Welcome to the Skull Session.
Luke Montgomery is running it back.
Love this place and the people pic.twitter.com/w25MySqlQl
— Luke Montgomery (@lukeMonty8) January 13, 2026
Let's ride, Monty.
Have a good Wednesday.
HEYYY, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD! Three websites — ESPN, 247Sports and On3 — maintain live rankings of the top transfer portal prospects. Among them, ESPN offers the most in-depth list, as Matt Olson’s top 50 includes brief scouting reports for every player. Two of Ohio State’s transfer additions appear on Olson’s list: Alabama defensive tackle James Smith and edge rusher Qua Russaw.
No. 31 - James Smith
Transferring from: Alabama
Transferring to: Ohio State
Years remaining: 1
HT: 6-3 | WT: 297 | Class: Junior. [will be a senior in 2026]Background: The Montgomery, Alabama, native was the No. 3 defensive tackle and No. 25 overall recruit in the 2023 ESPN 300, and he played in 37 games over his three years with the Crimson Tide. Smith earned a starting spot in 2025 and contributed 28 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks on 398 snaps. Now, he's looking to finish out his career elsewhere ahead of his final season of eligibility.
Scout's take: Smith is strong enough to hold his ground and stack blocks between the tackles. He flashes the ability to fight though and split double-teams. He can get into gaps and slip blocks. He primarily lines up on the inside, but he's a physical edge setter when he is on the outside. He's a relentless pass rusher with active hands and good power. -- Steve Muench
What he brings to Ohio State: The Buckeyes needed to find a way to replace the production of Kayden McDonald, the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and a projected first-round pick. They're hoping the combination of Smith and UCF transfer John Walker can get the job done for their front.
No. 39 - Qua Russaw
Transferring from: Alabama
Transferring to: Ohio State
Years remaining: 2
HT: 6-2 | WT: 243 | Class: Redshirt sophomore [will be a redshirt junior in 2026]Background: The top outside linebacker and No. 9 overall recruit in the 2023 ESPN 300 played in 22 games for the Crimson Tide and earned nine starts. He recorded 30 tackles and picked off two passes as a true freshman, but he suffered a foot injury that made it tough to take the next big step as a sophomore. Russaw got hurt against Georgia in late September and was sidelined for six games in conference play. He came back to play 104 snaps as a reserve behind Yhonzae Pierre.
Scout's take: Russaw would be one of the top portal defenders if not for injury concerns. A former five-star, he was one of the more naturally gifted athletes on Alabama's 2024 roster. His best asset is his scheme versatility. He can play stout vs. the run, drop back in coverage or chase QBs as a pass rusher. Russaw lacks ideal height but plays with great leverage and strength at the point of attack. A disruptive presence vs. counter and gap-blocking schemes. He's fluid enough to get depth in his drops, change direction and make plays on the football. -- Steve Muench
What he brings to Ohio State: Russaw and James Smith were teammates in high school and at Alabama and preferred to pick their next school together. He'll have an opportunity to compete for a starting spot opposite Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and could provide some positional versatility in Matt Patricia's defense.
Here’s where Ohio State’s transfer additions rank in 247Sports and On3’s top 100s:
247Sports
- No. 8: James Smith
- No. 54: Hunter Welcing
- No. 59: Qua Russaw
- No. 66: Earl Little Jr.
On3
- No. 43: James Smith
- No. 52: Earl Little Jr.
- No. 58: Terry Moore
- No. 70: Qua Russaw
No matter which rankings you prefer, Ohio State’s transfer class looks solid... so far. Smith has the most potential of the bunch, but it's a group of experienced, proven veterans in Welcing, Little, Moore, Russaw and others.
WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?! On Tuesday, FBS coaches voted unanimously to amend the college football calen—
Wait.
Excuse me.
On Tuesday, FBS coaches voted unanimously to expand the eligibility for redshirt years from four to nine games.
The coaches… did not… discuss calendar changes.
Sources tell @On3 that calendar changes were not discussed. A lot of frustration on that one. https://t.co/Tr96tvvvIX
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 13, 2026
** sighs **
The one thing we can all agree needs to change, and here they are voting on eligibility and redshirt rules.
