Welcome to the Skull Session.
Carnell Tate is headed to the NFL. Bryson Rodgers, Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter are in the transfer portal. But at least Ohio State still has Jeremiah Smith!
If nobody else got me, I know Jeremiah Smith got me!
Have a good Wednesday.
SO YOU’RE SAYIN’ THERE’S A CHANCE. Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger delivered fantastic news Tuesday: the NCAA is exploring changes to Week 0, conference championship games, signing day, CFP dates, the transfer portal, spring practice and summer access following the 2025 college football season.
Right now in CFB: Teams are competing in CFP games, retaining rosters, portalng, and firing/hiring staff.
The good news: The calendar is changing.
NCAA is exploring adjustments to signing day, Week 0, CFP dates, portal, spring practice & summer accesshttps://t.co/QhtuPlEHNS
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 6, 2026
On Monday, I proposed a calendar with Week 1 at the end of August and Week 14 at the end of November, the elimination of conference championship games and a CFP that runs its first round, quarterfinals and semifinals on the first three Saturdays of December, capped by a national championship game at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. I’d also like to see the early signing period eliminated, the transfer portal moved to April and teams allowed to host rookie camp and OTAs in June.
The NCAA’s eventual outcome will almost certainly differ from the utopia I’ve imagined — and Dellenger’s piece is worth reading to see what’s actually on the table — but the fact that these conversations are happening at all is encouraging. Whatever helps decongest December and January is an absolute win.
WHAT THE PRICE? Migos’ “What The Price,” which features the lyrics “What the price? Prices, prices, going up!” I hope Andy Anders appreciates that those lines played in my head while I read a report from The Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr. about the current market for transfers in the revenue-sharing era.
“Third-party name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, which were the primary method of compensating players from 2021 through mid-2025, still play a role, especially as the most well-resourced schools push the envelope and send roster budgets skyward, above the $20.5 million cap that was initially established last summer,” Khan wrote on Tuesday. “But what do transfers cost? Exact compensation numbers are hard to come by because of confidentiality agreements in contracts and schools’ desires to keep them close to the vest for a competitive advantage.”
To learn more about the market, Khan surveyed college football general managers, personnel staffers and agents on the ranges of compensation that transfers receive at each position.
- Quarterback: $1 million to $4 million, “but potentially higher for the top players,” Khan wrote in his article
- Running back: $400,000 to $900,000
- Wide receiver: $500,000 to $1 million
- Tight end: $300,000 to $900,000
- Offensive tackle: $600,000 to $1.3 million
- Interior offensive linemen: $200,000 to $700,000
- Edge rushers: $500,000 to $2 million
- Interior defensive linemen: $500,000 to $1.5 million
- Linebackers: $200,000 to $750,000
- Cornerbacks: $250,000 to $1 million
- Safeties: $250,000 to $900,000
My goodness, those numbers.
I’ve written it before, and I’ll write it again: I do not envy Mark Pantoni and the constant conversations he must have about NIL and revenue-sharing with both high school recruits and college transfers. It must be exhausting!
DEVELOPED HERE. ESPN and The Athletic’s latest mock drafts have arrived, with Nick Baumgardner and Jordan Reid sharing their top 32 picks before the CFP semifinals.
Baumgardner had four Buckeyes in his first round: Arvell Reese to the New York Jets at No. 2, Carnell Tate to the New York Giants at No. 5, Caleb Downs to the New Orleans Saints at No. 8 and Kayden McDonald at No. 22.
No. 2 – New York Jets: Arvell Reese
The most talented defender and arguably the most talented football player in the class, period, Reese has the potential to be a total game wrecker on the edge. He also has enough versatility to move around the front seven. He’s a prospect with an elite-level ceiling.
No. 5 – New York Giants: Carnell Tate
After playing their way out of the No. 2 pick with a win Sunday (and out of the potential No. 1 pick with a win in Las Vegas last week), the Giants likely won’t be in as strong of a trade-down position. However, their young roster is closer to turning a corner than most might think. Tate would look outstanding opposite Malik Nabers.
No. 8 – New Orleans Saints: Caleb Downs
Arguably the best pound-for-pound football player in the class, Downs is a literal do-everything defensive back who should be able to help change a culture immediately. Add a prospect like this, and the Saints could be a surprise club next season.
No. 22 – Los Angeles Chargers: Kayden McDonald
McDonald was a big-time riser this season as a stout performer versus both the run and pass. His athleticism would be very exciting in the middle of Jesse Minter’s defense.
