\n Welcome to the Skull Session. <\/p>\n
\n\tIt\u2019s been a minute since I\u2019ve done a RAPID FIRE SKULL SESSION\u2122. Now is the time for its triumphant return.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tWe\u2019ll get through this quicker than Doc Holiday draws his pistol.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tSay when<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201cSUPREME ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE.\u201d<\/strong> Josh Pate praised the Buckeyes last week, calling Ohio State the top college football program in America entering 2026.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tJosh Pate thinks Ohio State is the top college football program in the country hes correct! pic.twitter.com\/fAcQNjY4oJ<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 The Buckeye Show (@TheBuckGuys) February 16, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\t\u201cI think Ohio State is the top program in the country,\u201d Pate said. \u201cOhio State is 37-6 over the past three years. They\u2019ve got a national championship mixed in here. They are a top-five recruiting program in the country. They are a very, very high-value portal program \u2014 translation, they don\u2019t need to flood themselves with a bunch of transfers because they recruit and develop very well, but when they do need to, they can be very selective and very effective in the transfer portal.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAnd they\u2019re just excellent at staffing. I don\u2019t know that many programs at all are doing it better. Just think about what\u2019s happened the past three years at Ohio State. You had two coordinator turnover situations, just this past year it happened. You lose Chip Kelly, who was a foundational piece of that (title) run and then you elevate from within. But then also you go and get Matt Patricia because Jim Knowles moves on, and if anything, they improved defensively, which is just really hard to do. That is supreme organizational structure there.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOhio State is here as long as Ryan Day is there. And even above and beyond Ryan Day \u2014 not to overlook him, one of the best doing it right now \u2014 but to move beyond him, Ohio State as a program has been resilient over the past several head coaches they\u2019ve had.”\n<\/p>\n \n\tTL;DR: Ohio State is THE standard. Nobody does it better than THE Buckeyes.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0JJ\u2019S GOT NEXT. <\/strong>Pro Football Focus\u2019 Dalton Wasserman didn\u2019t undersell Jeremiah Smith\u2019s NFL potential last week, telling his PFF College Football Show co-host Max Chadwick that Smith is the same level of prospect as Calvin Johnson in 2007 and Julio Jones in 2011.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\t“He is the Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones caliber of WR prospect”<\/p>\n Jeremiah Smith is DIFFERENT pic.twitter.com\/DqNN4h55tU<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 PFF College (@PFF_College) February 15, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\t\u201cThis is the Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones level of wide receiver prospect going into next season, and if there\u2019s a team picking first overall in 2027 that for any reason doesn\u2019t need a quarterback, it\u2019s gonna be this guy,\u201d Wasserman said. \u201cTo be honest with you, he could walk into the NFL right now, and I think he\u2019d be a top-15 receiver immediately, if not better than that. He\u2019s a freak of nature. \u2026 To me, he\u2019s the most freakish talent in college football right now.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tWith Arch Manning and Dante Moore returning for another season \u2014 and quarterback being the most valuable position in football \u2014 it\u2019s hard to imagine Smith going No. 1 overall in 2027. But the franchise sitting at No. 3 might feel like it’s picking first if Smith is still on the board after the first two selections.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0OSU \u2192 NFLU.<\/strong> When Jeremiah Smith reaches the NFL, he\u2019ll join an elite group of former Buckeye wide receivers at the next level. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks) and Chris Olave (New Orleans Saints) were among the league\u2019s top pass catchers in 2025, particularly when it came to piling up yardage.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe 33rd Team posted a graphic on Monday highlighting that the Buckeyes were the only school with multiple wide receivers ranked in the top 10.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tLooking back at the receiving leaders from the regular season<\/p>\n Ohio State was the only school with multiple Top 10 receivers pic.twitter.com\/JFZuCMKJuv<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) February 16, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\tRemember: Ohio State is Wide Receiver U \u2014 and no one else is close.