\n Welcome to the Skull Session. <\/p>\n
\n\tDan Hope and I will be at High Bank Distillery in Grandview this afternoon for Mash Madness<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\tCome say hello!\n<\/p>\n \n\tHave a good Friday.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0THANK YOU, BRUCE. <\/strong>Bruce Thornton\u2019s record-breaking college basketball career is over. And what a career it was \u2014 big, messy, gigantic, spectacular. What a thing he made of it all.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBruce is everything that\u2019s right about college basketball,\u201d Jake Diebler said Wednesday, before Ohio State\u2019s 66-64 loss to TCU<\/a>. \u201cA young man who come to school, stayed during a coaching change, trusted a first-time head coach, and got a degree. Became part of a network that will take care of him for the rest of his life.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAnd then he continued to get better each and every single year. I think development is a word that gets lost right now in our sport because you\u2019re seeing the window for development be so small in many, many instances. He\u2019s gotten better each and every year. It\u2019s a testament to his hard work. But I think Bruce is everything right about college basketball. And he is a huge reason why we\u2019re here. There\u2019s no question about it.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhen you\u2019re a first-time head coach, you\u2019re looking around to say, \u2018OK, who can help me establish the culture and the standard of this program?\u2019 And he was the guy I turned to first. So our relationship will last long, long, long after his time at Ohio State. But he\u2019s been a special player and an even better young man.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tDuring the Ohio State vs. TCU broadcast, CBS\u2019 Tracy Wolson said Thornton is one of only 22 high-major college basketball players who have stayed at the same school for four years.\n<\/p>\n \n\tOne of 22.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tThornton said after Ohio State\u2019s Senior Day win over Indiana that he wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m so proud of myself, at a high level, just being true to who I am,\u201d he shared. \u201cI could have been like everybody else, I could have left. I could have did a lot of different things. But me just staying true to my values and making things how I wanted them to be \u2014 you only get one life, you only get one decision playing in college, and I\u2019m glad I\u2019m a Buckeye for life.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tAfter Ohio State\u2019s heartbreaking defeat, both Diebler and Thornton shared similar emotions.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI love him,\u201d Diebler said of Thornton after the game, per 10TV\u2019s Adam King. \u201cHe\u2019ll always be a part of our family\u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tDiebler began to hold back tears.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think it\u2019s not just him. It\u2019s all those guys. Those guys bought into what we wanted to do, and we took an important step for our program. He was a huge \u2014 he was the reason for that.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tThornton also became emotional reflecting on his Ohio State career.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt didn\u2019t go our way, and that\u2019s alright. Life sometimes stuff don\u2019t go your way,\u201d Thornton said. \u201cBut I\u2019m just appreciating the teammates, the coaching staff and Buckeye Nation for sticking with me for four years. I\u2019m so appreciative for everything that happened in my life, man. It\u2019s not the way I wanted to end it, but that\u2019s just how it is sometimes.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tLater, he added: \u201cIt hits the heart at home. I feel like I did a lot for this program. The program did a lot for me. The memories, the relationships done a lot for me. Mostly me crying because you don\u2019t get to share the locker room (anymore) with the guys you\u2019ve been working with since June. I just told those guys I\u2019m one call away. \u2018You need anything from me, just call me and I\u2019ll be here.\u2019 I\u2019m always a Buckeye for life.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tYes, you are, Bruce.\n<\/p>\n \n\tOne of the all-time greats.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThank you for everything.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0DEVELOPED HERE.<\/strong> It\u2019s been a long, long time since I\u2019ve included NFL draft #content in the Skull Session, so I want to feature Field Minister Yates\u2019 latest top 50 prospects<\/a> in the 2026 class \u2014 a list that had four (4!) Buckeyes in the top seven.\n<\/p>\n \n\tYates launched his list with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, followed by Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 2 and Texas Tech outside linebacker David Bailey at No. 3. Then\u00a0came the run of four straight Buckeyes: Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate.\n<\/p>\n \tNo. 4 – Arvell Reese<\/p>\n \n\t\tOne of the most distinctive defenders in the class, Reese is following a recent path for NFL stars: inside linebacker to edge rusher. He logged only 17 snaps rushing the passer in 2024, seeing that number boost to 97 in 2025. His range as an inside linebacker pops on the tape, while his explosiveness as a rusher really showed up in the first half of the 2025 season (6.5 sacks in the first eight games).\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tReese still needs time to develop, relying more on athleticism than crafty pass-rush moves at this juncture. But that’s an understandable reality given his lack of experience as a pass rusher. His upside is extremely enticing given how fluidly he moves at his size.\n\t<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \tNo. 5 – Sonny Styles<\/p>\n \n\t\tThough Styles’ profile has risen to new heights after a combine performance for the ages (including a 43\u00bd-inch vertical jump), the former safety is much more than just an athletic dynamo. His game is also highlighted by forceful tackling, a quick trigger defending the run and natural coverage instincts.