Welcome to the Skull Session.
Look at Julian Sayin! So inspirational!
Tradition Continued with @TBDBITL pic.twitter.com/3jqWC6mMvk
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 22, 2025
Have a good Friday.
“IT’S BEEN UNBELIEVABLE.” I’m about to turn 26, and I have a lifetime of Ohio State football ahead of me, but I find it hard to believe Ryan Day (or a future Buckeye head coach) will ever make a better hire than Matt Patricia.
I could ramble about stats we all know — that Ohio State has the No. 1 scoring defense and No. 2 total defense in college football, along with the nation’s top stop rate. But here’s what really matters: Everyone here loves Matt Patricia. And he loves everyone back.
Patricia said as much on this week’s Ryan Day Radio Show, when he filled in for Ryan Day — you know, the man the show is named after? — while the head coach handled a scheduling conflict.
First, Patricia talked about the historic success his players have had this season.
“I’m just so happy for those guys. They’ve worked really hard,” Patricia said. “It brings you a lot of joy to be out there with them and watch what they can do on gamedays. They work so hard throughout the week. It’s great to see that work come to fruition on gamedays.”
Then, Patricia explained that those positive emotions are one of the reasons he wanted to coach at Ohio State in the first place. His relationships with Day and Tim Walton helped, too — as did his family.
“It’s been unbelievable. This place is amazing. The fans are great, the stadium atmosphere, just all of it, the walk — my kids are in awe, you know, they’ve seen some really cool things in sports, but this has been unbelievable for them.”
And third, Patricia praised his defensive coaching staff for being a “tremendous group.” He called Larry Johnson, James Laurinaitis, Matt Guerrieri and Walton “a great group of guys” that he’s thankful to work with.
“I walked into an ideal, wonderful situation,” Patricia said.
Those are all the reasons Patricia came to Ohio State. Hopefully, they’re the same reasons he sticks around!
SO MUCH FOR 50/50. The Athletic’s J.J. Bailey and Dane Brugler wrote an article this week that Carnell Tate, USC’s Makai Lemon and Louisville’s Chris Bell have all climbed NFL draft boards this season, but Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson (the younger brother of Cleveland Cavaliers forward Jaylon Tyson) is still the No. 1 wide receiver in the class.
That’s a fine take — one I don’t agree with, but one I don’t want to argue at the moment. For now, I want to share this note about Tate featured in the article:
Tate is hauling in 90.9 percent of his contested catches this season (up from 60 percent last year), and has accounted for 23 first downs and six touchdowns on 34 catches.
Tate is catching 91 percent — 91 percent! — of 50/50 balls this season. That’s one of the more ridiculous stats I’ve ever read. So are these: 67.6 percent of Tate’s catches have moved the chains and 17.6 percent of his receptions have resulted in six points for the Buckeyes.
Rewatching @carnelltate_ make All-American plays on repeat pic.twitter.com/cejPBVohf3
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 22, 2025
“YOU GOT TO MOVE DIFFERENT.” In an appearance on The Insiders with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Ryan Day discussed Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s breakout season in Seattle and Emeka Egbuka becoming a rookie sensation in Tampa.
Day also shared how the 2025 Buckeyes have bounced back after losing 14 NFL draft drafts from its national championship team. His answer, in short, was this: “You got to move different.”
Has Day been reading the Skull Session?
He must be!
(I am confident he’s not.)
Ryan Day joined The Insiders!
