Welcome to the Skull Session.
It’s been a minute since I’ve done a Rapid Fire Skull Session.
Allow me to do one now.
Cool?
Cool.
Have a good Friday.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GAME I LOVE? In an interview with Front Office Sports, Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan said college football rosters probably cost more than $40 million.
Alabama football GM Courtney Morgan says college football programs are spending "probably more than $40 million" to build a championship roster in the NIL era.
— Front Office Sports News (@FOS_News_) April 15, 2026
Morgan breaks down how elite programs navigate spending when "you never really know what other schools are spending." pic.twitter.com/MwRgFN2syQ
“You never really know what other schools are spending,” Morgan said. “Everyone has creative ways in the third-party NIL and ‘authentic’ NIL portions of their spending to pay players. You really don’t know what other people are really doing. You kind of do the math in your head by monitoring what other schools and competition are doing, wondering (that funds are) probably more than $40 million, but you never really know. What we’ve done is try to take things into our own hands and come up with different ways we can help offset the cap on content creation and third-party deals. If you spend your time worrying about what your competition is doing, you’re not taking care of what’s going on in your own program.”
Probably? More like certainly.
According to national college football analyst Josh Pate, that number could be closer to $60 million in 2026. He also said a $100 million is “imminent within the current system.”
What happened to the game I love?
HORNS DOWN! Here’s a hilarious stat from Buckeye Huddle’s Tony Gerdeman:
By my count, in the history of University of Texas football, the Longhorns have produced one 1,000-yard season by a wide receiver in the NFL or AFL. It was 20 years ago.
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) April 16, 2026
That's the same number of 1,000-yard seasons as Heidelberg.
And here’s a great stat from Cleveland.com’s Stephen Means:
Since Ryan Day took over the program, every Ohio State wide receiver who lost their black stripe in the spring has gone on to be a first-round NFL Draft pick if they finished their careers as Buckeyes:
— Stephen Means (@Stephen_Means) April 15, 2026
Garrett Wilson: April 8, 2019
Marvin Harrison Jr.: April 6, 2021
Ohio State is Wide Receiver U, and it’s not close!
“YOU GO TO OHIO STATE.” I like it when you take my word, but you don’t have to. You should take Carnell Tate’s word, however, especially when he’s talking about the wide receiver position.
In an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show this week, Tate said Ohio State was Wide Receiver U before Brian Hartline and will be after, too. Tate made the claim when he and Eisen discussed his decision to play for the Buckeyes in college.
"It was my dream school. I always grew up a Buckeye. ... Ultimately, if you want to go first-round as a receiver, you go to Ohio State."@carnelltate joins the @RichEisenShow and talks about why he chose to attend Ohio State pic.twitter.com/nRoKoWN8hH
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 15, 2026
“I ultimately chose Ohio State (because) I had a great relationship with Coach Hartline. He’d done it at an elite level, so it was only right for me to get that experience from him. He played at a high level, so everyone was trying to do what he did,” Tate said. “Then, it was my dream school. I grew up a Buckeye. I always watched them. Ultimately, if you want to go first-round as a receiver, you go to Ohio State.”
“So, Hartline, huh? He’s the guy?” Eisen asked. “How do you think, now that he’s gone, things are gonna work for Ohio State recruiting kids like yourself?”
“I think it’ll continue to go on the trajectory it is now,” Tate said. “I believe it was Receiver U before Hartline got there, and it ultimately will be Receiver U after he leaves.”
Truer words!
“JEREMIAH SMITH, WEEK 1.” Former Fort Wayne North Side High School head coach Ben Johnson posted a video to Instagram this week showing incoming Ball State freshman Sebastian Moore training for “Jeremiah Smith, Week 1.”
The comments are priceless.
“Shoulda started training for this in 2009.”
“Go out there and have fun dawg.”
“Yams, collard greens, mac and cheese.”
“Finna be hearing the band all night.”
“Just focus on Week 2 big dawg.”
“Have fun that boy boutta have 200 rec yards.”
This is like those Grambling State TikTok’s all over again.
Good luck out there, Sebastian.
NEW THREADS. With 51 new players on Ohio State’s roster, Buckeye Nation has a lot of new faces, names and numbers to learn before the 2026 season. Thankfully, Ohio State’s creative team has launched a series called “New Threads” where the team’s transfers (and probably freshmen) can introduce themselves to fans.
The creative team has already released four videos featuring linebacker Christian Alliegro (Wisconsin), wide receiver Devin McCuin (UTSA), quarterback Justyn Martin (Maryland) and long snapper Dalton Riggs (UCF).
in their new threads
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 30, 2026
#GoBucks | @ChristianAllie7 pic.twitter.com/HLt79cXj3s
in their new threads
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 3, 2026
@OhioStAthletics | @DevinMccuin1 pic.twitter.com/lGlhqrngHV
in their new threads
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 7, 2026
@OhioStAthletics | @justyn_martin8 pic.twitter.com/TMtV5wK4KE
in their new threads
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 13, 2026
@OhioStAthletics | @daltonriggs48 pic.twitter.com/uAU2SAuQyx
Alliegro and McCuin were among the first newcomers to lose their black stripes this spring, along with wide receiver Kyle Parker (LSU), safety Earl Little Jr. (Florida State), wide receiver Brock Boyd (freshman) and defensive end Qua Russaw (Alabama).
GET MORE 11W. Whether it’s a deep dive into spring practice or a feature on Ohio State’s most interesting players, Eleven Warriors is your premier destination for Ohio State sports news.
We take pride in being the go-to source for the most dedicated fan base in the country, and Google has recently introduced a tool that makes it even easier to keep our coverage at the top of your feed.
This new feature allows you to "prioritize" specific news sources, ensuring that the outlets you trust most appear first in your search results. It is a simple way to cut through the noise of national media and get straight to the Buckeye reporting you care about.
To set this up for yourself, you can click this direct link, which takes you straight to the preference page. By confirming Eleven Warriors as a preferred source, you are telling the Google algorithm to highlight our stories whenever you search for news. It’s a quick, one-time adjustment that ensures you never miss a beat from the 11W team.
GET MORE 11W, PART TWO. Is your t-shirt drawer looking a little tired as the warm weather approaches? It’s time for some roster management. Thursday marked the beginning of the second annual Dry Goods Spring Sale, where you can snag 20% off all full-price tees and stickers.
From the classic "Eleven Warriors" tee to some hits like "Ban Noon Kickoffs” and “Order Restored,” we've got you covered for the spring game and beyond. We even have a tee called "That’s Ohio’s Moon" — the perfect fit for anyone following the latest NASA Artemis missions.
This isn't a clearance sale on leftovers; this discount applies to our entire regular stock of tees and all stickers. Head over to Eleven Warriors Dry Goods now to take advantage of the 20% discount and grab the gear this community deserves.
SONG OF THE DAY. "B-A-B-Y" - Carla Thomas.
CUT TO THE CHASE. LIV CEO shoots down "speculation," says 2026 season unaltered... German rescuers plan to use air cushions to save Timmy the stranded whale... Kevin Kisner does about-face, sorry for "too critical" CBS comments... NCAA recommends earlier start to football season in 2027... A former Alabama defensive end is accused of using wigs and fake IDs to impersonate NFL players to secure nearly $20 million in fraudulent loans.
