Ohio
Skull Session: Ohio State Wins the Winter Transfer Portal Window, Seth Towns is a Standout at Howard and Mercer Hires Former Ohio State Lineman Mike Jacobs As Head Coach
Welcome to the Skull Session.
Pressure is a privilege.
Early morning pic.twitter.com/nvyV2ujmbV
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 1, 2024
Have a good Friday.
TRANSFER PORTAL WINNERS? Ohio State has had the best offseason of all 133 FBS teams. That’s due to the return of Emeka Egbuka, Jack Sawyer and other standouts from the 2021 class. It’s also due to Ohio State’s work in the transfer portal, where the Buckeyes landed Will Howard, Quinshon Judkins, Seth McLaughlin, Will Kacmarek, Caleb Downs and Julian Sayin in January.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren, Adam Rittenberg and Tom Luginbill created “College Football Transfer Portal Superlatives” now that the winter window has closed (and fallout from Nick Saban’s retirement has started to subside). Of the teams mentioned — Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Miami, Boise State, Louisville, etc. — the trio of writers offered immense praise for the Buckeyes’ transfer class:
What was the best signing from the portal?
VanHaaren: Alabama QB Julian Sayin to Ohio State. This is a pick for the future more than it is for the upcoming season. Ohio State has completely changed the quarterback room in one offseason by signing Kansas State quarterback Will Howard, five-star prospect Sayin, and incoming ESPN 300 freshman Air Noland. The staff went from losing starter Kyle McCord with no real options to one of the better quarterback rooms in the country. And a succession plan that features players who could better lead OSU’s offense.
Rittenberg: Alabama safety Caleb Downs to Ohio State. Downs gives an ascending Buckeyes defense a proven playmaker in the back end for at least the next two seasons. Although Georgia appeared to be the likeliest destination for Downs, Ohio State’s impressive personnel push led the Alabama transfer to pick the Buckeyes. Downs became the first true freshman in Alabama history to lead the team in tackles (107), while showcasing his playmaking prowess with two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a punt return touchdown. Ohio State’s defense made significant strides last season under veteran coordinator Jim Knowles, but still needed more players who could affect games in the back end. Downs joins a loaded safety group that returns Lathan Ransom and Sonny Styles, who is also a candidate to play linebacker.
What team has the most questions to answer in the spring portal?
VanHaaren: Michigan. Speaking of Downs, given all that Ohio State has added recently in the transfer portal with Downs, quarterback Will Howard and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, it begs to ask where Michigan will stack up in 2024. The Wolverines are losing starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy; star running back Blake Corum; offensive linemen Zak Zinter, LaDarius Henderson and Trevor Keegan; as well as linebacker Junior Colson, corner Mike Sainristil and a handful of other impact players. The staff doesn’t have a clear replacement at quarterback at the moment and has utilized the transfer portal in the past to fill holes along the offensive line. As it stands, Michigan has added Northwestern guard Josh Priebe and Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham, but more is going to be needed to compete at the highest level again in 2024.
In a recent episode of “The College GameDay Podcast,” ESPN’s Rece Davis and Pete Thamel also revealed their amazement at Ohio State’s haul:
I love it.
I love it. I love it. I love it.
With Ohio State’s additions, the Buckeyes will have a super team in 2024. I mean, look at this depth chart and roster:
With NFL draft decisions and the first wave of offseason transfer movement complete, we take our first look at how Ohio States depth chart could stack up at every position. https://t.co/CYJwOx5UEC pic.twitter.com/aFu0aaiPoI
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 1, 2024
That’s loaded! … LOADED!
SETH TOWNS, EVERYONE. At 26 years old, Seth Towns is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, players in college basketball. After all the bumps, bruises and torn ligaments he suffered at Harvard and Ohio State, Towns transferred to Howard in May 2023 for his eighth season of college hoops.
With one look at Towns’ box scores, I could argue that the 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward has saved some of his best for last.
Across 19 appearances for the Bison, Towns has averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per contest. Those points, rebounds and assists are all career bests for the Columbus native — yes, even better than his averages as the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2018.
Seth Towns knows he’s old. He’s seen the “get a job” posts. But after four surgeries, three redshirts and a year away from the sport, the 26-year-old eighth-year senior is playing his best basketball since 2018.
