Welcome to the Skull Session.
Meet Ohio State's soon-to-be president: Ravi Bellamkonda.
Ohio State is reportedly promoting executive vice president and provost Ravi Bellamkonda to replace Ted Carter as its new president. https://t.co/UZ14kztYZO
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) March 12, 2026
From our article on the hire:
Bellamkonda, who holds a Ph.D. from Brown University and also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at MIT, started his professional career as a professor at Case Western Reserve University and was later a professor and associate vice chair for research at Georgia Tech, a president of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the dean of engineering at Duke.
Quite the résumé!
I like it!
Have a good Thursday.
LEGEND BEY → LEGENDARY? Ohio State’s players debuted their new jersey numbers on Tuesday, and there were plenty of surprises — including Kenyatta Jackson Jr. wearing No. 2 and Alabama transfer defensive tackle James Smith wearing No. 3.
But it was the other No. 2 — no, not that No. 2 — that caught my eye.
In his first Ohio State practice, freshman Legend Bey wore the digit Buckeyes like Cris Carter, Mike Doss, Malcolm Jenkins, Terrelle Pryor, J.K. Dobbins, Chase Young, Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka and Caleb Downs made famous.
Reminder: He’s a freshman! ... clap, clap, clap, clap, clap...
Following a tumultuous recruitment that saw him sign with Tennessee, request a release from his scholarship agreement and ultimately land with Ohio State, Bey has already become a household name in Columbus. His devotion to the Buckeyes — and his jaw-dropping potential — has made him a fan favorite in the 2026 class.
So when Bey took the practice field Tuesday wearing one of Ohio State’s most iconic non-retired numbers, I noticed. Bey seems to be manifesting greatness — and Ryan Day wants to help him get there.
“He’s starting at running back. He played quarterback in high school, so he has a tremendous skill set. He’s dynamic when the ball is in his hands,” Day said. “We see him as someone who can play running back and also move out to wide receiver. I wasn’t here with Curtis Samuel, but I watched a lot of film from when he was here, and (Bey) kind of reminds me of that style of player. I remember when Xavier Johnson was here, and he could play running back or move out to wide receiver.”
For now, Ohio State will spend the spring figuring out exactly where Bey fits best.
“Today was just the start,” Day said. “You could see him flash, but he’s got a lot to learn.”
Will Legend become legendary?
Ohio State fans certainly wouldn’t mind.
COME ON, MAN! Speaking of Cris Carter, he attended the Buckeyes’ practice on Tuesday. The Ohio State legend posted a couple of photos from his visit, including one with Jeremiah Smith, who broke Carter's freshman receiving records in 2024.
We are The @Jermiah_Smith1 @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/I0eGdmt08I
— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) March 10, 2026
Special thanks to @ryandaytime @OhioStateFB for hosting @FAUFootball staff at Spring practice #1 and #2 pic.twitter.com/KnBsOp5C7o
— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) March 10, 2026
Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye!
“DEVELOPED HERE” STILL MATTERS. Ryan Day believes Ohio State is well-positioned in NIL, which has become the primary factor for most high school recruits and college transfers when considering their next schools. However, where the Buckeyes excel is in development — something Day said still matters in the modern era of college football.
“If I’m a recruit, and I come in, and I have Arthur Smith on offense and Matt Patricia on defense, I know I’m going to get coached like an NFL team, like an NFL organization,” Day said. “And if you come and watch practice, like a lot of recruits did today, it’s an NFL practice right there. Guys know that they’re going to have an opportunity to develop and be ready to step into these roles.
“That’s a big part of recruiting nowadays. It has changed. NIL is a big part of recruiting, but still these guys want to get developed. And for guys who want to look at the long-term goals and where they want to be in five, 10, 20 years down the road, I think it gives us an edge because of our history, what we’ve done and the type of people that are in the building.”
Ohio State’s edge was on full display at the NFL Scouting Combine, where Sonny Styles led a group of 11 Buckeyes through interviews, measurable testing and position workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
And that edge might look even better later this year. If projections hold, Ohio State could have four players — Styles, Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate — selected in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL draft, with Kayden McDonald and Davison Igbinosun likely joining them in the top 50. In total, 10 or more Buckeyes should come off the board in Pittsburgh, one year after 14 Ohio State players were drafted.
That’s pretty good.
OH BABY, A TRIPLE! ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his latest Bracketology on Tuesday, and Ohio State lands as a No. 8 seed in the Midwest Regional, set to face No. 9 seed Clemson in the first round. Beat the Tigers, and the Buckeyes would earn a potential third showdown with Michigan in 2025-26.
The Wolverines, 29-2 overall and 19-1 in the Big Ten, already beat Ohio State twice this season — 74-62 in Ann Arbor on Jan. 23 and 82-61 in Columbus on Feb. 8. But beating a team three (or four, if OSU beats Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday) times in one season? That’s no easy task, even for Michigan. And the Buckeyes have been scorching hot the past few weeks.
You think Bruce Thornton, who vowed to beat Michigan twice in his final season, wouldn’t be fired up to end the Wolverines’ championship dreams? Picture Jake Diebler letting Bruce cook and giving John Mobley Jr. the green light as Ohio State aims to derail Michigan’s season of destiny! I want to see it!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Dreamer" - Ozzy Osbourne.
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