Skull Session: Jake Diebler “Focused on Helping Our Guys Be Ready” for Indiana with Ohio State on the Bubble, Bruce Thornton is 12 Points Away From Breaking the All-Time Scoring Record

By Chase Brown on March 6, 2026 at 4:55 am
Bruce Thornton and Jake Diebler
Matt Krohn – Imagn Images
33 Comments

Welcome to the Skull Session.

Watch some of Lorenzo Styles Jr.'s Ohio State teammates react to his 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine:

Have a good Friday.

 “I LIKE WHERE WE’RE AT.” I’ll assume you aren’t one of the six people who watch Fox Sports’ Wake Up Barstool, so here’s some news: Jake Diebler appeared on the program Thursday to discuss Ohio State’s surge toward an NCAA Tournament bid.

While on the show, former Ohio State walk-on Mark Titus asked Diebler what it’s like to coach a team on the bubble.

“I’m focused on helping our guys be ready,” Diebler said, admitting he’s aware the Buckeyes are battling for one of the tournament’s final spots. “There’s so much outside noise right now that we have to have tunnel vision and laser focus, and our guys have done that. That, combined with the fact that we’re actually a lot healthier than we’ve been, is a big reason why we’re playing the way we are. We’ve got to keep doing it.

“I think our metrics and all that stuff will speak for themselves. We’re in a good position in the NET and that WAB stat we’re talking about. I like where we’re at, but you know what? We’ve got to focus on the task at hand, and that’s a big game against Indiana on Saturday.”

Through March 5, Ohio State is No. 32 in NET. The Buckeyes have a 2-10 record against Quad 1 opponents and are 6-1 in Quad 2, 5-0 in Quad 3 and 6-0 in Quad 4. Ohio State also ranks No. 39 in WAB, which stands for Wins Above Bubble. The NCAA selection committee will use the metric to evaluate tournament résumés, measuring how many more wins a team has than an average bubble team would have with the same schedule.

Another metric that favors the Buckeyes down the stretch is Bart Torvik’s T-Rank, which ranks them No. 8 nationally since Feb. 14, trailing only Duke, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Arizona, Florida, and Cincinnati.

In other words, the Bucks are hot. And in the words of Andrew Magno, you don’t like it when the Bucks are hot. With Bruce Thornton and a HE’S ON FIRE John Mobley Jr. leading the charge, this is a team that could make some noise in March.

Diebler certainly thinks so.

“We’re excited about the opportunities in front of us,” Diebler said.

 12 POINTS FROM FOREVER. Bruce Thornton is 12 points away from breaking Dennis Hopson’s all-time scoring record at Ohio State. Just 12 points! 

I’ve never made a habit out of telling people how to spend their time and money, but if you have the means and resources to attend the Buckeyes’ matchup with Indiana on Saturday, you absolutely should. Not only will you watch Thornton make history, but you will get to celebrate him as one of the program’s all-time greats on his Senior Day.

This can and should be the best-attended Ohio State men’s basketball game in years, and you could be a part of it. Here’s a link to buy tickets: Ohio State vs. Indiana Ticketmaster.

The first 2,000 fans through the door will receive a Bruce Thornton Bobblehead!

 SECOND-TO-NONE. Matt Patricia shared immense praise for Caleb Downs in an interview with ESPN’s Peter Schrager this week.

When Schrager asked the Ohio State defensive coordinator to describe the impact Downs will have on the NFL franchise that drafts him, Patricia called the two-time unanimous All-American the most intelligent and versatile prospect in the 2026 class. Patricia said Downs will prove it immediately at the next level.

“He’s gonna be the smartest player in the draft. He is the face of the franchise,” Patricia said. “As great a football player as he is, he is a better human being. He wants to learn. He’s always trying to make himself better. He is like having a coach on the field. He sees it like you see it. It’s in front of him all the time, so he can move those chess pieces around just like you can. A lot of times it was great — we would be in games, and I’d be thinking something, and he’s like, ‘I’m already with you.’ You’re gonna rely on the players. I don’t play. It’s great for me to look out there and say, ‘Hey, let’s do this,’ but I’m not out there; that’s no good. He has that in-game ability to adjust just like a coach.

“When you’re talking about stepping it up to the next level, a guy with the skill set that can play in the box, has great run instincts, can blitz, can cover, can play man-to-man, can play in the deep part of the field. He picked off a ball from the line of scrimmage. You know how hard that is? You’re on the line of scrimmage, you drop out, jumps up, grabs it. That sort of dynamic playmaking ability is what he has.”

