Day looks to rebuild the bricks of his team’s foundation
COVER PHOTO: OSU head coach Ryan Day (red) talks to his team after their first fall camp practice on Thursday. Picture by Sam Fahmi/Columbus Wired.
It’s no secret that the narrative on last year’s Ohio State football team was that they were “soft”. So much so that social media was flooded with obnoxious memes (primarily from fans of a certain team up north) chiding them with not only their words but “clever”, doctored pictures of the word “soft” appearing in place of the “STATE” that runs through the middle of the school’s official block “O” logo.
Head coach Ryan Day wants that narrative to change, though, this year.
“I know what I want our team identity to be — and I told the team — to be the hardest-playing team in the country,” Day said after their season-opening first practice on Thursday. “When someone watches the Buckeyes this year, they should see that.”
Day wants to hit the ground running this summer and grind it into his players’ heads that being tough starts now by outworking everybody else and rebuilding the “bricks” of their foundation.
“Every year you have to rebuild and … you won’t know how strong that foundation is until the storm’s coming, the big games come down the road. It’s going to be a long season this year so we’re trying to maximize every single day, every meeting, every walk-through and every practice.”
The Buckeyes’ chief famously sounded off after last year’s Notre Dame game, publicly calling out former Fighting Irish head coach Lou Holtz on how “soft” the Buckeyes were after Holtz had infamously called them out for being “soft” before their matchup on Sept. 23.
“What he said about our team, what he said about our team? I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here and we’re proud to be from Ohio. It’s always been Ohio against the world and it’ll continue to be Ohio against the world. I tell you what, I love those kids and we’ve got a tough team,” Day emphatically told NBC reporter Kathryn Tappen afterwards.
Ohio State won 17-14 on a one-yard touchdown plunge by running back Miyan Williams with one second remaining, which was set up by a 21-yard pass on 3rd and 19 from former quarterback Kyle McCord to receiver Emeka Egbuka. It was seen afterwards that the Irish only lined up with 10 men on the field and left a gaping hole on the left side where Williams dove for the win.
However, the narrative reared its ugly head at the end of the season where certain instances of their perceived fluffy disposition were highlighted against Michigan in a game that ultimately went awry with a 30-24 loss in the Big House and their follow-up contest in the Cotton Bowl culminated in a deflating 14-3 defeat at the hands of Missouri.
So how will Day escape the notion that his team is full of cream puffs and are nothing but a finesse team lacking the grit most in Buckeye Nation are used to seeing from their beloved scarlet and gray in years past?
He alluded towards the fact they return a slew of starters, experienced lettermen and transfers as well as a certain highly bally-hooed true freshman that should nicely round out a team that will be able to rebuild the foundation stronger than what it was last year.
“It’s making sure you have the right people in the right seats and that started with the players, certainly the players coming back,” Day said. “And then adding a few guys in the transfer portal, recruiting, the coaches, the staff, and then putting that all together with some hard work this offseason. I think the foundation up until this point has been excellent from when it started at the end of (last) season until now.”
They return nearly the entirety of the defensive starters (10) including defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, defensive backs Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun, Jordan Hancock and Lathan Ransom as well as converted safety to linebacker, Sonny Styles.
The offense gets back five including Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson and offensive linemen Josh Fryar, Josh Simmons and Donovan Jackson.
Although several key men are gone from last year’s offense including McCord (who transferred to Syracuse), Williams (who took his shot at the NFL), fellow running back Deamonte “Chip” Trayanum (transferred to Kentucky), as well as receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. and tight end Cade Stover, who were both drafted.
But Day was able to fill those gaps with guys from the transfer portal like former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins. Howard is competing with third-year sophomore Devin Brown for the starting spot and Judkins figures to be a co-starter of sorts with Henderson.
However, filling the shoes of Harrison and Stover? The current roster features seven tight ends including Ohio University transfer Will Kacmarek and fifth-year senior Gee Scott, Jr., both of which were seen practicing with the ones on Thursday and Friday.
As for trying to find a suitable “replacement” for Harrison, along with Egbuka, the Buckeyes also return sophomore Carnell Tate, redshirt freshmen Brandon Inniss and Bryson Rodgers as well as veterans Jayden Ballard and Kojo Antwi. And all Day and receivers coach Brian Hartline did in December was bring in the country’s top-rated recruit in Jeremiah “J.J.” Smith, whom Day said during spring practices that if he continued on the path he was on at that point, that he would probably see a starting role as a true freshman.
Pretty lofty expectations.
Although Day said during the spring, reiterated during the Big Ten’s media days in late July and once again during Thursday’s presser, that he’s continually trying his best to temper that presumption.
“Again, I don’t want to put too much out there but he (Smith)had a great offseason (and) did some things some freshmen haven’t done before in terms of recognition. And some of the hard work he’s put in and you talk about the humility of a young man who’s as talented as he is, it’s special.”
Day said he and everybody else on the team are “excited that he’s out there” and Smith has a “very bright future ahead of him”.
The Buckeyes continue fall camp with their second week of practices starting on Tuesday running through Saturday the 10th.