Welcome to the Skull Session.
This JSN tape is something else.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba might be unguardable pic.twitter.com/kPIHFcaEZ5
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 24, 2025
Have a good Friday.
"ONE OF THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES." Amid Ryan Day’s brief press conference on Wednesday, a reporter reminded Day that the last game he coached as an Ohio State assistant was against Washington in the 2019 Rose Bowl Game.
“Yeah, right,” Day said with a laugh.
“What do you remember about that?” the reporter asked.
“I forgot until you just said that — that that was the case,” Day said. “That was a very good (Washington) team, and I remember that game in particular. We jumped in early, and it was warm, and then we came out in the second half, and it might have dropped 20 degrees, and we kind of got stale. And Washington came roaring back and kind of hung on at the end, which kind of left a different taste in our mouth. We felt like we had a chance to really do something, but Washington was a really good team. They fought back. They were a very physical team. We had a lot of respect for them as a team.”
Then, Day’s mind went to one of his favorite memories.
“I remember being in the locker room. There are kind of snapshots I have, certainly, of Urban (Meyer) putting the whistle around my neck,” Day said. “That moment was really special, and I have a picture of that in my office. And then the rest kind of was a blur from there.”
As he reflected on that moment, Day expressed gratitude that Meyer (and then-athletic director Gene Smith) gave him the opportunity to be Ohio State’s head coach — and that he remains in the role seven years later.
“This is where we call home. That really would have been a dream come true, quite honestly,” Day said. “And to think back on that next month and that first press conference, and I think a lot of people asked, ‘What if you don’t do this? What if you don’t do that?’ I just remember thinking, well, if you look at it like that, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you look at it like an opportunity, then it’s a different point of view, and this has been one of the greatest opportunities of my life.
“I enjoy every moment of being here. I understood then what the responsibility is and understand what it is now. It hasn’t changed. But every year, you grow a little bit more wiser and a little bit more calloused and a little bit more seasoned. But all that being said, I mean, this is a whole new team, and that’s probably the best part of all of that, is every year is a new story. And (Saturday’s game) is a great challenge for our team and a really good opportunity for us to take a step of winning a conference road game against a team like this, who’s got such a great history.”
I mean, how could you not love this man? He gets it!
STANDING IN THE HALL OF FAME? Three Buckeyes were among the 128 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026: Running back Eddie George, center Nick Mangold and linebacker A.J. Hawk.
We are proud to present the 128 Modern-Era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, presented by @visualedgeit. The list will be reduced to 50 in October as the journey to Canton continues. #PFHOF26 pic.twitter.com/MEb3En4skv
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) September 24, 2025
Following a four-year career at Ohio State in which he won the 1995 Heisman Trophy, George became the No. 14 overall pick in the 1996 NFL draft, landing with the Houston Oilers. George won the NFL Rookie of the Year award and was the Oilers’/Tennessee Titans’ starting running back through 2003, never missing a start. George was a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, collecting 12,688 yards from scrimmage and 78 total touchdowns throughout his career.
Mangold won a national championship with Ohio State in 2002 and later became a first-team All-American in 2005. The Centerville, Ohio, native was the New York Jets’ No. 29 overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft. He spent his entire 10-year career with the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS, earning seven Pro Bowl nods and three All-Pro selections.
Long before his stoic facial expressions started to dominate half the screen during the Pat McAfee Show, Hawk was a national champion and two-time All-American (consensus in 2004 and unanimous in 2005) at Ohio State. The Green Bay Packers selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft, and after nine seasons and a Super Bowl with the franchise, Hawk is the Packers’ all-time leading tackler with 629.
Throughout his 11-year career, which also included stints with the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons, Hawk recorded 946 tackles with 57 tackles for loss, 20 sacks, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, nine interceptions and 34 pass breakups.
Of the three players, George has the best chance to receive a Gold Jacket; however, even he faces an uphill battle. George has been a modern-era semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame twice, first in 2022 and again in 2024. In a year where Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald will be first-ballot entries, George will have to compete with 126 other players to claim one of the select spots left over.
