Ryan Day has praised Bret Bielema and the Illinois football program all week. That praise continued on Wednesday, particularly for quarterback Luke Altmyer.
"The Big Ten right now has some great quarterbacks, and he's exactly one of them," Day said. "He's won some games before, and he's a really good quarterback."
Day also addressed several other topics during his brief media session, including Julian Sayin's confidence, Max Klare's development, Bo Jackson's ceiling and Kenyatta Jackson Jr.'s health.
- Day said practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are "extremely important" for Julian Sayin but for other players as well. "You build trust. You build trust in your coaches, you build trust in your teammates and you build confidence." Day said Sayin has been working hard on and off the field during game week.
- When asked his opinion on whether Ohio State has the best defense in the nation and what he thinks about the Silver Bullets, Day said, "Ignore the noise, but more importantly right now, ignore the noise." He added later: "What will matter is who has the best defense at the end of the year."
- On Max Klare: "Max is getting better and better." Day said Klare is "starting to take off now" after needing some time to adjust to life at Ohio State compared to Purdue.
- Day praised Logan George and Zion Grady for their performance in the Minnesota game. "Good to see them kind of bouncing around with a hop in their step. When we put them in the game, we expect them to do their job."
- On Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer: "The Big Ten right now has some great quarterbacks, and he's exactly one of them." Day called Altmyer quick and accurate. "He can also hurt you with his feet. He's got good quickness. ... He's won some games before, and he's a really good quarterback. ... He presents some challenges."
- Day reiterated that Ohio State is still making the decision on whether to redshirt C.J. Hicks and Malik Hartford "week-to-week." Day said he wants the NCAA to decide whether college athletes will have four or five years of eligibility because if the NCAA eventually decides on five years, then a player like C.J. Hicks isn't getting the reps he should be right now.
- On Bo Jackson: "When you go from being a role player or a backup to being the guy, it's just the workload, the number of carries, the expectation. ... We're all excited about Bo. His teammates see it. We see it." Day said Ohio State wants to ensure it brings Jackson along the right way. "The talent is there. The work ethic is there. The way he practices is indicative of the way he plays. ... I still think there's a huge ceiling here. ... The more he plays, the better he's gonna get."
- Day said Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is "trending in the right direction" regarding his health.
