\n Welcome to the Skull Session. <\/p>\n
\n\tLuke Montgomery is running it back<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tLove this place and the people pic.twitter.com\/w25MySqlQl<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Luke Montgomery (@lukeMonty8) January 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tLet’s ride, Monty.\n<\/p>\n \n\tHave a good Wednesday.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0HEYYY, THAT’S PRETTY GOOD!\u00a0Three websites \u2014 ESPN<\/a>, 247Sports<\/a> and On3<\/a> \u2014 maintain live rankings of the top transfer portal prospects. Among them, ESPN offers the most in-depth list, as Matt Olson\u2019s top 50 includes brief scouting reports for every player. Two of Ohio State\u2019s transfer additions appear on Olson\u2019s list: Alabama defensive tackle James Smith and edge rusher Qua Russaw.\n<\/p>\n \tNo. 31 – James Smith<\/p>\n \n\t\tTransferring from: Alabama \n\t\tBackground: The Montgomery, Alabama, native was the No. 3 defensive tackle and No. 25 overall recruit in the 2023 ESPN 300, and he played in 37 games over his three years with the Crimson Tide. Smith earned a starting spot in 2025 and contributed 28 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks on 398 snaps. Now, he’s looking to finish out his career elsewhere ahead of his final season of eligibility.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tScout’s take: Smith is strong enough to hold his ground and stack blocks between the tackles. He flashes the ability to fight though and split double-teams. He can get into gaps and slip blocks. He primarily lines up on the inside, but he’s a physical edge setter when he is on the outside. He’s a relentless pass rusher with active hands and good power. — \u00a0Steve Muench\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tWhat he brings to Ohio State: The Buckeyes needed to find a way to replace the production of Kayden McDonald, the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and a projected first-round pick. They’re hoping the combination of Smith and UCF transfer John Walker can get the job done for their front.\n\t<\/p>\n \tNo. 39 – Qua Russaw<\/p>\n \n\t\tTransferring from: Alabama \n\t\tBackground: The top outside linebacker and No. 9 overall recruit in the 2023 ESPN 300 played in 22 games for the Crimson Tide and earned nine starts. He recorded 30 tackles and picked off two passes as a true freshman, but he suffered a foot injury that made it tough to take the next big step as a sophomore. Russaw got hurt against Georgia in late September and was sidelined for six games in conference play. He came back to play 104 snaps as a reserve behind Yhonzae Pierre.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tScout’s take: Russaw would be one of the top portal defenders if not for injury concerns. A former five-star, he was one of the more naturally gifted athletes on Alabama’s 2024 roster. His best asset is his scheme versatility. He can play stout vs. the run, drop back in coverage or chase QBs as a pass rusher. Russaw lacks ideal height but plays with great leverage and strength at the point of attack. A disruptive presence vs. counter and gap-blocking schemes. He’s fluid enough to get depth in his drops, change direction and make plays on the football. — \u00a0Steve Muench\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tWhat he brings to Ohio State: Russaw and James Smith were teammates in high school and at Alabama and preferred to pick their next school together. He’ll have an opportunity to compete for a starting spot opposite Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and could provide some positional versatility in Matt Patricia’s defense.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\tHere\u2019s where Ohio State\u2019s transfer additions rank in 247Sports and On3\u2019s top 100s:\n<\/p>\n \t247Sports<\/p>\n \t\tNo. 8: James Smith<\/p>\n \t\tNo. 54: Hunter Welcing<\/p>\n \t\tNo. 59: Qua Russaw<\/p>\n \t\tNo. 66: Earl Little Jr.<\/p>\n \tOn3<\/p>\n \t\tNo. 43: James Smith<\/p>\n \t\tNo. 52: Earl Little Jr.<\/p>\n \t\tNo. 58: Terry Moore<\/p>\n \t\tNo. 70: Qua Russaw<\/p>\n \n\tNo matter which rankings you prefer, Ohio State\u2019s transfer class looks solid… so far. Smith has the most potential of the bunch, but it’s a group of experienced, proven veterans in Welcing, Little, Moore, Russaw and others.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?! On Tuesday, FBS coaches voted unanimously to amend the college football calen\u2014\n<\/p>\n \n\tWait.\n<\/p>\n \n\tExcuse me.\n<\/p>\n \n\tOn Tuesday, FBS coaches voted unanimously to expand the eligibility for redshirt years from four to nine games.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe coaches\u2026 did not\u2026 discuss calendar changes.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tSources tell @On3<\/a> that calendar changes were not discussed. A lot of frustration on that one. https:\/\/t.co\/Tr96tvvvIX<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t** sighs **\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe one thing we can all agree needs to change, and here they are voting on eligibility and redshirt rules.\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhat are we doing here?!