Skull Session Ohio States 2023 class wants to be Buckeyes

Skull Session: Ohio State’s 2023 class wants to be Buckeyes, the Jets should have picked Justin Fields in 2021 and — Eleven Warriors

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Welcome to Friday’s Skull Session.

Zed Key is a treasure that must be protected at all costs.

It’s pretty fun to see Key celebrating his teammates. I love the culture that Chris Holtmann is building with the Basketbucks this year – it seems fun!

Let’s have a Good Friday, shall we?

BECOME A BUCKEYE. Ohio State’s Class of 2023 added its 20th signee on Thursday when four-star safety guard Jayden Bonsu signed his national letter of intent to become a Buckeye, despite rumors he might move elsewhere.

Before Bonsu’s addition to the class became official, Ryan Day spoke to the media on Wednesday to break down the Class of 2023 and find out what each Ohio State prospect is bringing to the table. Among the many questions and answers, Day noted that everyone wanted to be a signatory to the Buckeyes program and all “did it for the right reasons.”

I found Day’s reasons for picking the Buckeyes remarkable, as the Ohio State head coach said they saw “the opportunity here” and what the program could do for them. His reasons included these five factors:

  • Development in the state of Ohio (#DevelopedHere)

  • educational opportunities

  • Chance to win a national championship every year

  • culture and relationships

  • City of Columbus

    • Note that name, picture and likeness are not mentioned. While that probably should be the case, I don’t necessarily blame Day for not claiming that as a factor in why the 2023 recruits chose Ohio State.

    It became clear that most prospects who decided to become a Buckeye weren’t just in it for the money per se, as Miami (FL), Oregon and other programs (quackquack) seemed to have donors with deeper pockets, which may have led to more lucrative NIL opportunities elsewhere. Heck, even Washington had made bigger NIL deals for four-star quarterback Lincoln Kienholz than Ohio State, as Kienholz made clear in the video below. Still, he chose to play for Day and Corey Dennis due to their track record in development and a more direct path to the NFL from Columbus than Seattle.

    Referring to Day’s five factors, Kienholz likely chose the state of Ohio for options #1, #3, and #4. These three factors were more important than money to a native of Pierre, South Dakota. However, that wasn’t the case for all other prospects in 2023, and it won’t be the case in the future either, meaning the Buckeyes will need to have their boosters on hand to back up the Brinks truck if needed.

    As I said in Thursday’s Skull session, swings and misses didn’t worry me in 2023 because the class was already established and ready to become Buckeyes. Still, I’ll be more concerned in the future if Ohio State continues to harass top talent for lack of funds at NIL Bank.

    That is, unless Ohio State wins a national championship this season, which reaffirms the Buckeyes as one of the best teams in college football and makes the Five Factors even stronger as Day continues his program into years five and beyond continues to expand.

    WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN. On April 29, 2021, Ohio State fans groaned in unison when the New York Jets selected BYU quarterback Zach Wilson over Justin Fields as the #2 overall pick in the NFL draft.

    At the time, New York GM Joe Douglas felt like a general manager was trying to be the smartest person in the room, which he was. And that has since been proven by how Wilson and Fields have played through nearly two full seasons in the NFL, as the former was benched by the Jets until midseason — and likely won’t have a future in the Big Apple — while the latter is setting records break in the midst of a breakout year.

    Given those results, ESPN’s Jordan Reid and Matt Miller corrected the Jets’ mistake when restating the top 15 picks of the 2021 NFL draft when Reid named the former Ohio State quarterback the No. 2 instead of the No. 2 to JETS sent 11 to Da Bears.

    2. New York Jets

    Original pick: Zach Wilson, QB – New pick: Justin Fields, QB

    Reid: The Jets have a chance to make their choice here. Fields just broke the 1,000-yard mark as a rusher in Chicago, but picture him with this ascending list and on offense from Mike LaFleur, keeping a quarterback on schedule with lots of easy throws. He still has a lot to prove as a passer but his development could lead to great things. Having him in the center would change the trajectory of this team with an exciting double threat orchestrating offense.

    Wilson’s time with the Jets was complicated. He has thrown 15 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions in 21 career starts and was benched last month before returning in Week 15 due to Mike White’s injury. He’s only completed 55.4% of his passes over the past two seasons.

    Editor’s note: Wilson played football against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. He passed 9 of 18 with an interception before being benched for Chris Streveler.

    Of course, the butterfly effect plays a role here with Wilson and Fields. If Fields had been with the Jets last season, they might not have been able to draft Garrett Wilson in 2022, completely changing their current roster. But for more fun, let’s assume Garrett Wilson is still in the Jets with Fields in this scenario. I mean, could you imagine that? It would be endless fun.

    Shame on the Jets for not making the easy call. For the rest of the time, may they ponder what could have been.

    THE robber returns. It feels like an eternity since I’ve written in a Skull Session about Chase Young’s return to training this year after tearing his cruciate ligament in November 2021 at the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

    This news from the Commanders is a fairly early Christmas present as it’s been a long way back into action for The Predator, who had 70 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits and nine sacks in his first 24 games as one turned pro while also receiving an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Pro Bowl honors in 2020.

    Sooner or later — hopefully sooner — Young will be looking like his old self again on the football field, something that Washington and Ohio State fans will be very excited about. And in case you forgot how dominant Young was as Buckeye, here are some clips that might refresh the old memory:

    DO YOU HAVE HOLIDAY PLANS? Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve learned that there was something Marvin Harrison Jr. could never catch: Santa Claus. I also learned a lot more about Harrison’s holiday traditions and CJ Stroud’s.

    Hear what Ohio State’s WR1 and QB1 have planned for this Christmas as they hold a tiny microphone and answer questions from the Big Ten Network. It’s quite a treat:

    Next time I will write to you all after the bank holiday weekend. Have fun and be safe wherever you land and get ready for Georgia Week, which begins Monday.

    Bring on the bulldogs.

    Ohio vs the World.

    SONG OF THE DAY. “The Return of Mack” by Mark Morrison.

    CUT TO PURSUIT. Scientists reveal secrets of frog transparency…NFL’s ‘Sunday Ticket’ goes on YouTube next season…Top Gun, ‘Black Panther’ move up Oscar shortlist…Chilly temps could lead to bizarre Christmas scene…Idaho man adorns beard with 710 bullets for Guinness World Record.