Welcome to the Skull Session.
Chase Brown is off today, so I’m back at the Skull Session controls for the next two days to kick off the penultimate week before Big Ten Media Days.
It appears more trouble is afoot in Ann Arbor...
Have a great Monday.
BEST PLAYER IN COLLEGE (FANTASY) FOOTBALL. Yahoo Sports announced last week that it is bringing back College Fantasy Football for the 2026 season. The newly relaunched game will allow college football fans to compete against each other by drafting players and team units from the 68 Power 4 schools and Notre Dame.
Under default scoring settings, teams will receive one point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards from their running backs, receivers and tight ends; one point for every 25 passing yards from their quarterbacks; four points for every passing touchdown; and six points for every rushing and receiving touchdown.
In a new twist for college fantasy football, each team’s lineup will also include a Team Offense position, in which teams will receive three points for every touchdown, one point per field goal, one point for a team win, 1.5 points for the team’s first 300 yards of offense and another .25 points for every additional 50 yards, while turnovers will subtract two points and a team loss will subtract one point. Teams will also include a Team Defense/Special Teams, which will award points for sacks (one), takeaways (two), defensive touchdowns (six) and special teams touchdowns (six) while adding or subtracting points based on how many points the defense allows.
As part of Yahoo’s college fantasy football launch, analyst Eric Froton released his initial top 300 rankings for the 2026 college fantasy football season. To the surprise of no one, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is ranked as the No. 1 player in college fantasy football (not that the word “fantasy” is necessary in that sentence) entering the 2026 season.
Smith is followed in the rankings by Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney at No. 2, then 13 running backs, including Ohio State’s Bo Jackson, who’s ranked as the No. 14 player in college fantasy football.
In total, seven Ohio State players and units are included in the top 300 rankings:
1. Jeremiah Smith, WR
14. Bo Jackson, RB
112. Team Offense
129. Devin McCuin, WR
152. Chris Henry Jr., WR
184. Brandon Inniss, WR
197. Julian Sayin, QB
Which Buckeyes will you be drafting for your college fantasy football team? Smith’s a no-brainer if you get the No. 1 pick in your league. Sayin, who’s ranked only 24th among quarterbacks, could be a late-round steal, considering he ranked seventh in passing yards (3,610) and third in passing touchdowns (32) in the FBS last season.
Ohio State’s team offense (which Froton ranks third behind Indiana and Notre Dame) could very well be the best in the country – though its tougher schedule could work against it in a fantasy football format – and I just might be tempted to take a final-round flier on the breakout star potential of freshman running back Legend Bey.
STILL WEIGHING HIS OPTIONS. Brady Edmunds is still deciding whether to be a Buckeye or a Bruin.
Edmunds has been committed to Ohio State since December 2024, but the four-star quarterback from California has been weighing a potential flip to UCLA this summer. While Edmunds said after his official visit to Ohio State three weekends ago that he expected to make a final decision sooner rather than later, he hasn’t given either school a final answer yet. But he says that will change soon.
In an interview with Rivals’ Greg Biggins last week, Edmunds said he is “still trying to sort everything out” but plans to meet with his agent this week and that a final decision should come “soon after that.”
NEW: Rivals' @GregBiggins has the latest on a potential timeline as Ohio State 4-star QB commit Brady Edmunds decides between the Buckeyes and UCLA⌛️
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 10, 2026
“I’m still trying to sort everything out.”
Read: https://t.co/7ziOx2Y3P1 pic.twitter.com/jiVrsMQUL1
Edmunds told Biggins that he thought he was going to flip his commitment after his official visit to UCLA, but thought he was “locked in with the Buckeyes” after his official visit to Ohio State two weeks later. So he intentionally chose to wait a few weeks before moving into decision mode.
“It was important to me that I didn’t make an emotional decision after my visits,” Edmunds told Rivals. “Post-visit high is definitely a real thing.”
