alone.
“We have good pieces around them. They just need to make the routine plays routinely, have command and make great decisions,” Day said. “If they can do that and move the team down the field and score touchdowns, they’re going to give us a chance to win.”
May the best quarterback win.
“HE WANTS TO PROVE HIMSELF.” When I arrived at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Thursday, I immediately saw an Ohio State player wearing a white No. 33 jersey. “Jack Sawyer!” I thought before remembering that he rode off into the sunset with a national championship, leaving his old uniform in the care of freshman linebacker Eli Lee.
Though he joked about returning for a fifth season during Ohio State’s national championship celebration, Sawyer was not at the Buckeyes’ first preseason practice.
But there was someone who reminded me of him: Beau Atkinson.
At 6-foot-6, 265 pounds, Atkinson and Sawyer (6-foot-4, 260 pounds) have similar builds, and while it’s hard to measure someone’s potential in a practice without full pads, Atkinson has a similar presence to Sawyer. You know, he’s more athletic than he looks, has great football IQ and a high motor, and he brings his hard hat and a lunch pail to work.
Kidding.
Last season, Sawyer was a man on a mission looking to prove that he was one of the best defensive ends in the nation and that the Buckeyes had what it took to beat Michigan, win a Big Ten championship and national title. While Sawyer fell short of the first two team objectives, he ensured that Ohio State left no doubt in the College Football Playoff by delivering time after time in big moments, including his scoop-and-score against Texas. (The Lone Star Heist!)
As Atkinson acclimates to life at Ohio State, Ryan Day believes the former North Carolina standout will have a similar motivation to perform at the highest level for the Buckeyes.
“You’d have to ask him, but I think for him, coming into Ohio State, he wants to prove himself. This is a different environment for him, and I think he wants to prove — I think a lot of guys are this way — they want to prove themselves at Ohio State because they feel like if they make it here, they can make it anywhere. I think he’s had that mindset coming in. His teammates have really rallied around him.”
You love to see it. And you will love to see Atkinson on Saturdays this fall. I am sure of it!
“HE IS GENERATIONAL.” Before Big Ten Media Days, Caleb Downs flew out to Las Vegas to participate in Athletes First Elite Week with his brother, Josh, a former North Carolina standout and current Indianapolis Colts wide receiver.
Soon after the event, CBS Sports’ Ran Carthon and Bryant McFadden interviewed the brothers and had them debate over several questions: Who is the better chef? Who’s funnier? Who is the favorite child? And more.
To me, one question stood out above the rest: Who is better at football?
“I’ll answer this one,” Josh Downs said abruptly. “He better. He a generational talent, so I’ll give it to him.”
“But can he cover you one-on-one?” Carthon asked.
“Nah. See, that’s a different story, though,” Josh Downs said. “Obviously, you got to take yourself one-on-one.”
Following an eruption of laughter, he ended the conversation in the same way he had started it.
“Generational-wise, he different,” Josh Downs said of his brother.
This was a great moment.
Josh Downs put his brother on a pedestal, then chopped him down to size.
That’s how brothers love!
SONG OF THE DAY. “Daisies” - Justin Bieber.
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