Ryan Day Updates: Leadership, Coaching Staff Coming Together

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with reporters on Monday following the Buckeyes’ fourth practice of spring ball. He provided updates on his team, talked about personnel, and more. The highlights of everything he had to say can be found below.

Likes the energy at practice so far. The new faces have been prepared. The leadership and effort has been good. There’s been great feedback from recruits and families. Today was a helmets practice. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday will be padded practices.
Every position will be represented at Pro Day. Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss will help at receivers for Will Howard.
Can Austin Siereveld start at a spot for you this year? “I hope so.” He was an Iron Buckeye coming out of winter workouts, which is always a great sign. He’s done everything right so far.
On the 2022 recruiting class not panning out yet: A lot of that has to do with the 2021 class standing in front of them.
Matt Patricia has a lot of energy. He’s building relationships right now. The feedback from the players has been good. Players are spending one-on-one time now with him. Recruits have been giving great feedback as well. Just now starting to dive into some of the different things they can do on defense this year.
Logan George has earned the respect of his team in a short period of time. He’s a very serious guy.
The offensive line has a good rhythm right now. “You’re seeing a lot of guys swing right now.” They are working on versatility, but the tackle position will be critical.
Why is the spring game still important for Ohio State? “My plan is to have a spring game.” That day matters to a lot of young players. The format will probably be similar to what they’ve done in the past. “We need to go do it.” The first step toward the season is playing in that spring game in Ohio Stadium.
How is the relationship now with Brian Hartline during practice? He’s got the headset on now and is calling the plays during practice. There are times when he needs to meet with the QBs. He has to have a connection with them, which is something he’s getting used to. “It’s been good.” He certainly knows the offense and knows how to call plays, but finding the rhythm in practice is a little different. They need to continue building that relationship with the QBs while not interfering with the teaching.
The voice of the leadership group is coming out but “I don’t think we’re there yet.”
Jeremiah Smith was the first-ever Iron Buckeye as a freshman. Then he showed the discipline to do it again in the winter. He has all of the talent, but he differentiates himself with his discipline and skill. That’s where he is special. “He sets an example for the other guys.”
On Matt Patricia creating his own identity at OSU: You lean on the guys around you. There are things you may have never done before but you know it’s the right thing to do with this group of guys. You have to adapt year in and year out in college football because the team is different every year. You have to be able to predict where you can hold up and where you can’t so that you have enough scheme but not too much.
It’s an honor to be invited to the White House. “It’s customary.” He’s always looked at other teams doing it and thought it would be an honor. They’ll be there on April 14.
How much license does Caleb Downs have in practice to help out other guys? Any time you can look at the game like a coach, that’s the final level of being a player. He may not get as many reps this spring “healing up” but he’s helping the young guys.
On continuing to rotate on the offensive line: You need to have depth. “You have to.” There is not one position on the team that rolling guys wouldn’t be beneficial. Depth is a necessity for a 16-game season. The coaches need to have enough talent and depth to survive the season.
On Brian Hartline being upstairs or on the field to call plays? It’s about comfort level for the guy calling plays. When you’re upstairs, it’s almost like a video game and you can be detached from it a little bit, which keeps you organized. “I’ll leave it up to him on that decision.”
How do you balance what Hartline needs to do with the QBs, with the WRs, and the play calling? He’s got help with Day and Billy Fessler and asst WR coach Devin Jordan. It’s a team effort. Every week that goes by, he’ll get a better feel for it. The stability of the offense will help as well. “We’re all talking the same language.” The QBs and WRs know the rules, so as long as they stick to the rules, they’ll be fine. “We know certain styles of plays that fit certain skill sets… so that part’s good.” They’ve been through a lot of trial and error over the years. But you also can’t have too many voices in your QB’s head.