Skull Session A championship could heal everything for Ohio State

Skull Session: A championship could heal everything for Ohio State, Class of 2023 Buckeyes lead B1G and Scary-Eleven Warriors

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Winter is coming.

Let it Snow. Let it Snow. Let it Snow.

I beg your pardon. Nothing beats freezing without snow in Columbus, and that’s what the weather will be like over the Christmas weekend in Ohio’s capital. I wish it was more like this:

Unfortunately it won’t be.

But let’s have a nice Thursday anyway, shall we?

STATUS OF THE PROGRAM. Recruits from Ohio State’s Class of 2023 on Wednesday put their names on National Letters of Intent to officially become Buckeyes. Around noon, Ryan Day met with the media to discuss the prospects and the impact he expects on Columbus’ future.

Many questions were asked throughout the day. He gave many answers. However, a question of Patrick Murphy of 247Sports and the Ohio State head coach’s subsequent response requires a pause for thought.

Murphy: When we’re dealing with fans, the people who read our stuff, there’s the team that lost Ohio State to Michigan twice in a row and lost some guys in class. That’s the negative side. Then there’s the other side that sees it like you won 11-1, you’re in the college football playoffs and you’re close to a national championship. From your perspective – the perspective of this building – how do you see things at the moment?

For the visual folks reading the Skull Session, I’ve linked Day’s answer in a video format, but if you prefer to see the words on the page – like those old newspapers – I’ll also include his quotes below the clip:

Day: “We all have certain expectations and we all have goals. And if you’re not meeting those goals, you need to identify those things to address them. When you go through times like this, the first thing you recognize is the things you need to get better at. But it also gives you a really good idea of ​​where everyone is in the program and where you are. Because when things are going well, everyone is with you. And if something goes wrong, you somehow find out where people are. And I think we have a pretty good feeling about that at the moment. But I can tell you that the guys in the program have been working hard for the last month.

I think again if you look at the 19 guys we brought here they are some of the best players in the country. And these guys understand what’s going on here, and they understand what an incredible culture we have here. You see a lot of transfers, everything like that. Look at our team, there’s really not much going on. Why? I think it’s because we have a strong culture here. Guys appreciate the way they turn out and all that, and years and seasons and life don’t always go the way you plan. It’s about how you react to it and how you react to it. And that’s what we’re going to focus on now.

We won’t overreact. As much as this loss hurts, we will not overreact. It is not worth. We have a game against Georgia to focus on. We’re pushing recruitment and trying to adapt to what’s going on across the country. And I know the program is in a great place even though we lost that game and it hurts. I mean, that’s our goal every year, you can’t run away from that. But at the end of the day, we have some really good people on this program. We have really good talent, really good coaches and recruit really good people.

Maybe I’m wearing scarlet glasses, but I wasn’t overly concerned about the resolutions and lapses in recruitment in Ohio State. Do I think it’s a good look for the program? crap no. The Buckeyes should win the best players in each class. That is the basic expectation.

However, I also recognize that Ohio State is two wins away from being crowned college football national champions for the 2022 season. That’s the case because USC lost to Utah in the Pac-12 championship, yes, but also because the Buckeyes have put themselves in position to make the CFP every season since 2014.

This year, Ohio State has as good a chance as Georgia, Michigan and TCU of winning a title. No other program in college football can make the same claim. That must mean something. More importantly, it can change everything. What has been seen by many as a dreadful past few weeks for the Buckeyes could quickly happen if Day and his players lift a CFP trophy over their heads on Jan. 9, 2023.

As Day mentioned, this is currently the focus for the state of Ohio. It hurts not to beat Michigan, suffer decommits and swing and miss big prospects, but all that pain can go away with a win at the Peach Bowl and a win in Los Angeles 10 days later.

Would a national championship heal all wounds? No probably not. But I can say this: It would be a damn plaster for one.

B1G RECRUIT. One more note about the Class of 2023 in the state of Ohio. Despite grumbling that the gathering of prospects doesn’t do the Buckeyes justice, the coaching staff still secured the best recruiting class in the Big Ten when it comes to top talent.

Here’s how the conference ranks in the 247Sports team rankings as of today:

  • Ohio State, 5th (national)

  • Pennsylvania, 13

  • michigan 17

  • State of Michigan, 25

  • Nebraska, 28

  • Maryland, 34

  • Iowa, 37

  • Northwest, 39

  • Minnesota, 40

  • illinois, 44

  • Rueger, 55

  • Wisconsin, 56

  • Purdue, 66

  • indiana, 70

    • As for the top individual recruits heading into the Big Ten in 2023, Ohio State also dominates that list.

    Again, do I think waivers and lapses in recruitment are good for the program? No, I will not do that. But that doesn’t mean I can’t put out some information that encourages people to take the half-full approach to things like this. Call me an optimist, call me whatever – I just like to see people who are positive!

    BOUND PER BOWL. That just arrived: Uhhhhhhhh, Terry McLaurin and Nick Bosa are really, really good at football, and the former Buckeyes were rewarded with NFL Pro Bowl nominations for the NFC on Wednesday.

    McLaurin receives a Pro Bowl nod for the first time in his young career, despite being one of the league’s top wide receivers in recent years. This season he has 68 receptions for 1,015 yards and three touchdowns since the Commanders had a 7-6-1 record in 2022-23.

    Meanwhile, Bosa is in the midst of a monster season for the 49ers, recording an NFL-best 15.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 38 quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a pass deflection in 13 games for San Francisco. By the looks of it, Bosa is a front-runner for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and has absolutely juicy matchups against the Commanders, Raiders, and Cardinals where he can boost his stats.

    Cheers to McLaurin and Bosa for their efforts this season and for their well-deserved recognition. They just love seeing former Buckeyes in the league, and they’re the cream of the crop when it comes to Ohio State players in the pros.

    A HELPING HAND. On Monday, Ohio State offensive lineman Avery Henry announced he had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. While he still plans to travel to Atlanta with the team for the Peach Bowl, Henry will begin treatment as soon as possible, which could potentially force him to travel to various hospitals in Columbus and possibly across the United States

    With this in mind, Henry’s aunt Taj created a GoFundMe page for Henry’s family to help cover the expenses needed to travel with Avery as he travels to medical centers to receive the above treatment.

    Here’s what Taj wrote to summarize the need for support:

    We are setting up this account on behalf of my sister Tiffani and her family to ensure that she is able to participate in all Avery treatments. Nobody wants Avery to be 2 hours away from their family when they need their support the most. You will make several trips, possibly every week. As you can imagine it’s been a whirlwind of emotions over the past 7 days. On some of those days, the family had to take turns supporting him due to financial commitments. His diagnosis is osteosarcoma. dr Alexander and his medical staff took special care of Avery and his family. His OSU football family and coaches are also with him every step of the way. Ultimately, this will be his battle, but with your prayers, love and support, we can fight bone cancer.

    Thank you for everything.

    When Ohio State fans speak of a Buckeye Nation, I think there’s a real camaraderie involved. If you’re interested, please consider making a donation to GoFundMe for the Henry family – other members of this Buckeye community. I’m sure I speak for the Henrys when I say anything helps and any generosity is appreciated.

    SONG OF THE DAY. “The Best Is Yet To Come” by Ben Rector.

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