Welcome to the Skull Session.
It was quite a week in Columbus, all thanks to Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament.
J.T. Poston gets his moment @MemorialGolf. pic.twitter.com/08DobK3nNo
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 7, 2026
Have a good Monday.
JEREMIAH SMITH — GOOD AT FOOTBALL. Last week, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg selected the best non-quarterback playmakers in college football entering 2026. Surprise, surprise, Jeremiah Smith was on the list.
Why he's here: Smith is arguably the best overall player in the sport entering his third season. He's still seeking a Biletnikoff Award after finishing as a finalist last season and should be among the top non-quarterback candidates for the Heisman Trophy. In two seasons with the Buckeyes, he has 163 receptions for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns, recording three or more receptions in all but one game.
Last season, Smith reached the end zone in all but four games. While the Buckeyes' offense struggled in losses to Indiana and Miami to close the season, Smith still made a combined 15 receptions for 301 receiving yards.
"He came in from Day 1 with a seriousness to him," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. " ... He wants to have a great third year here, but for him it's more than just playing the wide receiver position. It's going to be the impact he has on everybody else on that field."
Smith is widely projected as the first non-quarterback to be selected in the 2027 NFL draft. He has been the sport's most complete wide receiver and has 420 more receiving yards and four more touchdowns than any other player since the start of the 2024 season.
Other players featured on the list included Miami WR Malachi Toney, Michigan DE John Henry Daley, Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy, Texas DE Colin Simmons, Texas Tech LB Trey White and LB Adam Trick, Auburn LB Xavier Atkins, West Virginia RB Cam Cook, Virginia LB Kam Robinson, Indiana DT Tyrique Tucker, BYU RB LJ Martin, Notre Dame CB Leonard Moore, Oregon S Koi Perich and Memphis DL J’Mond Tapp.
Smith is the best player on the list.
But you all already knew that.
The third year of Jeremiah Smith will be scary.
HIS JURISDICTION. My brother. My captain. My king… My Warden.
In the wake of the Browns trading two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, Denzel Ward told reporters at his inaugural celebrity softball game that he wants to remain with the franchise.
“I definitely still want to be here,” Ward said. “Myles is a good friend of mine, a great teammate, but things aren’t lost. It’s Ohio against the world. So people could doubt us, but we’re going out there still trying to play our best ball and bring wins to the city.”
With Garrett gone, Ward becomes the longest-tenured player on the Browns, having been with the franchise for eight years. The Northeast Ohio native has two years remaining on the five-year, $100 million contract extension he signed in April 2022. There is no guaranteed money remaining on the deal.
Here for Browns CB Denzel Ward’s inaugural celebrity softball game.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) June 6, 2026
Ward says “I still want to be here” even after Cleveland trading Myles Garrett. pic.twitter.com/eDR46F2kFw
Browns general manager Andrew Berry told reporters last week that Ward is still a cornerstone of the team and will remain so after the Garrett deal.
“He is a big part of the team, and we like him a lot,” he said last week. “He’s still playing at a really high level. That doesn’t change with this transaction.”
That’s music to my ears.
Last week was a tough one. Garrett was my favorite player on the Browns, so seeing him leave Cleveland was difficult to stomach. But hearing that Ward — a Buckeye through and through — wants to continue his career in Cleveland brought me some joy over the weekend.
The town will be just fine as long as the Warden is in charge.
PAUL KEELS — HALL OF FAMER. The longtime “Voice of the Buckeyes” added another honor to his decorated career this weekend, earning induction into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.
Keels was one of 14 members of the Hall's 2026 induction class, joining a distinguished group of former players, coaches, officials and administrators. He was the only broadcaster selected.
Since arriving at Ohio State in 1998, Keels has served as the play-by-play voice for Buckeye football and men's basketball. Though he's best known for calling football games alongside former Ohio State All-American offensive lineman Jim Lachey each fall, Keels has also spent decades behind the microphone with former Buckeye guard Ron Stokes on basketball broadcasts.
Congrats to Big Daddy @PaulKeels on being inducted tonight into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/Is4GGsc4Of
— Skip Mosic (@SkipMosic) June 7, 2026
A native of Cincinnati, Keels launched his broadcasting career at WLW Radio in 1979 as a news anchor and reporter. He moved to Detroit the following year, calling Detroit Pistons games on WJR Radio in 1980 and 1981 before joining WWJ Radio, where he handled Michigan football and basketball broadcasts from 1981-87.
