With most of another top-10 recruiting class signed on Wednesday, Ryan Day opened up about the 2023 cycle during a press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Nineteen prospects inked their National Letters of Intent to officially commit to the Buckeye program by the start of Day's 12:30 p.m. presser, which gave Day plenty to talk about as he addressed members of the media for the first time since time in eight days.
Day praised Ohio State's latest signees, touched on some missed opportunities on the recruiting trail, discussed how NIL impacted this year's class and much more. Eleven Warriors took notes on everything Day said Wednesday below:
Ryan Day
- On how many recruits Ohio State didn't land because of NIL: "That's a good question." Day says the Buckeyes are gonna "keep swinging on this thing."
- Day says the 19 players that have signed thus far "deserve the recognition right now. ... They're gonna have an unbelievable opportunity here at Ohio State."
- "These are guys that want to be Buckeyes. They know the opportunity here." Day says "a lot of these guys did it for the right reasons" and signed to Ohio State for the things that "truly matter."
- On quarterback recruiting: "When is the right time to go on quarterbacks? Is it early in the process? Is it late?" Day says when you get a quarterback late, you get to see what they did in all four years of high school. "It's something that you always look at."
- Day says "there's a lot of twists and turn along the way, a lot of emotional roller coasters" on the recruiting trail.
- Day says "there's still a lot going on" with the recruiting class and "there's still a long way until February."
- On recent decommitments in the program, Day says there was a time when other schools stopped recruiting players after they committed, but that isn't the case anymore. "It's the way things are going ... we just have to adapt."
- "When things are going well, everybody's with you." Day says when things aren't going well, you find out where people stand.
- Day says there haven't been a lot of transfers out of the Buckeye program thus far this year and that "I think it's because we have a strong culture here."
- "I know the program's in a great place" despite the Michigan loss and missing out on a few big-time recruits as of late.
- On Avery Henry's cancer diagnosis: "Very difficult time for everybody here. Trying to give Avery as much space as we can during this time, but let him know he has a whole team behind him. ... Things like this give you perspective in life." Day says Henry will be in Atlanta with the team for the CFP.
- Day says Justin Frye did a great job with the offensive line recruiting and thinks Luke Montgomery, Joshua Padilla and Austin Siereveld could all make an impact right away. Day says Montgomery could play "all five positions" on the offensive line, Padilla will start at center and Siereveld will start at guard.
- Day says Miles Walker brings a lot of potential at the tackle position as well.
- On the transfer portal: "If it's right for them, if it's right for us," the Buckeyes will try to bring guys in.
- Day says the Buckeyes "have to decide if we're going to move (Trayanum) over (to RB) full-time or not."
- On Ohio State's four WR signees, Day says "all four are looking to come in and make an impact." Day says Carnell Tate's recruitment was "quite a process." Day says there were a few "twists and turns" with Noah Rogers' recruitment, but that he was "pretty loyal" throughout.
- Day says while things have changed on the recruiting trail, "in the end it comes down to relationships. That's it."
- On college coaches not specifically calling out other teams that might be tampering with players: "It's not a road that certainly I want to go down. I don't think there's any benefit to it."
- Day says he'll meet with Trayanum to figure out what he wants to do next ahead of the spring as far as his position.
- Day says Jermaine Mathews did a great job at Ohio State's camps over the summer and had a great season as a senior. Days says "a lot of people were blowing up that phone" before signing day, but he stayed loyal to the Buckeyes.
- Day says Will Smith Jr. has "absolutely poured it on" over the past year, and that he didn't solely receive a scholarship because of his dad's name. Day says it might have been a "risk" to offer him at first, but "it's a no-brainer now."
- On NIL: "It's Ohio State. We should be the best in the country and we will."
- Day says playing quarterback at Ohio State is "not for everybody," but that he's been impressed by the "makeup" possessed by Lincoln Kienholz.
- Day says the "number one" priority at Ohio State must be the development of the players. "Certainly there's gonna be opportunities with NIL that were never here before. ... But where are you gonna be in three to five years?"
- Day says Calvin Simpson-Hunt impressed coaches as a senior and has "really grown in a lot of areas" over the past year.
- "It was great to get" Jelani Thurman at tight end. Day says the Buckeyes haven't addressed all of their roster needs just yet, but that there's still a long way to go before next season.
- "I haven't seen much in terms of the enforcement" on NIL violation issues.
- Day says players have "a lot of flexibility right now" in college football, and that "there are a lot of things going on right now that I know are hard for guys to walk away from. ... We're doing everything we can to do the right thing."
- Day says OSU wants to sign a quarterback every year, and "we're not bringing in anybody to be a backup. ... If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Lincoln (Kienholz) is really into it and he never flinched."
- "Some of these high school coaches are very frustrated" by certain schools spending more time on the transfer portal than bringing in high school recruits.
- Day says with Ohio State being a three-safety defense, it needs more volume in the secondary. Adds that Ohio State will "continue to look at that" beyond Wednesday.
- On CFP preparation, Day says "I see a team that realizes that not a lot of people give us a chance. ... We know what we're in for, we know what the challenge is."