Meanwhile, Reid had five Buckeyes: Reese to the Tennessee Titans at No. 4, Tate to the Giants at No. 5, Downs to the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 10, Sonny Styles to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 12 and McDonald to the New York Jets at No. 16.
No. 4 – Tennessee Titans: Arvell Reese
The Titans are lacking talent throughout their roster and spent the No. 1 pick on QB Cam Ward last year, so they’re in position to take the best player available. Reese is arguably the top player in the draft. He’s explosive and plays with plenty of physicality. He flipped back and forth between linebacker and edge rusher this season, but I prefer Reese in an edge rusher role in the NFL. He would give Tennessee a talent boost up front to join four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Reese played only 97 snaps at the edge, but his 18.5% pressure rate at that position ranked seventh in the FBS.
No. 5 – New York Giants: Carnell Tate
It should be the Giants’ main objective to get playmakers around quarterback Jaxson Dart. With Malik Nabers recovering from a torn ACL and Wan’Dale Robinson set to become a free agent after a breakout 1,014-yard season, receiver is a major need for New York. Tate is a polished wideout capable of executing every branch on the route tree. He has sure hands, can separate against all types of coverage and makes plays downfield, as evidenced by his 17.1 yards per catch this season (32nd in the FBS). Tate would provide Dart with a true deep threat who can also work the intermediate levels of the field.
No. 10 – Cincinnati Bengals: Caleb Downs
A safety hasn’t been picked in the top 10 since the Jets took Jamal Adams with the No. 6 pick in 2017, but Downs is one of the three best players in this year’s class. His versatility, sure tackling and instincts would eliminate a lot of the problems that Cincinnati had on the back end this season, as coordinator Al Golden’s defense gave up a league-high 6.2 yards per play. By contrast, Downs allowed only 3.6 yards per passing attempt into his coverage this season (11th lowest in the FBS). With Geno Stone set to be an unrestricted free agent, Downs could slot into the Bengals’ secondary nicely.
No. 12 – Dallas Cowboys: Sonny Styles
The Cowboys desperately need defensive help, and Styles would give them a building block at the spine of their defense, which allowed a league-high 30.1 points per game in 2025. He would be a massive upgrade to Kenneth Murray Jr., who struggled in every way imaginable this season after being acquired from the Titans. Styles plays an attacking style that uses his excellent instincts, range and awareness. He’s a wrap-up-and-finish run defender and an able blitzer (six sacks in 2024) who can create negative plays in the backfield.
No. 16 – New York Jets (from Indianapolis): Kayden McDonald
After dealing defensive tackle Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline, the Jets need to rebuild their defense from the inside out. McDonald would be a great start. He’s a forceful run defender who constantly creates chaos for opposing offenses. His 7.8% run stop percentage ranked second among FBS defensive linemen this season. McDonald can also be disruptive as a pass rusher (three sacks this season) and can push the interior of the pocket.
Five Buckeyes in the top 16! Five! That would be a record for Ohio State, and five first-rounders is just one off the mark set by 2003 Miami and 2020 Alabama for the most in NFL draft history, as the Hurricanes and Crimson Tide had six first-rounders in the 2004 and 2021 classes. That’s impressive!
THE COMPUTERS! It’s Wednesday. You know what that means. Yes, the Computers! Yet, with Ohio State eliminated from the CFP, The Computers! section has been demoted to the bottom of the Skull Session, as ESPN’s Bill Connelly still has the Buckeyes ranked No. 2 in SP+ with the semifinals and championship game still to be played.
RECORD
RATING
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
SPECIAL TEAMS
The No. 1 defense, the No. 13 offense and No. 68 special teams. I think it’s clear where Ohio State must improve this offseason!
NEW DUBCAST. Today’s Eleven Dubcast enlists Kyle Jones a day after his Film Study review of the Ohio State loss to Miami in the Cotton Bowl to discuss what went wrong for the Buckeye offensive line in Dallas and how Ryan Day made some adjustments at halftime to get OSU back in the game.
SONG OF THE DAY. “What The Price”- Migos.
CUT TO THE CHASE. A’s relocation hits speedbump with trademark denial for “Las Vegas Athletics”… McDonald’s says class action McRib lawsuit “distorts the facts”… The “super flu” causing an unprecedented spike in flu cases… Franklin County approves larger share of casino tax revenue for Nationwide Arena renovation.