Roster management, recruiting and the future of athlete compensation were among the things Day spoke about during his appearance on WBNS 97.1 The Fan Wednesday morning.
Here are three takeaways:
1. Day is happy with the roster.
That might be something to be taken for granted at a place that recruits like Ohio State, but the transfer portal has changed a lot of things about the sport.
While the ground might always be shifting under a coach’s feet, Day said communication is key to keeping a roster intact.
“You’ve got to be transparent so there’s no surprises,” Day said. “You’re constantly talking to these guys, giving them feedback on where they stand. Things that they’re doing well, things they need to improve on, what they can expect going into next year. And I think now more than ever, you have to continually talk to these guys about where they stand, but I think as you look at this transfer portal window, most of the guys say, ‘Hey, we’re here for a common purpose. We know what the goals are ahead of us.’”
Six players departed in the transfer portal, though none were returning starters or seemingly in line for major playing time this fall.
“There was a lot of bonding that happened during the last couple months, during the winter workouts, during spring practice,” Day said. “It’s a good group right now.”
Overall, 23 scholarship players have opted to transfer since the end of last season, including a handful who would have been out of eligibility if not for the NCAA still granting players an extra season if they were on the roster during COVID pandemic in 2020.
3. June will be busy.
Changes in recruiting rules have led to most players signing their national letter of intent in December rather than February, and the acceleration of the timeframe for many prospects continued when rules against players taking official visits before they begin their senior year were lifted.
“Once they made official visits available in June, which just happened a couple of years ago, this became the window because it’s a little quieter,” Day said. “When you come for an official visit during the season, the coaches are distracted with the games. It’s a little bit more difficult. This is a great opportunity to really spend 48 hours with the family, get our own family around them, get the players around some of them so they can see that. And so it’s been a good thing for us. You know, we’ll have four weekends coming here in June.
3. He sounds approving of potential changes to college athlete compensation.
Reports have circulated college leaders are close to reaching a settlement in the so-called House lawsuit against the NCAA and major conferences.
That would result in, among other things, revenue sharing between colleges and current players.
“I don’t know if it’s equal playing ground, but I think at least it’s more streamlined,” Day said. “In terms of how it’s being done, I think right now it’s a little bit hard to wrap your arms around exactly what’s going on. This will allow a little bit more structure to it, and I think it’s just the first step along the way.”
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