Welcome to the Skull Session.
Roll the tape for NFLU.
NFLU
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 27, 2026
11 Total Draft picks, most of any School in the 2026 @NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/Wc4lj2fvId
Have a good Tuesday.
DEVELOPED HERE. Ryan Day knows how to find and develop talent. In other words, the 47-year-old can ‘croot.
Ohio State had 11 selections in the 2026 NFL draft, pushing its two-year total to a program-record 25 picks — tied with Georgia for the most ever.
According to Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge, the Buckeyes have now produced 61 draft picks in seven years under Day, matching John Cooper for the third-most in program history, trailing only Jim Tressel (66) and Woody Hayes (163). Cooper coached 13 seasons at Ohio State, while Tressel led the program for 10 and Hayes for 28.
| COACH | DRAFT PICKS COACHED |
|---|---|
| Woody Hayes | 163 |
| Jim Tressel | 66 |
| Ryan Day | 61 |
| John Cooper | 61 |
| Urban Meyer | 49 |
| Earle Bruce | 43 |
| Francis Schmidt | 20 |
| Wes Fesler | 16 |
| Carroll Widdoes | 13 |
| Paul Brown | 11 |
| Paul Bixler | 5 |
| Luke Fickell | 4 |
| Sam Willaman | 0 |
| TOTAL | 512 |
Day has also produced 12 more draft picks than his predecessor, Urban Meyer, who had 49 in seven years.
Day has also excelled at identifying and developing premium talent. He’s already tied Cooper for the second-most first-round picks among Ohio State coaches with 18. Only Hayes has more (27), while Tressel and Meyer both have 14. Day’s average of 2.6 first-rounders per draft class leads the field, with Meyer, Tressel, Cooper and Hayes all trailing.
| COACH | FIRST-ROUND PICKS |
|---|---|
| Woody Hayes | 27 |
| Ryan Day | 18 |
| John Cooper | 18 |
| Urban Meyer | 14 |
| Jim Tressel | 14 |
| Earle Bruce | 5 |
| Francis Schmidt | 2 |
| Wes Fesler | 1 |
| Luke Fickell | 0 |
| Paul Bixler | 0 |
| Carroll Widdoes | 0 |
| Paul Brown | 0 |
| TOTAL | 99 |
A breakdown of Ohio State’s 2027 NFL draft class from Eleven Warriors reporter Dan Hope suggests Day will continue to evolve the NFL pipeline he’s built in Columbus. Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin headline the class entering the summer, while Austin Siereveld, Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Jermaine Mathews Jr. and others have the potential to surge during their junior and senior seasons with the Buckeyes.
NABERS DOESN’T KNOW BALL. Former LSU and current New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers made headlines over the weekend when he claimed No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate cannot be a No. 1 option for the Tennessee Titans.
“No, I don’t see him being a No. 1,” Nabers said. “He hasn’t been the No. 1 on the team he has been on. You have to be a No. 1 on the team that you’re coming from to be a No. 1 receiver on the team that you’re going to.”
Malik Nabers and Micah Parsons divided on Titans drafting Carnell Tate
— Tommy Callahan (@yalltitanup) April 24, 2026
4th overall. https://t.co/t93HFwVUfQ pic.twitter.com/9WJIfi7EGU
I’ll press pause on the comment there.
No one needs to tell Nabers about Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State’s top wide receiver during Tate’s freshman year with the Buckeyes. Nabers watched Harrison come off the board two picks before him at the 2024 NFL draft. Marvelous Marv was a unanimous All-American and Biletnikoff winner during his final year at Ohio State — and he had a Honda throwing him passes, not Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
However, it appears someone needs to tell Nabers about Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State’s top pass catcher during Tate’s sophomore and junior years with the Buckeyes. A national champion and unanimous All-American before he was even draft-eligible, Smith is one of the best NFL prospects of the modern era.
If Nabers and Tate switched places, he would have also been WR2 all three years during his career. There’s only a handful of NFL receivers who wouldn’t have been.
