Welcome to the Skull Session.
Will Carnell Tate be the next Ohio State wide receiver selected in the first round?
With Carnell Tate declaring for the NFL draft, he will look to become the SIXTH Ohio State WR taken in the first round since 2022
— ESPN (@espn) January 7, 2026
Columbus is a factory for WR talent in the NFL pic.twitter.com/4gICn9YX55
Survey says, Yes!
Have a good Thursday.
ONE OF THE GREATS. Caleb Downs declared for the NFL draft on Wednesday. He leaves Ohio State as one of the school’s all-time greats.
PT. 3 Loading pic.twitter.com/Dj6DoXSH9m
— Caleb Downs (@caleb_downs2) January 7, 2026
On an episode of Eleven Warriors Live with Dan Hope and Andy Anders, I reflected on the moment Ohio State landed Caleb Downs out of the transfer portal. It’s become one of those “Where were you when…?” moments for me.
I was in my old apartment. My wife and I had just started one of my favorite movies, "Everything Everywhere All at Once," when I had to suppress my excitement while delivering the hard news that I needed to work that evening.
Ohio State beat out Georgia and Texas for Downs’ commitment. We knew then that it mattered. We just didn’t know how much it would matter.
From his first snap in scarlet and gray to his last, Downs was generational. He is one of the greatest players to ever wear an Ohio State uniform — not only because of his production (150 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, eight pass breakups and a history-making punt return touchdown), but because of his presence.
Watching Downs operate, it’s clear he exists on a different plane. His athleticism and football IQ are off the charts. He does things on a football field you simply can’t teach. But what I appreciate most about Downs is best captured by what Ryan Day said after the Cotton Bowl.
“What Caleb Downs has done for Ohio State — and does every day — most of it you see on the field,” Day said. “But what I see off the field, he’s a special young man who has done a lot for this program. I’ll forever be indebted for what he’s done for us. Not only his play, but what he stands for off the field and who he is.”
Caleb Downs is not just a good football player, but a good man.
I wish him the best of luck at the next level.
He will be missed at Ohio State!
“YOU GOT YOUR ASS KICKED.” Urban Meyer isn’t a delicate man, as he often chooses to be blunt rather than subtle. The same was true on The Triple Option podcast this week when he described the Buckeyes' loss to Miami in the Cotton Bowl (and their loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game).
“You got your ass kicked at the line of scrimmage the last two games,” Meyer said.
Yeah, that sums it up.
Nick Saban and Mario Cristobal would agree with the assessment.
“Ohio State, who is supposed to be a really physical team, you guys dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Saban said on ESPN’s College GameDay last week.
“Mass kicks ass,” Cristobal said in response.
That truth should bother Ohio State. It should be a thorn in the team’s side all offseason. The Buckeyes didn’t just lose two big games — they lost them in the one area that’s supposed to be non-negotiable. Talent gaps can happen. Scheme issues can be adjusted. But when a team built on five-star recruits and NFL bodies gets pushed around, there’s no hiding from it.
Ohio State wasn’t outsmarted by Miami or Indiana. It was overpowered. And when Urban Meyer, Nick Saban and Mario Cristobal all say the same thing, it stops being noise and starts being an indictment.
“THEY STOLE ONE.” Pro Football Hall of Famer and Miami alum Michael Irvin has been running victory laps in the media since the Hurricanes beat the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl. That includes an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, where Irvin explained why Miami’s win over Ohio State meant a little extra to him.
“There was nothing better than beating Ohio State because they stole one,” Irvin said.
BTA pic.twitter.com/vRq9pHzBmH
— Michael Irvin (@michaelirvin88) January 1, 2026
Why do I share this blasphemous Irvin take about the 2003 national championship game now?
Because Miami plays Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, and I’d better not see any Ohio State fans rooting for the Hurricanes so the Buckeyes’ loss looks better. No. No. No. Miami kicked Ohio State’s butt. Now I want to see Ole Miss take Mario Cristobal’s team to the woodshed.
(And yes, I’m also rooting for the Rebels because I’ve enjoyed watching them stick it to Lane Kiffin.)
BO KNOWS. ESPN’s Billy Tucker ranked Bo Jackson as the No. 8 freshman in college football this season behind Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney, Oregon cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. and five others. Here’s what Tucker wrote about the Buckeye ballcarrier:
The former four-star chose to stay home and attend Ohio State despite offers from Georgia, Alabama and plenty of other top-tier programs, then became the first Buckeyes runner to run for more than 100 yards in each of his first two games. The 6-foot, 217-pounder eventually wrestled carries away from James Peoples and CJ Donaldson to lead the team in rushing (1,090 yards) at 6.1 yards per carry. That included eclipsing 100 yards in a game six times. Jackson is a dynamic big-play threat who is also plenty willing to bang inside the tackles and move the chains as a pass catcher. While OSU's offense faltered against Miami, Jackson's willingness to handle an increased workload helped the Buckeyes keep the pressure off first-year starting QB Julian Sayin.
Entering his second season, I’d like to see Jackson improve as a pass blocker and at making defenders miss at the second level. This fall, it was clear that Ryan Day and Carlos Locklyn trusted C.J. Donaldson and James Peoples more in pass protection, and Jackson too often took an extra step before trying to juke the last line of defenders, costing him potential home runs.
If he can improve in those areas, only Bo Knows the kind of impact he can make in year two!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Flowers (Carry Me Home)" - Penelope Road.
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