Ryan Day Talks Spring Midpoint, Building Depth Up Front

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with reporters following practice on Monday. He provided updates on his football team, talked a bit about the first scrimmage of spring over the weekend, and much more. The highlights of everything that was said can be found below.

The plan is to still have a spring game on Saturday April 12. There could be several things going on at the spring game.
Julian Sayin is finding his way as a leader right now. Everybody has to do it their own way. He’s a good man. He does things the right way. When he says he’s going to do something, he does it. Then it comes down to competency. When you step on the field, you’ve got to be able to do it. “I think he’s getting more comfortable out there.”
Would he be open to a joint practice with another team? If teams want to do it, then the rules committee should look at it. “For us, I’d be concerned about the health.” They teach their players how to practice. If they’re not tackling people to the ground, then what is the tempo? They don’t take side shots on receivers when they’re in the air. They want to take care of the players and practicing against another team, that team may not have those same concerns or tactics. “Right now for me, it’s not something I would consider.”
Caleb Downs at RB is not something they’re looking at this spring.
The QC and analysts now have more of an impact because they can all coach. The offensive line has three guys everyday “chasing these guys around.” They’re doing a great job. Now you’ve got three experienced guys working on the offensive line and working on recruiting. “I think it’s great.”
How does he feel about the QBs in the spring? Depends on when you ask. There’s been good progress, but there are times when it’s like a mixed bag to the negative. “But we’re going to keep coaching.” They have a growth mindset. As they have gotten into spring, they are now trying to get the QBs more and more reps. Today was a helmet practice. The next three will be padded.
Anybody making a move or standing out? It’s been good to watch CJ Hicks work in his new role. Arvell Reese is fun to watch. Payton Pierce is running around, as are the freshmen. Jermaine Mathews is felt every day. Jaylen McClain and Malik Hartford have both made a move. The RB has been good but it’s hard to evaluate it when they’re not being taken to the ground. The TE room is as deep as they thought it would be. The OL room feels good. The interior is good. The tackles need to continue to get reps. At wideout, they need to do a good job of building depth.
On QBs tuning out the noise: You’re not really used to it until you’re in it. As a recruit, it’s almost all positive unless they flip a commitment. When you’re a young new guy, it’s all positive, but it can turn quickly. That can affect you. More importantly, it can affect their family.
What’s the weekend like after the first spring scrimmage? Depends on whether you want to have a good weekend or a bad weekend. If you want to have a good weekend, just watch the cut-ups of the ones. If you want to have a bad weekend, watch the ones, twos, and threes in order. It’s still early and there is a lot of work to do, but what you see in the spring, you’ll see in the fall. Players have to fix their mistakes.
Devin Sanchez has the right mindset. He’s competing and learning from his mistakes. “I think we’re a young team right now.”
“This is a group that likes to get after it. They’re edgy.” They have almost had to pull them back a little bit. There are a lot of competitions going on right now. They need to be ready week one for Texas. Every rep matters, and it’s ramped up in a big way right now.”
On the QBs, you need to have patience because they have not had the experience before. They’re making mistakes for the first time, but they’re pushing through it. They’re learning. They’re on the film. They’ll get the notes from QB coach Billy Fessler and make the corrections and move on to the next day.
There are around 100 practices every year, which is where you really get better. Iron is sharpening iron at Ohio State. It’s a selling point but it’s also a mindset.
Arvell Reese, physically, has worked very hard to build up his body to get stronger. But his football IQ is good as well. He’s experienced now. It’s been fun to watch the defensive staff work to maximize his strengths. “He’s got a lot of them.”
On the OL, they want their guys to have a primary position and then a secondary position. So if you lose a guy, you can bring in your “sixth-best guy” rather than losing a tackle and bringing in your eighth-best guy who happens to be a tackle. This is an experienced group but there are guys who have played but not started for an entire season.
What is the toughest part about learning how to run a position room as an asst coach? How has James Laurinaitis progressed as a coach? Making the transition from player to coach is not easy at all. There’s only a handful of very good players who go on to become very good coaches. The commitment to the hours is one thing. You’re also completely out of control once the ball is snapped. You also have to be organized with your thoughts and plans. Then you have to be a good communicator. He is very smart, like Brian Hartline. They have invested the time in to do it and they’ve learned how to grow. Also as former players, they’re accustomed to getting feedback and criticism.
How is defensive tackle coming along? We need those guys to step up for the depth. There have been flashes, but that means it’s not consistent enough. They need to see a push in the second half of spring from that group.
At DE, do you feel like you have what you need right now? “We’re getting a decent pass rush right now, but we’ll have to see over the next couple of weeks if it’s enough.” Been impressed with Zion Grady as a player. If he doesn’t flatline as a player, he can help this season.