What are we doing here?!
WHOM DO YOU LOVE? The Athletic’s Chris Vannini shared on Monday the results from his fourth annual college football TV survey, which aims to reveal the networks, announcers and shows fans preferred most in 2026. Here are some of the results I found interesting:
Favorite network for national game broadcasts
- ESPN/ABC: 63.4%
- CBS: 15.1%
- FOX: 11.9%
- NBC: 7.6%
- TNT: 1.2%
- CW: 0.9%
Favorite conference network
- Big Ten Network: 47.2%
- SEC Network: 39.4%
- ACC Network: 13.3%
Favorite broadcast team
- Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe (ESPN): 32.3%
- Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath (ESPN): 17.4%
- Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jenny Dell (CBS): 13.5%
- Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft (FOX): 12.9%
- Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen (NBC): 5.5%
- Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer and Katie George (ESPN): 5.3%
- Seven other broadcast teams: <3.1%
Preferred college football kickoff show
- College GameDay: 83.6%
- Big Noon Kickoff: 16.4%
We may not all agree on that stuff, but we can all agree on this:
Biggest issues with watching college football on TV
- Too many commercials/too long: 67.4%
- Too hard to change between games: 10.2%
- Poor broadcast quality/announcers: 8.7%
- Too expensive: 5.7%
- Too many games: 2.7%
We have a Ban Noon Kickoffs shirt on Eleven Warriors Dry Goods. We also need a Ban Commercials-Kickoff-Commercials shirt. Matter of fact — get rid of all the commercials!
THE WELL-COACHED BIG TEN. On Monday, Michigan State posted this video from a recent team meeting…
This is a REBIRTH. Not a rebuild. pic.twitter.com/zTEWth5ZPs
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) January 12, 2026
… and it reminded me that Pat Fitzgerald is now the Spartans’ head coach.
It also made me think about how deep the Big Ten coaching pool is. From already a national champion Ryan Day, soon to be a national champion Curt Cignetti (yes, the Hoosiers will win the CFP title on Monday) and eventually will be a national champion Dan Lanning to Bob Chesney, the conference is stacked with accomplished, proven and upward-trending head coaches.
As I continue to drown in waves of transfer portal news, the idea of placing the Big Ten’s coaches into tiers sounds like a fun distraction. Some were harder to rank than others, particularly when weighing past success against current results (for example: Lincoln Riley’s CFP résumé at Oklahoma versus his middling USC tenure, or Luke Fickell’s historic run at Cincinnati compared to a 17–21 start at Wisconsin).
With that in mind, here’s what I came up with:
S Tier
- Ohio State’s Ryan Day
- Indiana’s Curt Cignetti
A Tier
- Oregon’s Dan Lanning
B Tier
- USC’s Lincoln Riley
- Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham
- Penn State’s Matt Campbell
- Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz
- Illinois’ Bret Bielema
C Tier
- Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell
- Michigan State’s Pat Fitzgerald
- Nebraska’s Matt Rhule
- Rutgers’ Greg Schiano
- Washington’s Jedd Fisch
- Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck
- Northwestern’s David Braun
D Tier
- Purdue’s Barry Odom
- Maryland’s Mike Locksley
TBD Tier
- UCLA’s Bob Chesney
What do you think of my list? Do you love it? Hate it? Wish I never made it? Please tell me how right — or how wrong — I am in the comments. I’d love to read all your thoughts.
NEW DUBCAST. Today's Eleven Dubcast welcomes back Andy Anders to discuss the FBS coaches at the AFCA meetings this week voting unanimously to support expanding the eligibility for athletes redshirting from four games to nine.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Oblivious" - Jon Bellion.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Mike Tomlin steps down after 19 seasons as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers... Rio de Janeiro zoo animals are treated to popsicles as the city faces scorching summer weather... Wildlife crews stop actively searching for young wolves after livestock attacks... Ohio State dorm, Taylor Tower, floods due to pipe failure, displacing hundreds of students... The Soul of the Grateful Dead.
