Ryan Day Sees Expectations As Exciting, But ‘Wasted Energy’

The excitement around this Ohio State football team has been building since January when upperclassman after upperclassman put the NFL on hold for one more year and decided to return to the Buckeyes for one last shot at beating Michigan, winning the Big Ten, and competing for a national championship.

It’s not just the seniors that have created a high level of excitement, however, because there is plenty of young talent on this Ohio State team as well. Couple the talent with the addition of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator and a third year under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ scheme, and it is easy to see why the Buckeyes are one of the title favorites this season.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day sees the talent every day. He sees the commitment and the culture. He also knows that thinking about what this team could be is not the same as getting them to be what they could be.

“Well, I think we’re all excited about the opportunity and we all see what it could be, but we also know that that’s kind of wasted energy at this point,” Day said. “We’ve got to maximize the preseason. But at the same time, I mean, you get excited about this team. What’s possible.”

Some might call the possibilities endless, but that ignores the fact that there is very much a specific ending in mind regarding what is possible for this team. The Buckeyes who returned came back to end their careers with the kinds of wins they’ve missed out on to this point.

“There’s a reason why these guys decided to come back and forego their opportunity to go to NFL and that’s go do that exactly that,” Day said. “And that’s okay. I mean, these guys are proud and they’re competitive and they want it and they think big. That’s the way it should be. But at some point, we’ve got to get back to work and focus on what matters.”

Focusing on what matters is what the offseason has been about. Winter workouts, spring camp, and summer workouts have been integral in honing the possibilities. Individual work, film room study, and the occasional opportunity to go be a college kid are part of the required mix as well.

According to Day, the Buckeyes have made the most of the offseason.

“Yeah, I would say they’ve done that and then some,” he said. “There’s a great energy around this team. They know what they want. There’s an urgency, there’s a purpose, and they’ve come together. You can just see it.”

Expectations are a constant at Ohio State. It’s kind of like living near the railroad tracks. Eventually you don’t even hear the train anymore. The noise just melts into the background.

This year’s Buckeye football team knows the expectations that have been placed upon it. But nobody is putting more expectations on this team than the players themselves. Ryan Day doesn’t need to tell the players what they already know. He’s more focused on telling them how to get where they want to go.

“We don’t want to create distractions for this team. We want them to continue to focus on what matters,” he said. “But you can just feel it when you’re around the guys. And you guys who have spent some time with our players, you guys can feel it. It’s real. So what does all that mean? I mean, we’ve got to earn everything we get next year. Nothing’s going to be given to us. And that’s gonna start August 1. Transitioning from the summer to the preseason. And here we go.”

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