1. C.J. Stroud is in the lead at quarterback.
This much had been assumed with Stroud appearing to be first in line for nearly everything reporters have been able to watch since the start of spring practice, but Day had held off on admitting as much publicly until Monday.
“He’s taking care of the football,” Day said. “He’s making plays. He’s being accurate with the football. He’s being a leader, and he’s moving the team down the field and scoring touchdowns, and those are all things we’re looking for.”
He did not draw a distinction between Jack Miller III and Kyle McCord in the race to be the No. 2 quarterback or name Stroud the starter for the seasonopener against Minnesota.
“We will see what the next week brings,” Day said. “We aren’t making any decisions right now.”
He also did not give any indication newly arrived five-star quarterback prospect Quinn Ewers will be in the starting conversation anytime soon.
“We’re going to show him the locker room and show him around the facility,” Day said with a laugh. “Just get him going. He obviously just got here, and it’s the middle of camp. We have a good plan in place to try and get him going in camp, but he’s had a great attitude and we’re happy he’s here.”
2. The defense played well in the weekend’s big scrimmage.
No stats or results of any kind were released from the closed scrimmage, but Day said 15-20 players graded out as champions after the coaches viewed the film.
“I thought we were contesting throws on the perimeter,” Day said. “Impressed with some of those young corners. I thought it was really well done up front, but there’s a lot of energy, and we got a few three-and-outs in there. I thought we tackled OK. It’s not all perfect. We got a lot of work to do, but it was competitive. There was energy, and it was a big step for our defense.”
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
3. Overall, Day liked how the team finished last week.
Continuing his reaction to the scrimmage, Day said appreciated how physical the team was overall even after the newness of camp had worn off and the daily grind set int.
“You know, nerves were raw, and I think we really finished the week really well,” Day said. “I thought the scrimmage was really physical on Saturday.”
4. The coaches are still determining how deep they can go at receiver.
Ohio State entered the offseason with an embarrassment of riches at receiver, but injuries and transfers have reduced coach Brian Hartline’s numbers to the point he likely will have to have true freshmen and/or walk-ons step up to fill out the usual six-man rotation.
While Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson form what could be the best duo in the nation, the players behind them are largely unproven.
“I don’t think we’re there quite yet, but a few more practices under our belt and we’ll be close,” Day said. “I’m excited about the potential for that group. I think that we’ve gotten tougher in that room. The blocking on the perimeter has improved. The route running and the big plays those will come naturally, but if the blocking improves, the toughness improves and they become complete players as a unit, that’s where they can be really special.”
Some thoughts from Kevin Wilson on developing this version of the Ohio State offense and how changes in the rules have caused a major shift in what preseason camp is about https://t.co/tSuunNNFQW
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) August 16, 2021
5. Palaie Gaoteote is still waiting to hear if he will be able to play this fall.
Ohio State has no shortage of candidates to start at linebacker, but the most talented (according to recruiting rankings) and newest arrival may not be available when the games begin, a situation Day confirmed is unsettling since he is getting valuable practice reps.
Gaoteote, a five-star recruit in the 2018 class, transferred to Ohio State from USC over the summer. He enrolled in classes and has been practicing with the Buckeyes, but they are still awaiting word on whether or not he will be eligible this fall.
“He has done everything we have asked of him,” Day said. “He has been paying his own way and has applied for a waiver with the NCAA. He has taken some classes this summer and done everything we asked him to do.
“He was in a very, very tough spot due to COVID. Not to get into his family situation, but it was hard for him. We are very optimistic the NCAA will grant his waiver to allow him to play this season and very hopeful it works out for him. When you get the details of everything he has been through over the last two years — and certainly the last year with COVID — you would understand why things are the way they are for him.”
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