Welcome to the Skull Session.

Thoughts from an epic College Football Playoff semifinal:

I hope Julian Sayin saw Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown run!

Have a good Friday.

 “I TRULY BELIEVE THAT.” After Ohio State’s loss to Miami in the Cotton Bowl, Caden Curry said the Buckeyes would beat the Hurricanes nine times out of 10. When asked about Curry’s statement on the Downs 2 Business podcast, Caleb Downs agreed with his teammate.

“I truly believe that,” Downs said. “If we would’ve won that game, I definitely think we would’ve won the whole thing. And, yeah, I think we played bad football. We didn’t play good football, like we had been playing the whole season.”

He added, “In the last two games (of 2025), we did not execute well enough. If we executed the way that we needed to, we would’ve won that game.”

Downs’ brother, Josh, pushed back.

“It’s hard to say something like that,” Josh said. “Do you think y’all were a better football team than Miami overall? Yeah, I think that y’all were. … I’m just saying in this situation I don’t know if that is entirely true because of how I think ya’ll lost the game. … (Miami’s) D-line is crazy.”

In Thursday’s Skull Session, I called Caleb one of the all-time Ohio State greats. I don’t love disagreeing with all-time greats, but I have to here. If the Buckeyes and Hurricanes played 10 times, the results would be much closer to 5-5. Yes, Ohio State is the more talented team. But football is won and lost in the trenches, and when it mattered — not in a hypothetical, but face-to-face in Dallas — Miami was better there.

The Hurricanes were better again on Thursday, beating Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl. Now, Mario Cristobal and Co. have a chance to win a national championship in their home stadium! (Go Hoosiers… or Ducks!)

 STILL WIDE RECEIVER U. With Brian Hartline at USF and Quincy Porter, Mylan Graham and Bryson Rodgers in the transfer portal, some people believe Ohio State’s reign as Wide Receiver U is coming to an end.

Chris Henry Jr. is not one of those people.

In a podcast with his siblings — current Ohio State women’s basketball player Seini and five-star basketball prospect DeMarcus (please make it 3-for-3 for the Buckeyes, DeMarcus!) — Henry said the Buckeyes’ WRU title ain’t going nowhere.

“I feel like Ohio State is still gonna be Receiver U and it’s still gonna stay the same,” Henry said. “We’re still gonna be, you know, producing guys. … It’s like a machine for receivers.”

No kidding.

Ohio State has had a wide receiver selected in the first round in four straight years. Carnell Tate will extend that streak to five in 2026 when he becomes the school’s sixth first-round receiver since 2022, joining Garrett Wilson (2022), Chris Olave (2022), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2023), Marvin Harrison Jr. (2024) and Emeka Egbuka (2025).

Henry said Ryan Day reminded him of that pedigree — and more — when he talked with Ohio State’s head coach before recommitting to the Buckeyes on Dec. 5.

“Ultimately, what made me stay is really just talking with Coach Day,” Henry said. “I just understood that, you know, I couldn’t pass this up. It’s too much of a blessing to go to Ohio State, learn from guys like Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss.”

Henry may or may not have the opportunity to learn from Tate — that depends on where Tate chooses to train for the NFL Combine and Ohio State’s pro day — but there’s no question he’ll learn from Smith and Inniss, both of whom announced this week that they’ll return for the 2026 season. UTSA transfer Devin McCuin can also guide him as a veteran wide receiver with proven production across three seasons with the Roadrunners.

If those three Buckeyes (plus Tate, if available) can help Henry acclimate to the college game, his path to becoming an immediate impact player will look like a Mario Kart speed booster.

 THE BEST OF THE BEST. MaxPreps named two future Buckeyes high school All-Americans this week: linebacker Cincere Johnson (first-team defense) and offensive tackle Sam Greer (second-team offense).

Johnson is the latest member of the Glenville-to-Ohio State pipeline. As a senior, the 6-foot-3, 255-pound linebacker who looks like the next Arvell Reese recorded 134 tackles with 25.5 tackles for loss (!) and 9.5 sacks for a Tarblooders team that won the Division IV state championship.

Greer is an offensive lineman and therefore has no cool stats to discuss. Sorry, Sam. I’m sure you were great! No, I know you were great! All-American great!

The MaxPreps National Player of the Year was running back David Gabriel Georges, an Ohio State target in the 2027 class. Georges rushed for 431 yards and seven touchdowns (!) in a playoff game this past season. In 2024, he carried the ball 114 times for 1,013 yards and 14 touchdowns in 10 games.

Running back SaRod Baker also has an Ohio State offer. This season, the Texas native had 342 carries for 3,096 yards and 42 touchdowns while adding 22 receptions for 350 yards and four scores as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Oh, he also completed 19 of 29 passes for 471 yards and four touchdowns, while returning 10 kickoffs for 297 yards and two more scores.

If Ohio State doesn’t land Georges, Baker would be an incredible pick-up for the Buckeyes. Heck, why not land both?!

 FEEL GOOD FRIDAY. Let’s end this chaotic week with some feel-good stories involving Carnell Tate and Kayden McDonald. This week, ABC6’s Dave Holmes had features on both Buckeyes: Tate inspiring 13-year-old Treyvon Brown and McDonald connecting with Nationwide Children’s patients staying in Columbus at The Ronald McDonald House.

Carnell Tate

Kayden McDonald

I love to write about Ohio State players and their accomplishments on the football field, but these are the stories that really make me proud of the Buckeyes!

 NEW DUBCAST. The final Eleven Dubcast of the week welcomes back Dan Hope to discuss the latest transfer portal imports, exports and targets of interest relative to Ohio State as the chaos around switching schools heats up across the country.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Working For The Weekend” – Loverboy.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. 100 skulls and mummified body parts found in a Pennsylvania grave robbery case… Some dogs can expand their vocabulary by eavesdropping on their owners… “He has a sixth sense”: How Indiana’s Curt Cignetti hacked college football recruiting… Lincoln University football head coach steps down, suspends program… “The Pitt” is back for another harrowing 15-hour shift. Is it possible to up the ante?