\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0WHOM DO YOU LOVE? The Athletic\u2019s Chris Vannini <\/a>shared on Monday the results from his fourth annual college football TV survey, which aims to reveal the networks, announcers and shows fans preferred most in 2026. Here are some of the results I found interesting:\n<\/p>\n \tFavorite network for national game broadcasts<\/p>\n \t\tESPN\/ABC: 63.4%<\/p>\n \t\tCBS: 15.1%<\/p>\n \t\tFOX: 11.9%<\/p>\n \t\tNBC: 7.6%<\/p>\n \t\tTNT: 1.2%<\/p>\n \t\tCW: 0.9%<\/p>\n \tFavorite conference network<\/p>\n \t\tBig Ten Network: 47.2%<\/p>\n \t\tSEC Network: 39.4%<\/p>\n \t\tACC Network: 13.3%<\/p>\n \tFavorite broadcast team<\/p>\n \t\tChris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe (ESPN): 32.3%<\/p>\n \t\tSean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath (ESPN): 17.4%<\/p>\n \t\tBrad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jenny Dell (CBS): 13.5%<\/p>\n \t\tGus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft (FOX): 12.9%<\/p>\n \t\tNoah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen (NBC): 5.5%<\/p>\n \t\tJoe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer and Katie George (ESPN): 5.3%<\/p>\n \t\tSeven other broadcast teams: <3.1%<\/p>\n \tPreferred college football kickoff show<\/p>\n \t\tCollege GameDay: 83.6%<\/p>\n \t\tBig Noon Kickoff: 16.4%<\/p>\n \n\tWe may not all agree on that stuff, but we can all agree on this:\n<\/p>\n \tBiggest issues with watching college football on TV<\/p>\n \t\tToo many commercials\/too long: 67.4%<\/p>\n \t\tToo hard to change between games: 10.2%<\/p>\n \t\tPoor broadcast quality\/announcers: 8.7%<\/p>\n \t\tToo expensive: 5.7%<\/p>\n \t\tToo many games: 2.7%<\/p>\n \n\tWe have a Ban Noon Kickoffs<\/a> shirt on Eleven Warriors Dry Goods. We also need a Ban Commercials-Kickoff-Commercials shirt. Matter of fact \u2014 get rid of all the commercials!\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0THE WELL-COACHED BIG TEN. On Monday, Michigan State posted this video from a recent team meeting\u2026\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tThis is a REBIRTH. Not a rebuild. pic.twitter.com\/zTEWth5ZPs<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) January 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\u2026 and it reminded me that Pat Fitzgerald is now the Spartans\u2019 head coach.\n<\/p>\n \n\tIt also made me think about how deep the Big Ten coaching pool is. From already a national champion Ryan Day, soon to be a national champion Curt Cignetti (yes, the Hoosiers will win the CFP title on Monday) and eventually will be a national champion Dan Lanning to Bob Chesney, the conference is stacked with accomplished, proven and upward-trending head coaches.\n<\/p>\n \n\tAs I continue to drown in waves of transfer portal news, the idea of placing the Big Ten\u2019s coaches into tiers sounds like a fun distraction. Some were harder to rank than others, particularly when weighing past success against current results (for example: Lincoln Riley\u2019s CFP r\u00e9sum\u00e9 at Oklahoma versus his middling USC tenure, or Luke Fickell\u2019s historic run at Cincinnati compared to a 17\u201321 start at Wisconsin).\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tWith that in mind, here\u2019s what I came up with:\n<\/p>\n \tS Tier<\/p>\n \t\tOhio State\u2019s Ryan Day<\/p>\n \t\tIndiana\u2019s Curt Cignetti<\/p>\n \tA Tier<\/p>\n \tB Tier<\/p>\n \t\tUSC\u2019s Lincoln Riley<\/p>\n \t\tMichigan\u2019s Kyle Whittingham<\/p>\n \t\tPenn State\u2019s Matt Campbell<\/p>\n \t\tIowa\u2019s Kirk Ferentz<\/p>\n \t\tIllinois\u2019 Bret Bielema<\/p>\n \tC Tier<\/p>\n \t\tWisconsin\u2019s Luke Fickell<\/p>\n \t\tMichigan State\u2019s Pat Fitzgerald<\/p>\n \t\tNebraska\u2019s Matt Rhule<\/p>\n \t\tRutgers\u2019 Greg Schiano<\/p>\n \t\tWashington\u2019s Jedd Fisch<\/p>\n \t\tMinnesota\u2019s P.J. Fleck<\/p>\n \t\tNorthwestern\u2019s David Braun<\/p>\n \tD Tier<\/p>\n \t\tPurdue\u2019s Barry Odom<\/p>\n \t\tMaryland\u2019s Mike Locksley<\/p>\n \tTBD Tier<\/p>\n \n\tWhat do you think of my list? Do you love it? Hate it? Wish I never made it? Please tell me how right \u2014 or how wrong \u2014 I am in the comments. I\u2019d love to read all your thoughts.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0NEW DUBCAST. Today’s Eleven Dubcast welcomes back Andy Anders to discuss the FBS coaches at the AFCA meetings this week voting unanimously to support expanding the eligibility for athletes redshirting from four games to nine.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0SONG OF THE DAY. “Oblivious” – Jon Bellion.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0CUT TO THE CHASE.\u00a0Mike Tomlin steps down after 19 seasons as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>… Rio de Janeiro zoo animals are treated to popsicles as the city faces scorching summer weather<\/a>…\u00a0Wildlife crews stop actively searching for young wolves after livestock attacks<\/a>…\u00a0Ohio State\u00a0dorm, Taylor Tower,\u00a0floods due to pipe failure, displacing hundreds of students<\/a>… The Soul of the Grateful Dead<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n
Transferring to: Ohio State
Years remaining: 1
HT: 6-3 | WT: 297 | Class: Junior. [will be a senior in 2026]\n\t<\/p>\n
Transferring to: Ohio State
Years remaining: 2
HT: 6-2 | WT: 243 | Class: Redshirt sophomore [will be a redshirt junior in 2026]\n\t<\/p>\n