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Pate State @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/aI8KltxsLv
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) April 29, 2025
Have a good Wednesday.
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY. Ryan Day held a press conference on Tuesday. To me, one of his quotes stood out above the rest. When asked about Ohio State retaining its entire scholarship roster during the spring transfer window, Day said – and I quote (!):
“It says a lot about our team. I think stability is very, very important. It’s always been important to be transparent in recruiting. But now, more than ever, what you say you’re gonna do, which is your character, you have to back it up. I think we’ve done that. And the other part of it is when we recruit guys now, we want guys who want to be at Ohio State. If we have to talk you into coming to Ohio State, if money is the first thing you’re looking for, this isn’t the right place for you.
"And if people choose Ohio State because they want to come to Ohio State, they’re more likely to stay. That’s just a philosophy we’ve had here for a long time, but now more than ever because of the way things are. Guys enjoy being at Ohio State. They like being here. So, as long as they’re being valued, then they’re going to stay because they know the development.”
The People.
The Tradition.
The Excellence.
Ryan Day gets it!
THE ROY HOBBS MYTH. Day delivered another quote that interested me soon after a reporter asked him if some quarterbacks can “rise to the occasion” while others cannot.
“I did this study when I was with the Eagles, when I was with Sam Bradford. It’s called the Roy Hobbs Myth,” Day said. “If you ever watch ‘The Natural,’ the story of ‘The Natural’ is that he hits a home run, breaks the lights and he’s running around the bases. But the true story of Roy Hobbs, if you read it, is nothing like that.
“I did on study on that, because for quarterbacks, you’re trying to get them to rise to the occasion. But the truth is that nobody really rises to the occasion. You really fall back on your training. When you look at Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, he pretty much hit his career average during those moments. When you watch (Michael) Jordan or LeBron (James), when they’re in those moments, people who are clutch, they’re pretty much just operating under their career average. They’re no doing anything extraordinary in those moments.”
Day acknowledged, however, that moments can be “too big” for quarterbacks.
“You can choke. You can struggle,” Day said. “But if you can just sink to the level of your training and be at your career average during those moments, you’re going to be better than the majority of them. I think that’s what it comes down to when you’re playing quarterback.”
But the quote didn’t end there.
As he continued, Day said it’s Billy Fessler, Brian Hartline and his job to ensure Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz practice how they play.
“Whatever we see in practice, if we can see it in a game, good things are gonna happen,” he explained. “If we start to see crazy play all of a sudden on the field that we haven’t seen in practice, now there’s something else going on. Is there anxiety? Whatever those things are, we have to get other people involved and figure out what those things might be. … We just want to see the same things we’re seeing in practice on the field during the game.
“It’s our job as coaches to make practice really hard. I think the quarterbacks can tell you that I try to make practice almost brutal for them. They miss a throw, and I’m just undressing them on the field. Not personally, but I’m hard on them because I want them to feel it. Then when they get on the field, they feel like, OK, this is it. I think that’s the sign of a good coach.”
Day closed the quote, which he laughed and called “a long answer,” with this hilarious line: “I don’t know where we started that conversation.”
Neither do I.
But the conversation was a good one, nonetheless.
Whoever becomes Ohio State’s quarterback – be it Sayin or Kienholz – does not need to be extraordinary. The need to, as Day has said for years, take care of the football and make the routine plays routinely. That’s it. That’s the job. Whoever proves to do that more consistently in practice deserves the title of QB1.
“HE’S EXCITED ABOUT BEING AT OHIO STATE.” Day also addressed his decision to add former North Carolina defensive end Beau Atkinson to the roster this offseason. Atkinson is one of two transfer additions in the past week, along with former West Virginia offensive tackle Justin Terry.
“Very excited about adding Beau,” Day said. “Had an opportunity to spend time with him and his family on their visit. You guys have seen some of the film. We think that it’s a great addition to the room, somebody who has experience, has some size. He’s excited about being at Ohio State.”
Day said Atkinson has great parents, both of whom graduated from the University of Connecticut. He added that Atkinson’s mother is also from New Hampshire, Day’s native state.
A former three-star prospect from Raleigh, North Carolina, Atkinson spent the past two seasons at UNC. In 26 appearances with the Tar Heels, Atkinson collected 54 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and one forced fumble. Most of that production came via a sophomore surge in which he recorded 35 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks despite averaging 28 snaps per game.
“Beau made it very clear that he wanted to play at the highest level,” Day continued. “He hit it off with Larry (Johnson), with Coach (Matt) Patricia, and so I’ll think it’ll be a great addition to our room as we head into the summer.”
I agree!
THE HEART OF IT ALL. Before the past three NCAA Tournaments, Eleven Warriors reporter Garrick Hodge published an article looking at how many Ohioans would participate in the Big Dance. Borrowing from Garrick’s playbook, I decided to look at how many Ohioans heard their names called in the 2025 NFL draft.
The answer?
Seven.
Here’s where all of them landed:
No. 67 - Harold Fannin Jr. to the Browns
A Canton McKinley graduate, Fannin returns to Northeast Ohio after a record-breaking career at Bowling Green. In 2024, Fannin collected an NCAA-best 117 receptions for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning Mid-American Conference MVP and consensus All-American honors.
No. 83 - Kaleb Johnson to the Steelers
Johnson emerged as one of college football’s best running backs in 2024, collecting 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns before earning consensus All-American honors and winning Big Ten Running Back of the Year. The Cincinnati native and Hamilton graduate will still wear black and yellow in the NFL, as the Steelers scooped him up in the draft’s third round.
No. 123 - Jack Sawyer to the Steelers
A man who needs no introduction, Sawyer will join Johnson in Pittsburgh after four seasons at Ohio State, culminating in a national championship in 2024. The Pickerington native is one of the reasons, if not the reason, Ohio State won a title this past season, as the Scoop-and-Sawyer and Lone Star Heist helped the Buckeyes take down Texas in the Cotton Bowl and advance to the CFP final.
With the 123rd pick in the 2025 #NFLDraft, we select OLB Jack Sawyer. pic.twitter.com/YDu6xrF11f
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 26, 2025
No. 148 - Ty Hamilton to the Rams
Yet another man who needs no introduction, Hamilton will maintain an Ohio State presence in the Los Angeles organization. The Pickerington native is the lone Buckeye on the Rams’ roster, and the first Buckeye since former Ohio State offensive lineman Jonah Jackson in 2024.
With the 148th pick in the NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams select...
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) April 26, 2025
No. 163 - Mitchell Evans to the Panthers
A Wadsworth native, Evans emerged as one of the state’s biggest prospects – figuratively and literally – in the 2021 class. At 6-foot-5, 248 pounds, Evans appeared in 45 games across four seasons at Notre Dame, collecting 77 catches for 903 yards and five touchdowns.
No. 199 - Branson Taylor to the Chargers
Taylor appeared in 45 games and made 21 starts at Pitt. After suffering a season-ending knee injury during the 2024 season, the Elyria native declared for the draft, where the Chargers selected him with the pick Tom Brady made famous in 1999.
No. 255 - Luke Lachey to the Texans
The son of former Ohio State All-American Jim Lachey, Luke Lachey had a productive five seasons at Iowa, recording 74 catches for 893 yards and four touchdowns across 42 appearances. In Houston, the Grandview Heights native will catch passes from former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and join a tight end room that features former Ohio State standout Cade Stover.
Ohio is The Heart of It All.
It's the Heart of the NFL, too!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Ohio" - CAAMP.
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