“I’m just grateful to be playing at all.”https://t.co/irZ3kq2H70
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 1, 2024
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Towns said his improved knee health and a restructured relationship with basketball have allowed him to thrive on the hardwood.
After sitting out the first three games while awaiting NCAA clearance, Towns came off the bench for three games, and has been in the starting lineup since. He’s averaging 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, shooting 37.4% from 3-point range. He has scored in double figures in 16 of 19 games, including 26 points against Mount St. Mary’s and 27 against Cincinnati.
“I’m playing the best since my sophomore year,” Towns said. “Now I’m 26. It’s a huge difference in how I’m playing the game.”
…
Blakeney has been most impressed by Towns’ work ethic. He recalls a specific instance against La Salle, when he subbed out Towns for a breather; moments later, Blakeney looked up to see Towns walking past him to sub himself back in the game.
“I was like, you just MJ’d me right now,” Blakeney said.
“If all things are equal and he doesn’t have injuries, he’s in his fourth or fifth year in the NBA. And yet he’s fighting and scratching and clawing his ass off everyday for us at Howard,” he added. “He doesn’t want to take plays off. He understands there’s a sense of urgency with his basketball clock right now.”
While I would have loved to see Towns’ time at Ohio State bear more fruit, I love all the more that he has found success at Howard.
For someone who has endured multiple knee and back surgeries, he has maintained a positive outlook on basketball and his life. That outlook has been rewarded (so far) with one of his best seasons at the college level.
Towns could potentially play for a ninth season in 2024-25 should he submit an NCAA waiver. However, he does not plan to play any more college basketball after this year.
“I’ll probably try to play basketball professionally for as long as my body will permit,” he said, with the most likely path being overseas. “All my faculty has told me to take a break [from my Ph.D. work]. I can always come back to this.”
From one of the most prestigious universities in the country to one of the biggest athletic programs in college sports to “The Mecca” for young Black intellectuals, Towns has checked a lot of boxes during his time in college.
He hasn’t had a chance to reflect on everything yet; he’s in the middle of basketball season, after all. But he’s looking forward to it. For now, he’s just soaking it all in.
And maybe taking mental notes.
“The book will sell,” he said with a laugh.
Could we have another “Don’t Put Me In, Coach” on our hands?
CLIMBING THE RANKS. In January, Mercer — the school made famous for its men’s basketball team’s 78-71 upset win over Duke in the 2014 NCAA Tournament — hired former Ohio State offensive lineman Mike Jacobs as its next head football coach.
Welcome @coach_mjacobs!
: https://t.co/Hf1zew2avP#RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/EkbPHKJlyD
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) January 18, 2024
“My family and I are humbled to be joining the Mercer University Football family,” Jacobs said in the program’s press release. “Mercer is an elite institution that has competed at the highest level both on the field and in the classroom. We look forward to immersing ourselves in both the campus community and the city of Macon. Go Bears!”
The son of former Ohio State offensive coordinator Michael T. Jacobs, Mike Jacobs was a center, guard, and long snapper for the Buckeyes from 1997-2001. A walk-on for three seasons, Jacobs earned a scholarship in 2000 and started at long snapper for the final 24 games of his collegiate career.
In 2002, Jacobs started his coaching career as an assistant at Eastern Michigan. Over the next 14 seasons, Jacobs spent time as either an offensive line coach or defensive line coach at Willmington (2004), Purdue (2005-07), PennWest California (2008-13) and Ohio’s Notre Dame College (2014-15).
Jacobs became Notre Dame College’s head coach in 2016. Across four years in the role, he led the Falcons to a 42-8 record and two appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Jacobs then moved to Lenoir-Rhyne, where he collected a 32-9 record and two NCAA Division II playoff appearances from 2020-23.
With a combined 74-17 record in eight seasons, Jacobs boasts the sixth-best winning percentage among active coaches at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels.
Is that good?
Yeah, that’s good.
These FCS teams don’t know what’s about to hit them.
Cheers to Coach Jacobs. I hope he continues to make Buckeye Nation proud.
