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| Ohio State coach Ryan Day (Yahoo Sports) |
It may seem like a long time to the average fan, but for the Ohio State football team the loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal is strill fresh. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day knows that there wasn't much separating Ohio State and the Tigers on that December evening, so the work to change things begins now.
"Getting to that game and not winning, that leaves an unbelievable taste in our mouth, Day said after the first day of practice concluded. "It’s motivating us more.”
He sees things as much easier this time
around because the newness has faded. Year two may as well be year 10.
“The focus is just a little bit
different. Every day was kind of new last year," he said. "Now It’s
more focused on the product itself, where are we going with this thing. We have
the vision set."
Day has some definite goals for the Buckeyes
this spring.
“It’s really for the younger guys, but
some of the older guys have to learn to become leaders," he said.
"It’s really for the development of the individual player.
It's just as important for the veterans
to get reps as it is for the new faces to get acclimated to the system, and one
luxury Day feels the Buckeyes have at certain spots is the ability to get a bit
more intricate.
Last year everything was new for
quarterback Justin Fields, yet he put up numbers that were good enough to get
him invited to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Day feels that with
a full season under his belt, Fields can be even better this year, and believes
that everyone on the team should end up improved from day one to day 15.
"The idea of spring practice is to
have each guy get better and each unit get better. When we get into preseason
it becomes a little bit more about the scheme, about the unit in terms of their
identity. Every position has their own story. Where are the leaders and where
is everybody else? Because you have some many young guys on this team, there
are a lot of guys who don’t have reps under their belts. Are you going to step
up and be a starter? That’s what you want to see.
“Every year is a new journey. College
football you have a new coaching staff, new leaders, a new dynamic. I think we
have a good feeling for that two months into the offseason program.”
Ohio State's receiving corps is
ridiculously talented, and not only welcomes back Chris Olave and Garrett
Wilson but touted freshmen Jaxson Smith-Ngaba, Julian Fleming, Gee Scott and
Mookie Cooper. Day believes all four have a chance to play and make an impact,
and bring different strengths to the offense. There won't be much of a dropoff
in production when a starter goes out for a series, that's for sure.
The offensive line must find a couple
of new pieces, but has outstanding building blocks in center Josh Myers, right
guard Wyatt Davis and left tackle Thayer Munford. Talented sophomore Harry
Miller has a chance to be the next star up front for Ohio State, and he'll get
first crack at the left guard position. That leaves right tackle as a battle
between Nicholas Petit-Frere and freshman Paris Johnson.
Day isn't worried about youth, only ability.
“We’re trying to find the best five guys to
play," he said. "We have to find four and five, and certainly don’t
want to put guys into roles but not have the best five. Whatever that is we’ll
do. We’re going to try Harry at guard, he would be four. Then we need to figure
out who plays right tackle.”
There are certain things Day wants to
see from his trench warriors.
“You
have to be strong in the run game, have to be able to move guys, create some
movement," Day said.
"You have to know what you’re doing, that’s a
big part of it. It helps to have guys around you who have been around. You have
to be able to hold up in the pass game as well, especially inside. You can’t
get knocked into the lap of the quarterback. The inside protections are a point
of emphasis for us this year. Harry is a high-functioning football player, has
a good IQ. He played at center, which helps a lot because you have to make
calls and figure things out quickly.”
The secondary is also a unit in
transition, but at least has some guys with tangible reps. Corner Shaun Wade
moves outside from the slot and should be one of the best cover men in America,
while Cam Brown and Sevyn Banks got some game reps last season.
Day recently signed a
three-year extension that takes him through the 2026 season, and he said it
wasn't the money or the years that gave him the biggest thrill, but the
stability.
“The people
who were most excited were my kids, because they knew they wouldn’t be the new
kids in school for a long, long time," Day said. "To be in this
position is a big deal. We get to be in Columbus for the next 7-10 years,
hopefully 20 years. We love it here, the kids love the school system, they have
a set of friends. That’s what’s most exciting.”
NOTES
* Some of the players
who were limited included CB Shaun Wade, LB Baron Browning, DE Jonathan Cooper,
DT Taron Vincent and CB Cam Brown. Among the unavailable players were RB Marcus
Crowley, WR Kamryn Babb and safety Josh Proctor. Day said that none of the
players were out long term, that he expects all to be ready for the season.
* A few
position switches of note include Cade Stover moving from linebacker to tight
end and tight end Cormontae Hamilton switching over to defensive line. DeMario
McCall is currently listed as a wide receiver but Day said he would have the
flexibility to play in the backfield and provide another speed component for
the Buckeyes.
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