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tTackling was one of Styles’ most improved traits in 2025. He had only two missed tackles compared to 17 in 2024. Styles brings pass-rush ability to the table too, recording six sacks in 2024. Positional value will be considered by every team on Styles, but the quick-study linebacker is one of the cleanest prospects in the class.\n\t<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \tNo. 6 – Caleb Downs<\/p>\n \n\t\tDowns spent one year at Alabama before two at Ohio State, holding massive roles as a tone-setter at both stops. He has solid size for the position, packing an extensive punch as a tackler and force player.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tDowns was used in a litany of ways throughout his college career, as he has the versatility to patrol in the center of the field or function as a linebacker in the box against the run. His physicality at the point of attack stands out, as he has impressive power blended with a tenacious mentality. He picked off two passes in each of his three seasons, with strong ball skills and an opportunistic mindset.\n\t<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \tNo. 7 – Carnell Tate<\/p>\n \n\t\t\u00a0To cap off this run of Ohio State players is Tate, who made the most of his opportunities in a jam-packed wide receiver room this past season. He set career highs in receiving yards per game (79.5), contested catches (10) and touchdowns (nine).\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tTate has wiry strength and plays faster than his 40-yard dash time of 4.53 seconds. His superpowers are his hands (one drop in 2025 and 10\u00bc-inch hands), disciplined route running and body control. He averaged 17.2 yards per reception this past season, with strong vertical tracking skills and catch strength on the sidelines. Tate also has versatility to play in a big slot role in the NFL.\n\t<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \n\tKayden McDonald was also comfortably in the top 50.\n<\/p>\n \tNo. 34 – Kayden McDonald<\/p>\n \n\t\tThe rugged McDonald blossomed in 2025, anchoring Ohio State’s run defense in 14 games and 440 defensive snaps. He mostly lined up as a head-up nose tackle under defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, overwhelming centers in the running game and consistently resetting the line of scrimmage. He also made life easier on second-level defenders by creating space.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tMcDonald showed a little bit of pass-rush juice this past season, logging 3.0 sacks, but his more important contributions will be his ability to change the shape of the interior of the pocket. He is scheme versatile and will appeal to teams looking to crack down on chunk runs allowed.\n\t<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \n\tFour Buckeyes in the top seven and five in the top 50?\n<\/p>\n \n\tYeah, that\u2019ll do.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n\tSomeone send this to Ryan Day and Mark Pantoni immediately.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0ONE OF A KIND. <\/strong>Need some weekend #content for your screen while your other screens play the NCAA Tournament, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Valspar Championship, or whatever else is on this weekend? May I recommend Ben Solak and Sonny Styles breaking down the Ohio State linebacker\u2019s college film ahead of the NFL draft?\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tMan, that\u2019s the good stuff.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n\tMy favorite line in the video came around the eight-minute mark as Solak and Styles looked at a play Styles made against Purdue in 2025. Styles, the one-stack backer in Matt Patricia\u2019s 5-1 Penny formation, stuffed a Boilermaker run by meeting the pulling right tackle in the gap. Solak asked Styles what was going through his mind in this moment.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cGo and try to make the tackle with (the right tackle\u2019s) back,\u201d Styles said.\n<\/p>\n \n\tSonny has that dog in him.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tThere\u2019s no other way to put it.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201cNATTY BOY.\u201d <\/strong>Quinshon Judkins took another victory lap over Notre Dame this week.\n<\/p>\n \n\tJudkins quote-posted an X post from The Buckeye Show (the Ohio State meme account, not 97.1 The Fan\u2019s Brandon Beam) on Tuesday. Captioned \u201cHappy St. Patrick\u2019s Day,\u201d the post featured Judkins shrugging off leprechaun-sized Notre Dame defenders during the 2024 national championship game.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tNatty Boy https:\/\/t.co\/tJuZfAT3wy<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Quinshon Judkins (@quinshon_) March 19, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\tFitting.\n<\/p>\n \n\tIn his lone season at Ohio State, Judkins carried the ball 194 times for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns. He saved one of his best performances for last, too \u2014 100 yards on just 11 carries with three total touchdowns in the Buckeyes\u2019 34-23 win over the Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff final.\n<\/p>\n \n\tAnd if it wasn\u2019t already clear, Judkins has no plans to let Notre Dame fans forget it anytime soon. I love him more for it. Well done, Q.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0SONG OF THE DAY.\u00a0<\/strong>“Gratitude” – Earth, Wind and Fire.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0CUT TO THE CHASE.\u00a0<\/strong>Chase Johnston hadn\u2019t made a 2-pointer all season. His layup gave High Point a March Madness win<\/a>… ABC cancels “Bachelorette”\u00a0season with Taylor Frankie Paul, citing 2023 video<\/a>…\u00a0Another record for LeBron: He ties Robert Parish by appearing in his 1,611th NBA regular-season game<\/a>…\u00a0Man arrested after $240,000 worth of damage at Seattle glass museum<\/a>…\u00a0Major League Baseball is entering an official partnership with Polymarket<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n
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