Skull Session: Ohio State is Helping the U.S. Men’s National Team Recover During the World Cup, Ryan Rudzinski Will Fly in an F-16 During the Columbus Air Show

By Chase Brown on June 17, 2026 at 4:55 am
Ryan Rudzinski
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

You see that?

We are another step closer to Ohio State football.

Have a good Wednesday.

 AT OHIO STATE… Through a partnership with the U.S. Soccer Federation, Ohio State’s Human Performance Collaborative is helping the U.S. Men's National Team recover between matches while conducting research that could shape athlete recovery protocols for years to come.

Joshua Hagen, the collaborative’s director, told Ohio State News that the university is applying research to improve athletic performance and recovery at the global championship. The relationship began during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when a colleague approached Hagen about installing a recovery facility inside the team's hotel. The effort evolved into a long-term partnership between U.S. Soccer and Ohio State.

“This is one of my favorite projects,” said Hagen, who also serves as an associate research professor in Ohio State's Department of Integrated Systems Engineering. “I have a passion for recovery science, and I love working directly with athletes and end users. When you pair controlled studies and real-world context — actually talking with athletes about what works — you get the most meaningful impact.”

Ohio State's recovery science combines data collection with practical recovery methods. Researchers monitor workload through heart-rate monitors, GPS tracking and session ratings of perceived exertion while also evaluating physiological markers such as heart-rate variability.

“Once we understand how hard their bodies are working and responding, we need to recover them quickly to get ready for the next day,” Hagen said. “We call these recovery modalities — everything from cold and hot therapy, to sleep and nutrition, to newer tech like red-light and flotation therapy.”

One of the partnership's flagship studies on vibroacoustic therapy is housed within Ohio State's Shoemaker Complex. Hagen describes the technology as "sensory-enhanced meditation and mindfulness," in which athletes recline in a cocoon-like device while listening to intentionally crafted instrumental music paired with subwoofer-driven vibrations. Those vibrations mimic structured breathing techniques such as box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing, helping guide the body into a parasympathetic state associated with rest, recovery and reduced stress.

The partnership has also created opportunities for the next generation of researchers. U.S. Soccer and Ohio State jointly funded former Buckeye soccer player Emaly Vatne through her Ph.D. studies in exercise science and kinesiology. Vatne defended her dissertation this spring and has since joined Denver Summit FC of the National Women's Soccer League while continuing her research.

“Elements of this collaboration have informed the design of our Recovery Lab and our broader effort to upgrade how we approach recovery across U.S. Soccer,” said José María Oliva Lozano, the federation's director of performance innovation. “We see this as an important first step. There is still much to learn about the effects and periodization of different recovery modalities across ages, sexes and competitive contexts.”

The team expects its findings to help shape recovery protocols and improve access to recovery resources for athletes competing at the highest levels. The partnership will continue through future international competition cycles with a focus on scalability, coach education and equitable access to low-cost recovery tools.

“At the end of the day, we're trying to help athletes perform better, reduce injury risk, sleep better and enjoy longer careers,” Hagen said. “And we want to do it the right way, with controlled studies, transparent reporting and direct conversations with the people we serve.”

This is Ohio State. 

It’s a super cool — and still somewhat untold — story that shows how the Buckeyes are contributing on the global stage, with the potential to help the United States advance deep into the tournament this summer. If the U.S. continues playing as it did in a 4-1 win over Paraguay in Los Angeles, recovery will become an even bigger factor as the team pushes toward a potential run at the World Cup.

 HOMETOWN HERO. Ryan Rudzinski is clear for takeoff.

On Friday, Rudzinski will ride in the backseat of an F-16 with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds during the 2026 Columbus Air Show at Rickenbacker International Airport.

Rudzinski is the son of former Ohio State linebacker Jerry Rudzinski, who played for the Buckeyes from 1994-98 and was named team captain as a senior. He earned the opportunity to fly with the Thunderbirds through his involvement with the 2nd & 7 Foundation, which “promotes reading by providing free books and positive role models to kids in need while encouraging young athletes in the community to pay it forward,” according to a press release.

This isn’t the first time an Ohio State connection has taken flight at the Columbus Air Show. Three years ago, former Buckeye linebacker Ryan Miller flew with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels ahead of the event. Miller played at Ohio State from 1992-96 and was also selected for his work with 2nd & 7.

In fact, Miller co-founded the nonprofit alongside former Ohio State teammates Mike Vrabel and Luke Fickell. He remains active on its board, while Vrabel and Fickell are listed as emeritus board members on the organization’s website.

The site also offers ways to donate, volunteer and stay up to date on programming, including an upcoming three-day youth football camp at Hilliard Weaver Middle School from June 22-25. The camp emphasizes teaching football fundamentals in a positive, encouraging environment for children ages 7-14, while also featuring guest speakers from the community.

 SALES PITCH. Five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales is coming off a visit to Columbus last weekend. The No. 8 overall prospect in the 2027 class — and the second-highest-ranked uncommitted recruit in the cycle behind cornerback John Meredith III — has narrowed his focus to Ohio State, Alabama, Indiana, Miami, Texas and LSU.

Jeremiah Smith and Chris Henry Jr. are helping lead the charge for the Buckeyes to land Sales. As former five-stars themselves — Smith the No. 1 overall prospect in 2024 and Henry the No. 14 overall prospect in 2026 — they understand both the decision-making process at the top of the recruiting board and what it means to ultimately choose Ohio State.

Smith and Henry both commented on Sales’ Instagram post featuring photos from his Ohio State official visit. “Come be great lil bra,” Smith wrote, with Henry adding a fingers-crossed emoji.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by $g (@showtimeb_.1)

 

Smith has a 100% success rate when peer recruiting for Ohio State. When Henry needed extra time to sign his scholarship agreement following Brian Hartline’s decision to become head coach at USF, Smith quoted one of Henry’s X posts with, “WE NEED YOU!!!!” Henry announced he would sign with the Buckeyes three days later on the Pat McAfee Show.

Let’s hope he continues to bat 1.000 and help get Sales to Columbus in January. Sales and Henry would be a nasty duo for WRU.

 GOLF’S TOUGHEST TEST. Former Buckeye Neal Shipley and current Ohio State golfer Vaughn Harber have received their tee times for the first two rounds of the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Shipley, who qualified for his second U.S. Open with a 36-hole score of 8-under at Springfield (Ohio) Country Club, will join Matthias Schmid and Bud Cauley at 12:52 p.m. on Thursday and 6:57 a.m. on Friday. The 36-year-old Cauley just won the RBC Canadian Open last weekend, his first PGA Tour win in his 239th start.

Harber, who qualified for his first U.S. Open with a 36-hole score of 9-under at The Lakes Golf & Country Club (Westerville, Ohio), will join Jake Peacock and Kaito Onishi at 8:47 a.m. on Thursday and 2:42 p.m. Harber just completed his sophomore year at Ohio State and led the Buckeyes with a 71.97 scoring average across 10 events and 30 rounds in 2025-26.

The U.S. Open is regarded as Golf’s Toughest Test. That’s especially true at Shinnecock Hills, which has hosted the event six times. Brooks Koepka won the most recent U.S. Open at Shinnecock with a score of 1-over. The rest of the top five featured Tommy Fleetwood (+2), Dustin Johnson (+3), Patrick Reed (+4) and Tony Finau (+5).

Good luck to Shipley and Harber this weekend on a course where breaking 100 would feel like a moral victory to the average amateur golfer.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Old Time Rock and Roll" - Bob Seger.

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