TROPHIES, TROPHIES. This week, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame named Lorenzo Styles Jr. as a semifinalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy.
Nicknamed “The Academic Heisman,” the Campbell Trophy is college football’s premier scholar-athlete award and recognizes players for their success as leaders on the field and in the classroom. Spanning all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, candidates for the Campbell Trophy hold at least a 3.6 GPA. Over half the finalists, including Styles, have already earned their bachelor’s degrees.
“We are honored to celebrate such an extraordinary group of student-athletes as semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy,” NFF president and CEO Steve Hatchell said in a statement. “Their accomplishments reflect the lasting impact of our game — building character, discipline and leadership, extending far beyond football.”
One step closer.
— National Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) September 24, 2025
Introducing the semifinalists for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy: https://t.co/0Jq0CeZJyc pic.twitter.com/T42Zcd3uuv
Styles started his college career as a wide receiver at Notre Dame, collecting 54 receptions for 684 yards and two touchdowns across 26 appearances in 2021 and 2022. Following his sophomore year with the Irish, Styles transferred to Ohio State, where he has spent the past 2 ¼ seasons as a defensive back, recording 26 tackles, one tackle for loss and four pass breakups.
A Pickerington, Ohio, native, Styles has been Ohio State’s No. 1 nickel cornerback in 2025, earning starts in the team’s victories over Texas, Grambling State and Ohio. Styles exited the Buckeyes’ win over Ohio with an injury, but Ryan Day said Wednesday that he'll be "ready to go" against Washington.
Styles studies consumer and family financial services at Ohio State. The major puts students on a path toward “a rewarding career in financial planning, consumer economics and analytics,” the College of Education and Human Ecology website states. Styles is a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
While Styles has impressed in athletics and academics during his college career, I believe his most profound impact has come in a third arena: as a humanitarian in Central Ohio. In 2023, 2024 and 2025, he and Sonny Styles have participated in the Huckleberry House’s Sleep Out Campaign, raising tens of thousands of dollars and bringing awareness to youth homelessness in Columbus.
All of that said, I am sure the 177 players nominated from the FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA are class acts — but few, if any, are classier than Lorenzo Styles. I hope to see him win the award!
BIG GAME JAMES. There are some excellent matchups in college football this weekend: No. 21 USC at No. 23 Illinois, No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia — but No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State takes the cake as the Game of the Week.
At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, fans should have their televisions set to NBC for the Ducks and Nittany Lions — or at least have a multiview as Alabama faces Georgia — because James Franklin, once again, has a chance to rewrite the narrative that he can’t win The Big One.
In 11 full seasons as Penn State’s head coach, Franklin is 4-20 against AP top-10 teams and 1-15 against top-five opponents. A win over Dan Lanning’s high-powered Ducks would show this veteran roster has the makeup to win the Big Ten and contend for a national championship. A loss would reinforce the familiar story: Penn State can handle the teams it’s supposed to beat but falls short against the sport’s elite.
“I’m not going to act like there’s no pressure,” Franklin said this week. “But I would also say that if you’re living a lifestyle as the head coach where you feel the pressure all the time, then you probably shouldn’t be the head coach. If you’re the starting quarterback at Penn State and you’re constantly feeling that pressure, then you probably shouldn’t be the quarterback at Penn State. There’s just part of this that when you decide to come to a place like Penn State, this is what comes with it.
“You don’t fill up a 107,000-seat stadium consistently like we do without people being passionate and fanatical, right? This is why you choose Penn State. It’s why I came here as the head coach, to have these types of opportunities and to play these types of games. We chose this, and I think that’s an important reminder for all of us.”
Oregon is the first opponent in a daunting stretch of Big Ones. Penn State still has a road trip to Ohio State on Nov. 1 and a home clash with Indiana on Nov. 8. If the Nittany Lions reach the College Football Playoff, they’ll have at least three more heavyweights waiting. But Franklin isn’t looking that far.
“When we have the ability to finish the job,” he said, “then I think that complete story can be told.”
On Saturday, Franklin has another chance to prove he can win The Big One — and this time, the narrative is his to change.
SONG OF THE DAY. "We're Not Gonna Take It" - Twisted Sister.
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