Ryan Day addressed several topics during his midweek press conference, including Ohio State's win over Grambling State in Week 2, its matchup with Ohio in Week 3, the Buckeyes' approach to high school recruiting and the NCAA's decision to use one transfer portal window instead of two.
Here's a bullet-point recap of Day's press conference, which lasted almost 30 minutes inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center:
- On Will Kacmarek: "I think anybody would like to have a teammate like this," Day said. "He's hard-working. He's a good teammate. He's smart. And I think he's getting better every day."
- On Ohio State’s win over Grambling State: “When you’re in a matchup that isn’t even, which is what it was — and by the way, going back and watching the film on Grambling, I thought those guys played really hard, I have a lot of respect for them, I think they’re gonna have a good year. But we know that wasn’t a matchup game. … There was definitely some good. I think it was great to get guys some film, get on film and correct some things.”
- Day called Ohio State’s punt returning a “red flag” coming out of the Grambling State game. "That's an area coming out of the game that we've got to improve on, for sure. I think we lost 47 hidden yards with the ball bouncing around on the ground. A couple of them were very difficult because they weren't very well hit, but other ones I feel like we could have fielded. It's not just one thing. Brandon (Inniss) is still gonna return punts for us, but we also have Jeremiah (Smith) that we can put back there, Carnell (Tate), Caleb (Downs), if we need to. We're gonna stick to it, but we got to get better. There's no question. That's something coming out of the game that was a red flag that we got to get fixed."
- Ryan Day said Ohio State hopes to have Logan George play this week. The Idaho State transfer defensive end is coming back from an injury, but Day expects George to have a full week of practice this week.
- Day praised Lincoln Kienholz for his performance against Grambling State and has confidence Kienholz can continue to improve this season. "We're gonna need both he and Julian this year. We'll keep figuring out how that fits. I think he had a good week of practice last week, and if he can piggyback the game he had on Saturday with another solid week here, I think that's good for the team.
- On Kienholz, Day added: "He's a good leader. Guys respect him. He's a good athlete. He's a good player. So, he's working hard at it. He knows at some point he's gonna get his chance, and when he does, he's got to continue to keep pushing and make the best of it. I have a lot of respect for Linc. That room is pretty tight."
- On Max Klare: "I think he's playing faster and faster. You watch the film the other day, I mean, he was moving around well. He didn't get as many touches, but the tight ends did. We'll keep building the package for him, but I think he's gotten faster and faster as he's come out of camp. Excited to see where the next couple of games go."
- On Ohio State scheduling a nonconference game against Ohio: "I think it's good for the state. I think it's great for their school; I think it's great for our school," Day said. "When you're from the state of Ohio, having a memory of playing in the Horseshoe during your college career is significant. We know these guys are gonna be playing with their hair on fire."
- Day called Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro “a winner.” He said: "You watch what he's done against two Power Five opponents, one Big Ten opponent — he's done some really good things. He's spread the ball around. He can make plays off-schedule. He's got good quickness. Competitive player. Ultimately, he's a winner. He did that last week (against West Virginia). It's a good challenge for us."
- Day said nobody batted an eye when Jeremiah Smith dropped two passes vs. Texas because of how hard he works in practice. “He sets the example every day.”
- Ohio State's 2026 class currently ranks No. 9 in the 247Sports composite, but Ryan Day still has "all the confidence in the world" that the Buckeyes will sign a great class.
- Day added on recruiting: "It really comes down to once you get to December, that's what's gonna matter. Now more than ever, you've seen guys commit some place, go somewhere else and things change. We feel like we have some really good guys committed right now, and we're gonna make a hard push here over the next couple of months to finish out the class and then figure out what's right in the transfer portal for us."
- Day said “fit” matters for Ohio State in recruiting. “We feel like it's really important to make sure we have the right guys and the right fit. Our coaches are working hard towards that. I have all the confidence in the world we're gonna sign a great class."
- Ryan Day doesn't agree with college football's lone transfer portal window being in January. "I don't think it's a good idea at all. In the conversations we had with the Big Ten coaches, I think the majority of them agree — I just don't quite understand how for teams that are playing in the playoffs are expected to make the decisions and sign their upcoming players while they're still getting ready to play for games. It doesn't make any sense to me.”
- On the lone transfer window, Day added: "I know the calender is funky, but I know that the Big Ten and Tony Petitti has been working hard, because he doesn't believe it either. The coaches in the Big Ten had a lot of long discussions about that and tried to work through the different windows, but I don't agree with it being in January."