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0GIVE CREDIT TO KYLE YOUNG. <\/strong>Former Ohio State men\u2019s basketball standout Kyle Young had his number retired at Jackson High School over the weekend. His Ohio State head coach, Chris Holtmann, attended the ceremony and shared photos at\u2026 3:27 a.m. on Monday?!\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tGreat night! In HS you won a State Championship. In college you played an important role on 5 straight NCAA Tournament teams. You are the ultimate teammate.<\/p>\n A privilege to Coach you KY.<\/p>\n Congratulations on your HS jersey retirement! pic.twitter.com\/swffwAlSLC<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Chris Holtmann (@ChrisHoltmann) February 16, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\tYoung scored 1,582 points in four seasons at Jackson. As a senior, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 18 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while leading the Polar Bears to a 28-2 record and a Division I state championship.\n<\/p>\n \n\tIn five seasons under Holtmann at Ohio State (2017\u201322), Young averaged 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. His best season came as a junior in 2019-20, when he averaged 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 58.5% from the floor.\n<\/p>\n \n\tCongratulations to Young on his jersey retirement \u2014 and cheers to Holtmann for making the trip during a busy season at DePaul.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201cOHIO STATE IS A REALLY SPECIAL PLACE.\u201d<\/strong> I included Gus Johnson\u2019s comments about Ohio State\u2019s men\u2019s basketball NIL spending in the Monday Skull Session. Jake Diebler addressed them in a press conference hours later.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tOhio State head coach Jake Diebler is asked about Gus Johnsons comments on Saturday regarding the #Buckeyes<\/a> giving all of the money to football and the challenges of putting together this roster. pic.twitter.com\/nPx9i9RQD0<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) February 16, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\t\u201cFirst and foremost, not all information is accurate information,\u201d Diebler said. \u201cThere\u2019s an element to NIL that\u2019s hidden, so everything you see or read, regardless of who it\u2019s from, there\u2019s a lot of inaccurate information out there. \u2026 The one thing I know is that Ohio State is a really special place. Part of what makes Ohio State special is the fact that we\u2019ve got a big-time athletic department that strives for excellence in 36 sports.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tDiebler said he\u2019s working with Ross Bjork and the athletic department to increase funds for the men\u2019s basketball program \u2014 but none of those conversations will have an impact on this season. For now, all Diebler can focus on is beating Wisconsin on Tuesday.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m excited about the things that are happening to help us be better in certain spaces,\u201d Diebler said. \u201cThere are things in motion that can\u2019t impact the here-and-now but are exciting about the future. I\u2019m appreciative of what Ross and his team, how we\u2019ve been able to work together. It\u2019s a fight. It\u2019s a battle. We\u2019re fighting it together and I\u2019m appreciative of that.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tBeat the Badgers.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0START THE CAMPAIGN.<\/strong> I hope this is the first of many Ohio State wrestling tweets about Jesse Mendez during the break between the regular season and postseason, because he deserves to win the Dan Hodge Trophy.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tAn undefeated regular season for the baddest man alive #GoBucks<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/u67WkiXe9e<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) February 16, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\tA two-time NCAA champion and one-time Big Ten champion \u2014 which tells you all you need to know about how hard it is to win a Big Ten title \u2014 Mendez is 19-0 this season with 17 bonus-point victories: three major decisions, nine technical falls and five pins.\n<\/p>\n \n\tSome consider Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling the favorite at 27-0 (18 tech falls and three major decisions). But I still want to see Ohio State make its case for Mendez.\n<\/p>\n \n\tGet that man a Hodge Trophy before he graduates.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0SONG OF THE DAY.\u00a0<\/strong>“What Can I Do” – Penelope Road.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0CUT TO THE CHASE.\u00a0<\/strong>The United States and Canada will meet for gold for the 7th time in Olympic women\u2019s hockey<\/a>…\u00a0Injured seabird pecks at hospital door for help<\/a>…\u00a0Logan Paul\u2019s Pikachu Illustrator Pok\u00e9mon card sells for record $16.5 million\u00a0at auction<\/a>…\u00a0The cameraman who skates backward to capture Olympic triumph and defeat<\/a>…\u00a0Preliminary ratings show the NBA All-Star Game was the league\u2019s most-watched in 14 years<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n\n
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