Had a great time at Ohio State this weekend! #GoBucks @OhioStateFB @ryandaytime @CoachFess @HBHSFootball pic.twitter.com/afC9yutQ4H
— Brady Edmunds 2027 (@bradyedmunds9) June 21, 2026
While Ohio State made some efforts to recruit other quarterbacks in the 2027 class this spring – prompting Edmunds’ decision to explore his options in the first place – the Buckeyes’ focus now is keeping Edmunds in the fold. Ohio State did not host any quarterbacks for official visits this summer, and all of the top 100 quarterbacks in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2027 class are committed, so there’s no clear backup plan for the Buckeyes if Edmunds flips.
The Buckeyes will secure a top-20 quarterback in the class if Edmunds, the No. 251 overall prospect in the cycle and a member of this year’s Elite 11, stays committed to OSU. That would allow them to shift their quarterback recruiting focus to the 2028 class, where they’re the early leader for No. 1-ranked QB Christopher Vargas.
BRUUUUUUUCE. It didn’t take long for Bruce Thornton to prove he belongs in the NBA.
In his first game at the Las Vegas Summer League on Friday, the former Ohio State guard was the best player on the floor, leading the Houston Rockets to a 97-86 win over the Denver Nuggets by totaling 27 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals with a +20 plus-minus in 35 minutes of action.
No. 31 overall pick Bruce Thornton in the @HoustonRockets' win over Denver:
— NBA (@NBA) July 11, 2026
27 PTS (16 in 2H)
3 STL
3 3PM pic.twitter.com/ZhMV2S5TfT
Bruce after his Summer League debut
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) July 11, 2026
“I can compete. I can hoop. Even though I’m undersized I give it everything I got. I’m from Fairburn, Georgia and that’s how we play.” pic.twitter.com/LB5I2CqXya
Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer followed that up with another strong showing in his second Summer League game. He tallied 17 points while leading the Rockets with six rebounds, six assists and five steals in their 102-89 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
Steal.
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2026
Dive for the loose ball.
Pass to Oscar Cluff for the layup.
Great hustle from the No. 31 overall pick, Bruce Thornton
Watch Rockets/Raptors in NBA Summer League action on Prime. pic.twitter.com/rdvP9xwYQv
The first pick in the second round of last month’s NBA draft, Thornton also received recognition from the Big Ten last week. He was named one of Ohio State’s Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners, alongside former Ohio State women’s basketball and current WNBA player Chance Gray, in recognition of his sportsmanship and ethical behavior throughout his Buckeye career.
BIG LEAGUE BUCKEYE. Ohio State had just one player selected in this weekend’s MLB draft: Mason Eckelman, who was drafted in the eighth round (No. 250 overall) by the Seattle Mariners.
➡️
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) July 12, 2026
In the eighth round of the 2026 MLB Draft, @EckelmanMason has been selected by the @Mariners!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/DSJyWuwBmK
A native of Broadview Heights, Ohio, Eckelman was drafted after a three-year career at Ohio State in which he tallied 115 hits, 13 home runs, 81 RBIs and 77 runs scored. A career .280 hitter for the Buckeyes, Eckelman had his best season as a junior, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors as he started 53 of Ohio State’s 55 games at catcher and hit .304 with 59 hits, eight home runs, 47 RBIs, 15 doubles, four triples and 42 runs scored, all career-highs.
You got a good one, @Mariners #GoBucks | @EckelmanMason https://t.co/tKl6lqE98Q pic.twitter.com/OJYG4xqkeI
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) July 12, 2026
Eckelman’s selection was part of a historic MLB draft weekend for the Big Ten as the Chicago White Sox made UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky the first-ever No. 1 overall MLB draft pick from the Big Ten. Cholowsky was the sixth Big Ten athlete to be drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in a professional sports league this year.
That's a lot of No. 1 picks pic.twitter.com/YVabqufiTL
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) July 11, 2026
SONG OF THE DAY. “Fantasy” – Mariah Carey
HOPE YOU’RE STILL READING. EA reverses course, removes microtransactions from College Football 27 … Florida State fires Woody Hayes (no, not that Woody Hayes) … Vinod Khosla to buy Seattle Seahawks for NFL-record $9.6 billion … Michigan State names Jon Palumbo as interim athletic director … Trash from Taylor Swift’s wedding is selling for up to $100 thanks to one NYC artist – and fans are buying it.
