Skull Session: Ohio State’s Strength of Schedule Ranks No. 4 in SP+, NFL Draft Analysts Love the Buckeyes and Caleb Downs is Wicked Smaht

Ohio State is Wide Receiver U. No debate.

FOUR STRAIGHT OSU WRs have been taken in the 1st round of the NFL draft

Is OSU WRU?

(via @RichEisenShow) pic.twitter.com/vzna5k1TPo

— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) April 21, 2026

Have a good Wednesday.

 THE COMPUTERS! Even in the offseason, Wednesdays are about The Computers! … sometimes.

This week, ESPN’s Bill Connelly shared the top 10 strengths of schedules in college football according to preseason SP+ ratings. Despite a regular season that includes matchups with Texas, Iowa, Indiana, USC, Oregon and Michigan, the Buckeyes ranked No. 4 behind three SEC schools: Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Initial SP+ SOS top 10 (using preseason SP+ ratings):

1. Texas
2. Arkansas
3. Oklahoma
4. Ohio State
5. Michigan
6. Northwestern
7. Ole Miss
8. Kentucky
9. Miss St
10. Florida

This is how I learned Northwestern plays at Ohio State, Oregon AND Indiana. Jeez.

— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) April 21, 2026

Here’s a look at the schedules for all four schools, including Ohio State:

Look, I’m biased, but Ohio State’s schedule is the toughest of the bunch. Texas and Oklahoma both have challenging SEC slates, and even Arkansas has its share of difficult matchups, but the Buckeyes’ path is loaded with elite opponents at the very top — road trips to Texas, Iowa, Indiana and USC, plus home games against Oregon and Michigan. That kind of top-end gauntlet, featuring multiple legitimate playoff contenders, is something none of the others can match, even if their schedules may have more overall depth.

 TOP PROSPECTS. With the Las Vegas Raiders nearly on the clock in the 2026 NFL draft, analysts from ESPN, The Athletic, The Ringer, NFL Network and more have rolled out their rankings of the top prospects in the class. I’ve compiled where the industry’s top voices have Ohio State’s best NFL-bound players slotted.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper (Top 150)

• No. 3 - Arvell Reese
• No. 4 - Sonny Styles
• No. 6 - Caleb Downs
• No. 8 - Carnell Tate
• No. 37 - Kayden McDonald
• No. 93 - Max Klare
• No. 103 - Davison Igbinosun
• No. 124 - Will Kacmarek
• No. 135 - Caden Curry

ESPN’s Jeff Legwold (Top 100)

• No. 1 - Arvell Reese
• No. 4 - Sonny Styles
• No. 5 - Caleb Downs
• No. 10 - Carnell Tate
• No. 31 - Kayden McDonald
• No. 56 - Max Klare
• No. 94 - Davison Igbinosun

ESPN’s Matt Miller (Top 481)

• No. 3 - Caleb Downs
• No. 4 - Arvell Reese
• No. 5 - Sonny Styles
• No. 9 - Carnell Tate
• No. 43 - Kayden McDonald
• No. 71 - Max Klare
• No. 73 - Davison Igbinosun
• No. 132 - Will Kacmarek
• No. 133 - Caden Curry
• No. 261 - Lorenzo Styles Jr.
• No. 359 - CJ Donaldson
• No. 363 - Ethan Onianwa
• No. 468 - Tywone Malone Jr.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid (Top 499)

• No. 2 - Caleb Downs
• No. 3 - Sonny Styles
• No. 4 - Arvell Reese
• No. 10 - Carnell Tate
• No. 37 - Kayden McDonald
• No. 80 - Max Klare
• No. 89 - Davison Igbinosun
• No. 132 - Will Kacmarek
• No. 175 - Caden Curry
• No. 259 - Lorenzo Styles Jr.
• No. 343 - CJ Donaldson
• No. 421 - Ethan Onianwa

ESPN’s Field Yates (Top 150)

• No. 4 - Arvell Reese
• No. 5 - Sonny Styles
• No. 6 - Caleb Downs
• No. 7 - Carnell Tate
• No. 33 - Kayden McDonald
• No. 84 - Max Klare
• No. 108 - Davison Igbinosun
• No. 130 - Caden Curry

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler (Top 100)

• No. 1 - Arvell Reese
• No. 4 - Caleb Downs
• No. 5 - Sonny Styles
• No. 10 - Carnell Tate
• No. 26 - Kayden McDonald
• No. 50 - Davison Igbinosun
• No. 54 - Max Klare

The Ringer’s Todd McShay (Top 200)

• No. 2 - Sonny Styles
• No. 3 - Arvell Reese
• No. 6 - Caleb Downs
• No. 7 - Carnell Tate
• No. 26 - Kayden McDonald
• No. 70 - Davison Igbinosun
• No. 100 - Max Klare

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah (Top 150)

• No. 3 - Sonny Styles
• No. 5 - Arvell Reese
• No. 6 - Carnell Tate
• No. 8 - Caleb Downs
• No. 33 - Kayden McDonald
• No. 81 - Max Klare
• No. 119 - Lorenzo Styles Jr.
• No. 142 - Will Kacmarek

That's a loootttttt of Buckeyes, huh?