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) October 21, 2025
The @OhioStateFB head coach talked with @TomPelissero about the massive success of his former Buckeye WRs in the NFL pic.twitter.com/UVGUdxj4vT
On Jaxon Smith-Njigba
“We had a game at Washington this past month, and it was great to see Jaxon there. I mean, he looks great. Just to see him around the team, on the sideline, it gave us all a bolt of energy because Jaxon is a great competitor, and he has a great personality. It doesn’t take long to get around him just to see how electric he is, and he makes those around him better. His body language when he runs routes makes it so much easier for the quarterback. His ability to catch and get into run after catch — he can do just about anything as a receiver. And he’s also a tough player. You know, he was one of our better perimeter blockers when he was here. You combine all of those things, and it’s great to see him having such a great impact. The only thing I’ll say is that as much as you like to dunk, we have to show a little discipline and a little bit of poise and act like we’ve been there before. As cool as that was — my son was like, ‘That was really cool,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but you have to show some discipline.’ There are a lot of things that are cool that we can do after touchdowns, so if I’m being critical, I would say we just have to show a little more poise after a touchdown.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has recorded 100+ receiving yards in 5 out of his 7 games.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) October 21, 2025
No other player has more than 3 such games this season. pic.twitter.com/lVga6JGVBD
On Emeka Egbuka
“Emeka is a great example of somebody that could have gone to the NFL after three years and had a good career, but he decided to come back and win a national championship, and after four years of college play, he was so much more prepared for the NFL, and you’re seeing an immediate impact. … I say this about some of our guys, not all of our guys, but the ones that I really believe him, it’s like, you decide when you want to draft them, but he’ll play for a long time in the NFL, and he’s gonna have a major impact on your team. And Tampa was smart enough to realize that he was gonna have an immediate impact. It isn’t just again with Emeka, his on the field play, but it doesn’t take long for you to get around him and realize the impact he makes on the people off the field. His leadership, his professionalism, how he goes about his business, he’s a guy that will be in the program and that people can rally and build the future around for a long time.”
On the 2025 Buckeyes
“Well, we’ve been playing football at Ohio State at a high level for a long period of time, so it’s not new to Ohio State, but I will say that things have changed and times have changed, but expectations have not. One thing about our program and the city of Columbus and our brand is that when you come to Ohio State — it’s not for everybody — but your expectation is to win every game and your expectation is to be a first-round draft pick. We take a lot of pride in developing the best of the best, but when you come to Ohio State, you got to move different, you got to act different. You’re in a city of 2 million people. We have a fanbase of 12 million. We’re the most-watched team in college football. You know what it’s like to perform under the bright lights. You know what it’s like to handle yourself different. When these guys go on to the NFL, they know how to act, they know what the expectation is, and then on offense and defense, they’re playing in NFL-style schemes, so they’re able to translate quickly once they get to these programs.”
Day’s comment about JSN’s dunk is one of several remarks he’s made in the past nine months that indicate, at least to me, that he looks and feels more relaxed since Ohio State won its ninth national title. That’s something I’ve loved to see, and something I hope continues as the Buckeyes evolve with Day as the program’s unquestioned leader.
SEE YOU IN DECEMBER. The NCAA made a decision this week that could — and likely will — shape the futures of C.J. Hicks and Malik Hartford at Ohio State.
On Wednesday, the NCAA announced that a proposed rules change granting athletes five years of eligibility isn’t imminent. For the rest of this year and next, the NCAA will maintain the current structure: four seasons of eligibility over five years. College football players are allowed to play in four regular-season games while still redshirting, and postseason games still don’t count toward that limit.
When Ohio State faced Minnesota, Eleven Warriors spotted Hicks and Hartford on the sidelines without their helmets, signaling neither player would enter the game. That Sunday, editor Dan Hope and producer Josh Poloha reported that the Buckeyes planned to redshirt both players this season.
In his midweek press conference between the Minnesota and Illinois games, Ryan Day confirmed the report but noted Ohio State’s plans could change depending on injuries and other factors. He also expressed frustration with the NCAA’s lack of clarity on eligibility rules — had the NCAA approved the rule change, Hicks and Hartford would have redshirted for no reason.
Following Wednesday’s decision, Hicks and Hartford’s fate seems sealed barring injuries. Their focus now is simple: continue developing in practice and wait for their chance to contribute during Ohio State’s run at back-to-back College Football Playoff national titles.
DAILY DUBCAST. The final Eleven Dubcast of the second Ohio State bye week this season welcomes back Eleven Warriors executive editor Ramzy Nasrallah to discuss recently revealed details of the Buckeyes' loss to Michigan last season and the state of the rivalry heading into this year's installment of "The Game."
SONG OF THE DAY. "I'm Still Standing" - Elton John.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier arrested in gambling inquiries... Who will win Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series? MLB scouts, execs and managers make their predictions... Columbus Zoo welcomes second Asian elephant calf this year... Florida mall heist: Thieves cut hole in mall roof, steal $50,000 in sneakers.
