Welcome to the Skull Session.
Ohio State football has a message for LeBron James, who won't return to the Los Angeles Lakers next season but will continue his career elsewhere:
.@KingJames the cleats are ready. Just say the word pic.twitter.com/Nqwyr0tI5U
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 30, 2026
Have a good Wednesday.
Programming note: I will be at the U.S. Senior Open on Wednesday and have paid time off Thursday, so the next time I write the Skull Session will be Monday, July 6. Have a great Fourth of July weekend celebrating America's 250-year anniversary! Talk soon.
GOT GOOD GAMES? This week, Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt named the top 10 games that will shape the 2026 college football season. Three Ohio State matchups made the list, including Texas in Austin, Indiana in Bloomington and That Team Up North in Columbus. Here’s what Klatt said about each of the games:
Ohio State at Texas, Sept. 12
“There’s another Big Ten-SEC showdown, and it’s when Texas hosts Ohio State. That’s going to be an absolute monster. Rematch of last year’s game. … Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian know exactly how important that game was to their teams and their programs a year ago. Look at what Ohio State was able to do. They had eight new starters on defense. They generated a ton of confidence in their brand new quarterback Julian Sayin and their new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
“That type of opportunity is afforded to either of these programs. Now, you’re going to have experienced guys. This is not Arch (Manning) in his first time as a real starter. This is not Julian Sayin's first time as a real starter. You’ve got incumbent quarterbacks. There are loads of expectations. These two teams are going to start in the top five. There’s no doubt. … We know last year that losing this game sent Texas on a bit of a tailspin, and they were fighting upstream the rest of the season against a very difficult schedule.”
I interrupt Klatt’s Texas monologue to point out that the Longhorns' inexcusable loss to Florida sent the program on a tailspin, not the Ohio State defeat.
But I digress.
“I think it’s going to be a phenomenal game. I really do. I think the environment’s going to be crazy. And then you start looking ahead at their schedules, and here’s where it gets even more important: the loser of this game is behind the 8-ball. … A loss in this game, and each of these teams are going to be fighting uphill. You’re talking about major brands that do not expect to miss the playoffs. That’s why this game is going to be a huge game as far as what this season is going to look like, the shape of the season, how we’re going to talk about these conferences and the power of college football.”
Ohio State at Indiana, Oct. 17
“Supremacy in the Big Ten is on the line as Ohio State goes to Indiana. … Indiana can run the Big Ten. They beat Ohio State a year ago. They are the reigning national champions. They have not lost at home under Curt Cignetti. They are 15-0.
“If Indiana beats Ohio State, all of a sudden, the premier program in the Big Ten is Indiana at the moment, which is wild. I think you could say that coming into this year because, again, they are the reigning Big Ten and national champs. But you do have a sense of history, whereas Ohio State really runs the conference. There’s no doubt. You’ve got to get through Ohio State. But if Indiana wins this game, all of a sudden, that’s flipped. Indiana puts themselves on the mountaintop, even more so they did a year ago.
“I just think about this game in terms of that lens, and I think it means everything in this conference. … Chance for Ohio State to reassert themselves as the top team in the conference here, hand Curt Cignetti his first loss at home, and remind everybody that the Buckeyes are the preeminent program in the Big Ten. … The winner of this game is almost assuredly going to the Big Ten title game, and they’re going to have a chance to be the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. A huge game in terms of the shape of the season — and I don’t think anything is official, but just saying, there’s a good chance your boy is there.”
Another Big Noon Kickoff…
Fox can’t keep getting away with this!
Michigan at Ohio State, Nov. 28
“It is my absolute honor to call this game — The Game. Kyle Whittingham’s first stint as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, and he’s going to find out real quick what Ryan Day knows all too well, which is that you are judged based on this game.
“The question then becomes, where are we at from a record standpoint? Does Ohio State have to win to get into the Big Ten Championship Game? Have they taken care of business against Indiana and Oregon earlier in the year? What was the result against Texas? Are they fighting as a three-loss team potentially with a win and hopefully get in the back of the selection? A lot could be on the line with the Buckeyes for obvious reasons. If you miss the playoffs at the Ohio State Buckeyes, life is not going to be good, and this is not an easy schedule.
“Meanwhile, Michigan, also not an easy schedule. … Can they be in a position where if they beat Ohio State, they go to the College Football Playoff? Ohio State dominated the line of scrimmage for the first time in a long time last year. They snapped that four-game losing streak to Michigan. … But Michigan, Ohio State, this is a game that always shapes the season. It shapes the legacies of these programs, and these programs are obviously two of the premier programs in the country.”