OLYMPIC VILLAGE. Ohio State wrestling will be in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Friday at 6:30 p.m. for a dual at Penn State. The battle between the No. 6 Buckeyes and No. 1 Nittany Lions will come in front of thousands at Rec Hall and thousands more who will watch on Big Ten Network.
Ohio State improved to 12-1 overall and 4-1 in Big Ten competition with a come-from-behind win over Michigan last week. With Ohio State down 19-17 after nine matches, Nick Feldman — the Big Ten and NCAA Wrestler of the Week — secured a 4-3 decision against No. 4 Lucas Davison and lifted his team over the Wolverines at the Covelli Center.
#GoBucks | @OhioStAthletics pic.twitter.com/GIdD3NW97u
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) January 30, 2024
The Buckeyes will look to keep momentum in their dual at Penn State. That’s easier said than done, however. Like, much easier.
The Nittany Lions are back-to-back national champions (and have won 10 titles since Cael Sanderson took over as head coach in 2010) and feature a roster full of incredible talent, including No. 1-ranked wrestlers Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (HWT), among others.
Here’s how Ohio State’s 10-man lineup compares to Penn State’s:
| OHIO STATE | PENN STATE | |
|---|---|---|
| NO. 24 BRENDAN MCCRONE | 125 | NO. 3 BRAEDEN DAVIS |
| NO. 12 NIC BOUZAKIS | 133 | NO. 5 AARON NAGAO |
| NO. 3 JESSE MENDEZ | 141 | NO. 2 BEAU BARTLETT |
| NO. 9 DYLAN D’EMILIO | 149 | NO. 12 TYLER KASAK |
| ISAAC WILCOX | 157 | NO. 1 LEVI HAINES |
| NO. 20 BRYCE HEPNER | 165 | NO. 7 MITCHELL MESENBRINK |
| NO. 11 ROCCO WELSH | 174 | NO. 1 CARTER STAROCCI |
| RYDER ROGOTZKE | 184 | NO. 5 BERNIE TRUAX |
| NO. 22 LUKE GEOG | 197 | NO. 1 AARON BROOKS |
| NO. 12 NICK FELDMAN | HWT | NO. 1 GREG KERKVLIET |
Last week, Ohio State-Michigan had nine of 10 bouts feature ranked-on-ranked action. This week, Ohio State-Penn State has eight of 10. That’s some high-quality wrestling between the Buckeyes and their opponents, folks.
We’ll have all the need-to-know information here at Eleven Warriors after the match.
See you later.
SONG OF THE DAY. “We Are Young” – Fun.
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ASHLAND, Ohio (WJW) — An Ohio high school band got back into town Friday after a long week at Walt Disney World in Florida.
To get there, the 100 member band worked their tails off. So many fundraisers from car washes to coupon books. And don’t forget what probably seemed like a gazillion of hours of marching and practicing their music.
But all that hard work to get to the Magic Kingdom was almost wiped away after the first night.
“Well, if you picture all of our uniforms were shoved into there, they couldn’t really reach all the big stuff” band director Marty Kral said as he pointed at they partially empty band trailer.
The “they” in that sentence are the thief or thieves that ransacked the band’s parked and locked instrument trailer outside of their hotel near Disney.
Flutes, saxophones, trumpets, clarinets — about 20% of their instruments all gone.
“To have lost that, personally I feel that devastation for them we can replace that instrument but we can’t replace that emotion that story attached to it and that’s what breaks our heart the most.” said Brad Selan, who’s son is a drummer in the band.
The Ashland high band worked hard to get to Disney and Kral says there was no way they were going to perform without everyone.
“Our only consideration was not worrying about the vandalism or finding out who did it, the only concern was how was I going to get instruments in the hands of kids so they could have their moment the following morning,” Kral said.
Kral said their performance on Main Street USA was less than a day away. He said everyone on site and back in Ashland started working the phones. They found a music store that had happened to have an affiliate back home in Ashland that was open on a Sunday.
“We started there and within the next four hours through their stores in Orlando we had acquired everything we thought we needed for the kids to have a successful performance.” Kral said.
The next morning with unfamiliar rented instruments and no practice the day before, the Ashland High School Marching Band rose to the challenged and did its thing and didn’t miss a step or a note.
⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com
Kral said they can’t thank their community enough for all their support. He said his kids are one of a kind and he’s so proud that they were able to rise to the occasion.
Meantime, the school district says it’s hoping that insurance will cover the cost of the bands instruments.
They’ve also started a GoFundMe page to help the students who lost instruments.
HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio — Want an overstuffed barbecue sandwich and a giant bag of Beaver Nuggets? Ohioans no longer have to drive hours to get their fix.
Ohio’s first-ever Buc-ee’s officially opens Monday morning.
The new travel center is located just north of Dayton off I-75, in Huber Heights, about an hour and 15-minute drive from Cincinnati.
Watch: Get a sneak peek at the new Ohio location here
First Buc-ee’s in Ohio opens Monday in Huber Heights
While it may look like a highway rest stop from the outside, the inside offers a different experience.
Spokesman — and showman — Randy Pauly showed what draws people from three states away.
“We don’t want to be just another gas station. We are a family travel center, and we focus on the details,” Pauly said.
Pauly said it’s all about attention to detail, from the souvenir cups to the stuffed beaver toys and freshly made fudge, roast almonds and brisket.
“You’ll notice the difference from that famous smile when you come through the front door, to the clean restrooms to the delicious brisket,” Pauly said.
WCPO
Fresh beef brisket and pork barbecue are carved and served all day long, in a giant “pit” in the center of the store.
When it is ready, employees yell out “fresh chopped brisket on the board” to alert visitors that it is time to grab a sandwich.
Don’t expect roadside gas station prices, however:
- Sandwiches cost $7 to $14, depending on size
- Sausage on a Stick is $7.49
- The famous Beaver Nuggets are $5 a bag
- Beef jerky is $14 for a half-pound
- Fudge is $3.99 for a square
Firefighter Brendan Cochran drove six hours from Georgia for Buc-ee’s preview day for first responders, where active military, firefighters, police and EMTs received free sandwiches for their service.
Cochran said the slightly higher prices are worth it.
“The bang for your buck … if you get a biscuit sandwich somewhere else, that’s a plate. You are going to spend $15 to $20 for a brisket sandwich anywhere else,” Cochran said.
WCPO
Police officer Jordan Alexander also attended the preview event and shared his thoughts on the theme-park atmosphere.
“It can be a little overwhelming — there is a lot going on,” he said. “But it can be a good experience.”
So if you want to get a Buc-ee’s fix or try it for the first time, you no longer need to plan a trip south. Just drive 70 miles up I-75 from Cincinnati, and you can see the excitement for yourself.
As always, don’t waste your money.
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Is it a pizza? Or is it a cookie?
This April Fool’s Day collab between Lion Cub’s Cookies and Mikey’s Late Night Slice is a sweet and savory bit of the flavors of both.
Tucked away about an hour south of Columbus, one small pizzeria is making big headlines.
Lievita, an Italian-American restaurant in Chillicothe, competed in the 2026 International Pizza Expo Pizza Challenge last week, where it says it beat out hundreds of competitors from across the globe. Its cheese pizza, entered in the Best Cheese Pizza Division, won 25th-best in the world and third-best in the Midwest, according to a Facebook post from the restaurant.
The International Pizza Challenge, which debuted in 2007, is described as the largest and one of the most esteemed pizza-making competitions in North America “and possibly the world,” according to the expo’s website.
The bake-off features 680 of the world’s top pizza-makers baking their signature pizza live at the expo, with pies judged by a panel of renowned and accredited chefs. The competition took place over three days from March 24-26.
This year’s results have not yet been released on the International Pizza Expo’s official website.
A couple days after announcing its victory, Lievita shared that it gained around 700 new followers on Facebook, pushing its audience to over 5,000.
The restaurant, located at 85 N. Paint St., also changed its hours to adjust for the “surge in demand” for its pizza, according to an April 1 post. Lievita will close one hour earlier every day except Sunday to optimize labor hours and better manage inventory and prep to avoid running out of items.
The restaurant’s new hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
This isn’t the first time central Ohio’s pizza has recently picked up national attention. Just a few days ago, the New York Post praised Columbus-style pie in an article about the city’s unique pizza, characterized by a thin crust, toppings to the edge and a square cut.
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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