After a short stop with UPI Radio Network in Washington, D.C., Keels returned to Cincinnati in 1988, covering the Bearcats and hosting a sports talk show on WCKY-AM. Over the next decade, he worked at several stations, including Dayton's WHIO Radio from 1992-95 before returning to WLW to call Cincinnati Bengals and Bearcats games from 1995-97.
In addition to nearly three decades as the voice of Ohio State athletics, Keels spent 10 years as a Bengals preseason television announcer for WRKC-TV from 2000-10 and also contributed to Cincinnati Reds television broadcasts in 2010.
TL;DR — Keels is one of the best to ever do it. This honor is well-deserved!
VUK LAZAREVIC — NO. 88? The Ohio State men's basketball roster is official, which means the Buckeyes' seven newcomers now have jersey numbers.
Stars John Mobley Jr. and Amare Bynum return in Nos. 0 and 1. There's also center Ivan Njegovan in No. 7, guard Myles Hero in No. 8, forward Josh Ojianwuna in No. 17 and guard Braylen Nash in No. 55.
As for the newcomers, Memphis transfer guard Curtis Givens III claimed No. 2, while Duquesne transfer guard Jimmie Williams took No. 3. Kentucky transfer forward Andrija Jelavic will wear No. 4, five-star freshman Anthony Thompson will wear No. 6, three-star freshman Alex Smith will wear No. 9, California transfer guard Justin Pippen will wear No. 10 ...
... and freshman Vuk Lazarevic will wear No. 88?
| No | Name | Pos | Ht | Wt | Yr | Hometown (Previous School) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | JOHN MOBLEY JR. | G | 6-2 | 185 | JR | Reynoldsburg, Ohio (Wasatch Academy) |
| 1 | AMARE BYNUM | F | 6-8 | 240 | SO | Omaha, Nebraska (Link Academy) |
| 2 | CURTIS GIVENS III | G | 6-3 | 190 | JR | Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis) |
| 3 | JIMMIE WILLIAMS | G | 6-5 | 200 | SR | Solon, Ohio (Duquesne) |
| 4 | ANDRIJA JELAVIC | F | 6-11 | 225 | JR | Zagreb, Croatia (Kentucky) |
| 6 | ANTHONY THOMPSON | F | 6-8 | 210 | FR | Lebanon, Ohio (Western Reserve Academy) |
| 7 | IVAN NJEGOVAN | C | 7-2 | 260 | JR | Otocac, Croatia (Gimnazija Vladimira-Nazora) |
| 8 | MYLES HERRO | G | 6-3 | 165 | R-FR | Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Whitnall) |
| 9 | ALEX SMITH | F | 6-9 | 200 | FR | Upper Arlington, Ohio (Prolific Prep) |
| 10 | JUSTIN PIPPEN | G | 6-3 | 190 | JR | Los Angeles, Calif. (Cal) |
| 17 | JOSH OJIANWUNA | F | 6-10 | 270 | R-SR | Asaba, Nigeria (Baylor) |
| 55 | BRAYLEN NASH | G | 6-4 | 190 | JR | New Albany, Ohio (New Albany) |
| 88 | VUK LAZAREVIC | F | 7-1 | 200 | FR | Belgrade, Serbia (Wasatch Academy) |
I checked twice. It's real.
The Serbian will be one of the easiest players to spot when he checks into a game this winter for two reasons. First, he's a 7-foot-1 Gigantor. Second, he's the only Buckeye wearing a number in the 80s.
He may even be the only player in college basketball wearing No. 88.
That, I haven't checked.
BRUCE THORNTON — RECORD BREAKER. One final basketball note before we wrap up the Skull Session: Bruce Thornton's program-record 2,164 points are now permanently etched inside the Schottenstein Center.
Last week, Ohio State men's basketball shared a look at the updated record wall, which now features Thornton at the top of the Buckeyes' all-time scoring list:
The All-Time Leading Scorer in Ohio State Men’s Basketball history officially has his spot on the record wall. #GoBucks | #DevelopedHere pic.twitter.com/Sg7HCZLZHW
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) June 4, 2026
ESPN's latest Big Board ranks Thornton as the No. 52 overall prospect in the 2026 NBA draft.
Across four seasons at Ohio State, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound guard appeared in 136 games and averaged 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 48.6% from the floor and 38.1% from beyond the arc. His best season came in 2025-26, when he averaged 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 55.4% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Faithfully" - Journey.
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