Skull Session: Urban Meyer Reacts to Kyle Whittingham Coaching at Michigan; Jeremiah Smith Gives Perfect Response to Malik Nabers Comparisons, Jabs at His College Football Stardom

By Chase Brown on May 4, 2026 at 4:55 am
Jeremiah Smith
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

This is one of the greatest photos I have ever seen.

Congratulations to Golden Tempo and the team that made history, as trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the race. GT and jockey Jose Ortiz were 23-1 long shots, too.

Have a good Monday.

 “HE’S MY FRIEND.” Urban Meyer calls “That Team Up North” the “Wolverines,” and I imagine that’s only because the Fox Sports executives told him to. He’ll never root for them — not even the Fox Sports executives can make him do that. Neither can an old friend.

In an interview with On3’s Chris Low last week, Meyer shared his surprise upon learning that Kyle Whittingham, his defensive coordinator at Utah in 2003 and 2004, would coach his archrival.

“I’m a Buckeye, so my first thought was, ‘What?’” Meyer told Low. “He’s my friend. Kyle and I are really close, but it didn’t take long for me to put two and two together. Not only did I tell him I that I think it was a great move, but it was exactly what that school in Ann Arbor needed.”

He later added, “They fell into the perfect guy.”

I’ve seen some Ohio State fans come after Meyer for the comments, claiming the national champion head coach has gone soft. Here’s how I see it, however: Meyer can respect his friend, and he can respect the hire — but that’s the limit when it comes to the “Wolverines.”

After all, this is a man whose Pint House has a 7-0 room.

 LIONS AND SHEEP. Headline: Fans of college football’s worst teams have started a beef with the sport’s best player. Alternate headline: Fans of SEC schools — and Miami — are jealous of Jeremiah Smith.

After Malik Nabers failed to recognize Smith’s greatness two weeks ago, SEC schools have made ridiculous statements about the unanimous All-American wide receiver. Here’s one of them:

The Freezing Cold Takes didn’t stop there, as fans argued in the replies whether Nabers or Smith was/is a better NFL prospect. Miami fans had to remind everyone of their inferiority complex, chiming in that they’d rather have Malachi Toney over the pass catcher often compared to Julio Jones.

Speaking of Jones, many social media “experts” think it’s sacrilegious to liken Smith to him. It’s not like Curt Cignetti made the comparison at Big Ten Media Days last year or anything. 

Hm, should I listen to the dude whose football career peaked in high school or the coach who won a national championship at Indiana? Tough call!

Over the weekend, Smith had the perfect response to all of this nonsense:

The lion does not concern himself with the opinions of sheep.

 “TWO WAYS TO LOOK AT IT.” Carnell Tate wore No. 17 for Ohio State but will wear No. 14 for the Tennessee Titans. He chose his new number for two reasons. Both are awesome.

“My mom’s birthday is Nov. 14, but then also you go Round 1, Pick 4,” Tate said. “You got two ways to look at it.”

Tate has looked excellent in his new threads. So has his Ohio State teammate, Caleb Downs, whom Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said “is what we thought” after just one week with the franchise.

According to Fox Sports, Downs has the highest-selling jersey among rookies. He ranked ahead of Dolphins linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, Cowboys defensive end Malachi Lawrence, Steelers quarterback Drew Allar and Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza as of Saturday. No other former Ohio State players rank in the top 10.

 THE BUCKS ARE (STILL) HOT. Folks, is Ohio State baseball back?

Over the weekend, Ohio State swept No. 16 Nebraska for the first time in program history, taking all three games at Bill Davis Stadium: 2-1 on Friday, 7-3 on Saturday and 10-1 on Sunday.

Now 24-21 overall and 13-11 in Big Ten play, second-year head coach Justin Haire and the Buckeyes will look to carry that momentum into a Tuesday matchup with Miami (Ohio), followed by series against Michigan State and Michigan to close the regular season.

Henry Kaczmar continues to lead Ohio State at the plate, batting .324 with 60 hits, 21 doubles and nine home runs. Dane Harvey (.319/.404/.584) and Mason Eckelman (.316/.430/.595) have also delivered in run-producing spots, leading the Buckeyes with 50 and 43 RBIs.

On the mound, Gavin Kuznieski, Pierce Herrenbruck and Chris Domke have shouldered most of the workload, combining for 184.2 innings as Ohio State’s staff has recorded 386 strikeouts with a 1.57 WHIP.

As I’ve mentioned before, Eleven Warriors user Bucks2K18 does an excellent job covering Ohio State baseball in our forum. Check out their posts to keep up with the latest of Haire’s resurgent Buckeyes.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "End of August" - Noah Kahan.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. A bright moon may dim the Eta Aquarid meteor shower made up of Halley’s comet debris... Magic coach Jamahl Mosley’s pregame media session interrupted by false alarms... 1,500 beagles will get new lives, warm laps after release from research facility... Golden Tempo's win at Churchill Downs was the most-watched Kentucky Derby on record... Savannah Bananas pack 102,000 fans into Texas A&M's Kyle Field for biggest game ever.

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