Spring football is around the corner in Columbus.
With Ohio State set to start spring practice in 10 days, Ryan Day met the media at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to discuss his coaching hires and promotions, the Buckeyes' offseason development plans and more.
Here is a quick recap of all Day shared in the press conference:
- On hiring Matt Patricia as defensive coordinator: "You can tell that we were very thorough about how we went about the process." Day said he wanted to find the "right fit" for the position. "I felt like Matt was that guy for a lot of reasons." Day called Patricia one of the "brighter" defensive minds in football.
- Day said secondary coach Tim Walton will be a crucial piece to Ohio State's defensive game planning this season: "Having Tim Walton as a co-coordinator there is a huge part of our defense. ... I think Matt and Tim working together as coordinators is gonna be critical. ... I think we have to continue to look critically at how to evolve our defense."
- Day said Ohio State's defense will look different under Matt Patricia compared to the past three seasons under former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Still, Day said the identity of the defense will remain the same. "We want to make sure our identity on defense stays in tact."
- Day said Ohio State's spring practices will look different this offseason coming off a 16-game national championship season. Still, Day wants the Buckeyes to "do the best we can" practicing and playing the Spring Showcase to prepare the program for its season opener against Texas in 2025.
- On hiring Tyler Bowen as Ohio State's offensive line coach: "We wanted to make sure we had somebody in the room, in the run game that had coordinator experience." Day called Bowen "diverse" in his coaching profile, as he has worked with offensive linemen and tight ends, as well as coordinated an offense.
- On how Ohio State will handle reps and snaps in the spring: "You have a benchmark... We have to be smart on that. We have a plan, making sure those guys are able to rest as well." Day said Ohio State's younger, inexperienced players are "in a much, much different situation" than players like Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, Davison Igbinosun, Carson Hinzman and others who have starting experience for the Buckeyes.
- Ryan Day says some of Ohio State’s practices this spring will be helmets-only in the style of NFL OTAs. Day said the Buckeyes will look to get good work in this spring for players who need reps but also wants to be smart after a long season. Some players will be held out of the Spring Showcase.
- Day said he learned a lot during Ohio State's championship season. Here's what stood out the most: "Trust the process. Just keep pushing. ... Trust the process. Make the adjustments. Keep pushing forward. Ignore the noise, whether it's good or bad. ... All the work and decisions that are made during the beginning of the season, we have to adjust and tweak them, but at the same time, we have to believe in (them)."
- Day is confident Patricia's coaching experience in the NFL will translate well to college ball. "I think it's gonna carry over well. ... There's a lot more similarities now (between college and NFL) than there was in the past."
- Day has complete confidence in Brian Hartline as Ohio State's offensive playcaller: "I believe very strongly Brian Hartline is gonna do a good job as offensive coordinator."
- After winning a championship in his first season as Ohio State's CEO, Day said he will look for more ways to impact the entire program this offseason, both on the field with the offense, defense and special teams and off the field with NIL and other responsibilities.
- Day on Ohio State's QB battle between Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz and Tavien St. Clair: "They're young. We need them to be tough. We need them to be a leader." "Long way to go on it. Don't have any evaluation on it now. Gonna be a big spring for those guys." Day said Ohio State will "roll" reps for Sayin, Kienholz and St. Clair in spring practices, giving each quarterback equal opportunities to make an impact.
- Day said recruiting was a big reason he hired Bowen as Ohio State's offensive line coach. He said Bowen has hit the recruiting trail hard in his brief tenure. Day added that the Buckeyes' current linemen "love being around him."
- Ryan Day said he's still been involved in Ohio State's offensive meetings this offseason, but he's tried to be as hands off as possible. "I've really tried to let him go and run with this thing," Day said of Hartline.
- On hiring Billy Fessler as Ohio State's quarterbacks coach: "Very smart. Works really, really hard at it. He's got a bright future in the game. ... We see things the same way. ... He's very, very talented."
- Day said Ohio State did its due diligence looking into Matt Patricia's sexual assault allegation from 1996. He said Patricia met the high standards the Buckeyes have for both coaches and players. "When we make these decisions, we spend a lot of time in the interview process getting to know people. ... Ross Bjork was part of those conversations. ... Feel really good about the hire." Day said the Ohio State football program has high standards regarding character and integrity and believes Patricia met that standard before officially hiring him.