I’ve never seen a player like Downs, and I’ve never heard coaches talk about a player as they talk about Downs. Whoever drafts him will be rewarded!

 SECOND TO… ONE? Three quarterbacks attended the Heisman Trophy ceremony in 2025: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (the winner), Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Julian Sayin. Only Sayin will return to his school next season (though Pavia tried to receive a seventh year of eligibility. However, the Ohio State quarterback isn’t the best signal caller entering 2026, according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly. No, that honor belongs to Notre Dame’s CJ Carr.

No. 1 - CJ Carr, Notre Dame

2025 stat line: 83.4 QBR, 2,741 passing yards, 24 TDs, six INTs, 66.6% completion rate, 14.1 yards per completion; 134 non-sack rushing yards, three TDs

He sort of looked like a redshirt freshman against Miami in Week 1 of last season, but that was about it. He fell just short of leading a comeback win against the Hurricanes, then pretty much torched all other opposition. Sure, he had a spectacular run game at his disposal -- Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price combined for 2,046 yards and 29 touchdowns (and are both gone now) -- but Notre Dame ranked first nationally in third-and-long success rate (7 or more yards to go). When Carr had to make a throw, he did so.

Carr isn't exactly your modern dual-threat guy; he doesn't scramble much, and he's not a threat to punish defenses for turning their backs on the QB in man coverage. But he also doesn't take sacks, both because of quick decision-making and the fact that he might have the best offensive line in the country protecting him. He's accurate, he has a big arm, and by the end of 2025 he was one of the most reliable passers in the sport.

While three of last year's four main wideouts are gone, the return of Jordan Faison, plus 2024 playoff hero Jaden Greathouse (back from an injury redshirt) will help, as will the addition of two recent blue-chippers from Ohio State (Mylan Graham, Quincy Porter). Carr should have most of what he needs, and even if the run game regresses a bit, there's no reason to think he won't continue to come through on third down.

No. 2 - Julian Sayin, Ohio State

2025 stat line: 88.4 QBR, 3,610 passing yards, 32 TDs, eight INTs, 77.0% completion rate, 12.0 yards per completion

Ohio State spent most of 2025 on easy mode. The Buckeyes outlasted Texas in a defensive slugfest in Week 1, then won 11 straight games by an average of 39-8. Sayin was excellent, as can be attested from his numbers, but he never faced a must-score situation, and he never had to take major risks. Ohio State played with the slowest tempo in the country and never had to show urgency. That ended up backfiring. The Buckeyes went scoreless on two key, late red zone chances in the Big Ten championship loss to Indiana, and when they trailed Miami by 14 points in the CFP quarterfinals, they never raised the tempo or did anything out of the ordinary. (Case in point: a seven-play, four-minute drive in the fourth quarter that ended in a punt and eventually allowed Miami to put the game away.)

In 2026, the training wheels must come off. Sayin is absurdly accurate, and he still has Jeremiah Smith, probably the single-most talented player in the country, out wide to catch his passes. His line is experienced, his run game should be good — which is good because, like Carr, he doesn't contribute much with his legs — and Ohio State is going to win tons of games again. Will they win the right ones this time? Maybe a rough schedule will help the Buckeyes out a bit; they travel to Texas and Indiana, then welcome Oregon (and, of course, Michigan) in November, so maybe they'll actually get a bit more close-game experience this fall. It's the only thing Sayin lacks.

You know what’s interesting?

Carr and Sayin are basically the same quarterback. Both became starters at blueblood programs as redshirt freshmen. Both are more throwers than runners. Both are efficient signal-callers with tremendous poise.

But Sayin is better.

He’ll prove it again in 2026 when he and Jeremiah Smith take the stage in New York. I have no doubt about it.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Forever" - Kiss.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. In honor of Kevin Harrish, FBS schools ranked by walking distance to an Arby's... Punch the orphan macaque is outgrowing his plushie and making friends... No chance asteroid will slam into the moon in 2032, NASA announced... Ohio State plans $15 million dorms renovation after pipe burst.

33 Comments

Ohio State Spring Preview: Key Offseason of Development Begins for Buckeye Quarterbacks Julian Sayin, Tavien St. Clair

Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair

Ohio State Spring Preview: Sophomore Nate Roberts Provides Otherwise Veteran Tight End Room with Its Ceiling

Keenan Bailey and Nate Roberts
View 33 Comments