OK, let’s continue.
“They gon’ trust you a lot to be the first person they throw the ball to, the first person that they count on to win the rep. You have to be that. You can’t be the second,” Nabers said of how important it is to be a WR1 in college and the pros.
Here’s the best part.
“JSN was never No. 1,” Micah Parsons said.
(Checkmate.)
“Bro, JSN was different, though,” Nabers said.
“Hold on. Hold on. You said you got to be the No. 1 on the team that you coming from. JSN was not No. 1,” Parsons said. “Bro, you got to understand the No. 1 player (Smith) is probably the No. 1 pick next year.”
Someone told him about JJ!
Look, I’m having fun picking apart Nabers here, but I understand what he means. To be a No. 1 option in the NFL, you have to think and act like one. I have no doubt Tate can do that — he just hasn’t had to yet. In a Tennessee offense hungry to improve with No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward at quarterback, I think Tate will be just fine in Nashville, regardless of what Nabers thinks.
#CULTUREMATTERS. This social media post from Laverna Styles is the flex she thinks it is.
On Sunday, Styles posted photos from the NFL draft in Pittsburgh, where her sons Sonny (No. 7 overall to the Washington Commanders) and Lorenzo Jr. (No. 172 overall to the New Orleans Saints) heard their names called and had their lives change forever.
You know Ohio States culture is
— WeRStyles (@WeRStyles) April 26, 2026
built different when we had 8 coaches in the Green Room at the 2026 NFL Draft. The PLAYERS invited to make sure the coaches were a part of this special day. #CultureMatters#DevelopedHere pic.twitter.com/1Uda8TKntG
Laverna noted that eight of Styles’ coaches at Ohio State — yes, eight! — were in the Green Room for Sonny’s life-changing moment, including (from left to right in the third photo) Matt Guerrieri, Brian Hartline, James Laurinaitis, Mick Marotti, Matt Patricia, Ryan Day, Tim Walton and Larry Johnson.
She wrote #CultureMatters at the bottom of her post.
Yes, it does.
At Ohio State, #DevelopedHere is just as much about the personal development as the physical development. These coaches and players build relationships that last a lifetime — and that means everything.
FOUGHT ‘TIL THE END. Ohio State has its next drum major duo.
The Ohio State Marching Band announced Sunday that rising sophomore Ben Fox will serve as the program’s 67th drum major, while fellow rising sophomore Jacob Snyder was named assistant drum major. The pair emerged from a field of seven candidates.
Our 2026 drum majors have been chosen! Congrats to our new head drum major, Ben Fox, and our new assistant drum major, Jacob Snyder!
— The Ohio State University Marching Band (@TBDBITL) April 26, 2026
Ben is a rising sophomore mechanical engineering major from Upper Arlington, while Jacob is a rising sophomore zoology major from Gahanna. pic.twitter.com/95f8cxG7CG
“Honestly, it still doesn’t feel real,” Fox said in a press release. “Hearing my name called was one of those moments you dream about. I’m beyond excited for what’s ahead and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead this band that means so much to me.”
Fox, a mechanical engineering major from Upper Arlington, is the first Golden Bear to be selected as Ohio State’s drum major. He has been training for the role for four years.
“To be the first head drum major at Ohio State from Upper Arlington makes it even more meaningful,” Fox said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to represent the community that shaped me and supported me in my journey.”
Snyder, a zoology major from Gahanna, said he is excited to support Fox during the 2026 season.
“To be able to be a part of this organization is an honor,” Snyder said. “Getting to perform at games and events this fall will be so special. I am so thankful for the support from my family and friends."
Ohio State marching band director Christopher Hoch said Fox and Snyder fought ’til the end during a tryout that featured seven candidates.
“We have two terrific performers and leaders who have earned their spots today. This was a very close tryout, and I give my applause to all seven candidates who tried out,” Hoch said. “I’m really looking forward to working with Ben and Jacob this season.”
SONG OF THE DAY. "The Great Divide" - Noah Kahan.
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