You love to see it!

 “MY BOY’S WICKED SMAHT.” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler dropped a fun piece on Tuesday, scouting top NFL draft prospects through the lens of classic ’90s movie quotes.

I love ’90s movies. Actually, I love movies in general. I’m basically the anti–Dan Hope in that regard. If you ask him about a movie, there’s a good chance he hasn’t seen it. If you ask me, there’s a good chance I have.

My all-time favorite is Good Will Hunting, starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Minnie Driver, with Stellan Skarsgård and Robin Williams. You’ve probably seen it, but if you’re in the Dan Hope camp and haven’t, it follows Will Hunting (Damon), a troubled but brilliant MIT janitor who — with the help of a therapist (Williams) — confronts his past, embraces his potential and pursues a self-directed future. It’s outstanding. Ten out of 10. No notes.

One of the film’s most iconic scenes — and there are plenty (see: “Your move, Chief,” “Idiosyncrasies,” “It’s not your fault,” “The best part of my day…”) — comes when Chuckie (Affleck) calls Will “wicked smaht” while defending him and Skylar (Driver) from an obnoxious Harvard student in a bar.

Brugler nods to that scene in his article, tagging Caleb Downs with the “wicked smaht” label. He also connects Arvell Reese to Tremors, Sonny Styles to The Godfather, Carnell Tate to Friday and Kayden McDonald to A Few Good Men.

“I vote for outer space. No way these are local boys.” — “Tremors” (1990)

This line could describe multiple Ohio State defenders, but it applies particularly well to edge Arvell Reese, my top-ranked prospect. Growing up, it was hard to channel surf on weekends without stumbling upon “Tremors,” one of the more underrated movies of the decade. And the explanation that the character Earl comes up with for the underground monsters was as good as any, and it holds up for Reese as a front-seven defender.

 “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” — “Goodfellas” (1990)

Arguably the best film of the decade, “Goodfellas” needed to be represented on this list — and Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles is a natural fit. A fiery kid, Styles (whose given name is Alexander) was nicknamed “Sonny” after hot-tempered movie gangster Sonny Corleone, played by James Caan in “The Godfather.”

“My boy’s wicked smart.” — “Good Will Hunting” (1997)

A genius-level twentysomething who doesn’t shy from violence when it’s needed can describe both Matt Damon’s titular Will Hunting and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. The latter’s drive, quickness and physicality are above average, but his processing and understanding of high-level concepts separate him on the field.

“DAAAAAMMMNN!” — “Friday” (1995)

This was the appropriate reaction whenever Ohio State tossed the ball downfield for wide receiver Carnell Tate. Though not a burner, Tate consistently gained a step of vertical separation with his pacing. Even more impressive were his tracking and finishing skills, regardless of the action required to make a catch.

“I’m gonna rip the eyes out of your head and piss into your dead skull! You f—-d with the wrong Marine!” — “A Few Good Men” (1992)

Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald is not a nice person on the football field, which is one of several reasons NFL teams are considering him in the first round.

I’d also use A Few Good Men to describe the NFL analysts, front office personnel and scouts who don’t believe Caleb Downs is the best prospect in the draft because he’s not fast enough, undersized or whatever other knock they want to throw out.

You know what I want to tell those people?

“You can’t handle the truth!”

 OLYMPIC VILLAGE. The football and basketball transfer portals tend to dominate the conversation, making it easy to forget that athletes in other sports — including ice hockey — have the same opportunities.

Ohio State took advantage of that window last week, landing a commitment from former Boston University defenseman Sascha Boumedienne.

Winnipeg Jets first-round pick Sascha Boumedienne has committed to Ohio State. He played two seasons at BU won a gold medal with Sweden at the World Juniors. pic.twitter.com/GsloTljByI

— Brad Elliott Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) April 17, 2026

Born in Oulu, Finland, Boumedienne spent most of his childhood in Sweden. He was selected No. 28 overall in the 2025 NHL Draft after recording 13 points in 40 appearances as a freshman for the Terriers. He also broke out on the international stage, tallying 14 points in seven games at the World U18 Championship.

Boumedienne experienced a sophomore dip in 2025-26, finishing with 10 points in 35 games. Still, he impressed again at the World Juniors, posting four points in seven games while averaging 22:13 of ice time.

Ohio State finished 14-21-2 overall and 8-15-1 in Big Ten play this past season. While the record was underwhelming, the Buckeyes showed late promise in the conference tournament, defeating Wisconsin and Michigan State before falling to national runner-up Michigan in the title game.

That late momentum, combined with Boumedienne’s upside, could make this an ideal fit. Ohio State adds a high-end talent capable of sustaining its spark, while Boumedienne steps into a situation where he can take on a prominent role. If he capitalizes, he could be a strong candidate to turn pro and sign with the Jets after next season, foregoing his final year of eligibility.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Good Will Hunting" - Black Country, New Road.

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