Ohio State wins all three of these games, no diff.
THE BEST OF THE BEST. Jeremiah Smith and Austin Siereveld earned preseason first-team All-American honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, while Julian Sayin received second-team recognition.
Walter Camp is one of five organizations that determine consensus and unanimous All-American status in college football, along with the AP, AFCA, FWAA, and Sporting News.
While Athlon Sports is not part of that prestigious group, its All-American teams still carry weight — and it showed plenty of respect for the Buckeyes across its four squads.
7️⃣ Buckeyes named to @AthlonSports Preseaon All-American team pic.twitter.com/VnzL4MGChL
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 27, 2026
Athlon named Smith a preseason first-team All-American last week, while Sayin and Siereveld landed on the second team. Bo Jackson earned third-team honors, and a trio of veterans — Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. — rounded out the fourth team.
Athlon also released its preseason All-Big Ten teams, where Ohio State led the conference with 16 total selections. The Buckeyes featured first-team picks in Sayin, Smith, Siereveld, Montgomery, and Jackson; second-team selections in Hinzman, Qua Russaw, Payton Pierce, Devin Sanchez, Earl Little Jr., Connor Hawkins, and Brandon Inniss; a third-team nod for James Smith; and fourth-team selections for Phillip Daniels and Christian Alliegro.
“I THINK WE HAVE A COUPLE.” Julian Sayin attended the annual Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Louisiana last week, and CBS Sports' Cooper Petagna came away impressed with the Ohio State quarterback, writing that Sayin threw the ball “with a little more zip and pop than what we’ve seen in prior settings.”
Sayin’s performance isn’t the focus here — though it could warrant a deeper dive later this week. Instead, what caught my attention was what Ohio State’s QB1 said about two teammates during an interview with On3.
When asked to identify the Buckeyes’ breakout candidates for 2026, Sayin couldn’t stop at one.
“I think we have a couple. I’ve been talking about Payton Pierce, our Mike linebacker. He’s going to be a really good player this year,” Sayin said. “Not a breakout year, but I think Jaylen McClain’s going to have a great year.”
Pierce served as Ohio State’s No. 3 linebacker last season, recording 43 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception and one forced fumble in 262 snaps. Considering Pierce's predecessors Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese became top-seven picks in the NFL draft, it’s remarkable he carved out as much playing time as he did.
James Laurinaitis has repeatedly praised Pierce the past two years, calling him a “throwback” football player and an “absolute natural middle linebacker.” With Reese and Styles gone, Pierce will have every opportunity to prove those evaluations right as a full-time starter for the Silver Bullets.
As for McClain, he beat out Malik Hartford last offseason to start alongside Caleb Downs at safety and quickly validated the decision. McClain became a reliable presence against both the run and the pass, finishing with 53 tackles and three pass breakups while earning third-team All-Big Ten honors.
Now one of the defense’s veteran leaders, McClain has continued to impress this offseason. He recently earned a "Dudes of the Week" recognition from strength coach Mick Marotti for his work in the weight room, and he'll be counted on to anchor the back end of Ohio State’s defense in 2026. If Sayin's prediction comes true, McClain could be in for an even bigger season than the one he delivered a year ago.
WELCOME TO DELICIOUS. Like it or not, jersey patches are coming to college sports, and when Ohio State eventually gets one, the hope is the partnership feels as natural as Wisconsin and Culver’s.
Freshly stitched. Never frozen.
— Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers) June 30, 2026
A partnership rooted in Wisconsin and built to create meaningful opportunities for Badger student-athletes.
#OnWisconsin x @culvers pic.twitter.com/xoSjl1Zq0g
“There are few things more quintessentially Wisconsin than Culver’s. This partnership is a natural fit for our jersey sponsorship — it’s a beloved brand among Badgers and longtime partner of Wisconsin Athletics,” Wisconsin chief revenue officer Mitchell Pinta said in a press release.
Quintessentially Wisconsin.
So what’s quintessentially Ohio?
It’s a harder question to answer.
My pick for Ohio State’s eventual jersey patch sponsor has long been Wendy’s. Dave Thomas founded the fast-food chain in Columbus 56 years ago, and TIME recently named it one of America’s most iconic companies.
Wendy's has the brand recognition, the financial muscle and even the color palette fit.
On paper, it makes a lot of sense.
Even still, seeing a corporate logo on an Ohio State uniform will take some getting used to. But if it has to happen, Wendy’s might be about as clean a fit as you can get.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Let It Be" - The Beatles.
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