Here is a summary of what Day had to say:
- Because of the way Ohio State recruits, young guys don’t have a lot of time to make an impact before potentially being passed over. There is more urgency this year for young guys to evolve quickly because of a need for more depth at any position if it is hit by COVID-19.
- Day reaffirmed his intention to sign an elite quarterback recruit every year, saying when he got here he was told a recruit should look at being the Ohio State quarterback like being the shortstop for the Yankees. “You have to have a quarterback to have a chance,” so that’s the goal. This came up in light of Quinn Ewers reopening his recruitment after initially committing to Texas. The five-star junior at Texas prep powerhouse Southlake Carroll is the No. 2 recruit in the country and top-rated quarterback in the 247Sports Composite rankings for 2022, and many recruiting analysts have installed Ohio State as the favorite to land him in a double shot of bad new for Texas head coach Tom Herman, a former OSU assistant.
- Putting together a travel roster is challenging this year because the 74-man roster must have depth at every position rather than simply be the best or most-deserving 74 players. That is because the Buckeyes will be tested for COVID-19 on Saturday morning and could lose players who then can’t be replaced before the night-time kickoff against Penn State.
- Day wants to have a pair and a spare at every position — even punter and long snapper. That means having not only two players who are starter-quality but another he would be comfortable turning to in an emergency.
- He confirmed Nicholas Petit-Frere played well against Nebraska last week but noted the sophomore right tackle has a bigger challenge this week against the Nittany Lions, who have three or four talented edge rushers. Day said “NPF” has to trust his technique in order to succeed against players like Shaka Toney.
- He would not say if star wideout Chris Olave is cleared to play this week after taking a hard hit to the head last week, but Day said he had a strong week of practice.
- The road trip will have significant changes because they must spread out on the plane and bus rides. They will have an entire hotel but logistics are challenging for meals and meetings, among other things. The team will do some of its pregame dressing at the hotel because of lack of locker room access.
- Day confirmed there is some unfairness in some schools being able to host recruits at games while others are not because fans aren’t allowed to attend them, but he also acknowledged he doesn’t have a great answer. The situation is also tough for players who need to be able to see prospective colleges in person to make an informed decision.
- This week Wisconsin can’t play at Nebraska because of a dozen positive COVID-19 tests. That is a situation Day worries about all the time. He feels bad for Badgers coach Paul Chryst — who is among those to test positive — and disappointed the Cornhuskers cannot play a nonconference game instead, per Big Ten rules. Day feels bad for Nebraska because they have done everything right and are still sidelined. Again he said he doesn’t know what’s right in this unprecedented time but sees merit in Nebraska being allowed to play after putting in so much work.
Ohio State Buckeyes: 2 areas in focus with trip to Penn State next https://t.co/Avx5OyEQu3
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) October 27, 2020
- Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth will be a matchup problem both in the run game and the passing game because of his size and athleticism. Ohio State matched up SAM linebacker Pete Werner against him last season but likely will try something else this year since Werner has moved to WILL 'backer.
- Day said multitasking has become extra important during this pandemic, as has delegating. That is hard for him but also why he hired an excellent staff he should be able to trust to do their jobs. He still stresses about things but tries to stay in the moment.
- Back to recruiting, he acknowledged players being able to recruit each other is a major aspect of this cycle since visits are not allowed and contact is limited. That is also a benefit of recruiting leaders in the first place. They can take on some of the effort on their own, and that is big because players spend more time with the new recruits than coaches do anyway. He gave a shoutout to recruiting director Mark Pantoni for continuing to make sure everyone is able to connect.
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