Ohio State head coach Ryan Day will be taking part in his first Thursday radio show of the year beginning today at noon. We will provide live updates throughout the hour-long session. Day will be providing updates on his football team and also looking ahead to what the Buckeyes will be facing on Saturday against Florida Atlantic. Refresh for updates.
Complete Updates
+ Offensive line and tight end are the two most developmental positions in all of college football. Branden Bowen has done a great job returning from his injuries. This is really the first time he’s felt healthy. He knows the offense. He is poised to have a great year.
+ The student body here is awesome. The thing that sticks out to him is the Illinois game two years ago with all of the rain. The students were still there in miserable conditions. He loves seeing the student section explode on big plays.
+ Al Washington has lost a bunch of weight and looks sharp. There will be no shortage of excitement on the sideline.
+ The NCAA rule limiting how many guys can be on headsets and can communicate has made things a little more interesting in figuring out who is going to be where.
+ Jeff Okudah, Damon Arnette, and Shaun Wade are all top-tier corners who are all possible first rounders. “Excited to see what those guys do.”
+ Mickey Marotti “is the backbone of this whole place.”
+ The freshmen offensive linemen who came in this summer have reshaped their bodies, save for Harry Miller who is exactly what they thought he’d be.
+ Marcus Crowley and Steele Chambers will play. Zach Harrison will play. It’s a good group of kids in the freshman class. Cade Stover really showed up on film in preseason. You’ll see Craig Young running around on kickoffs as well.
+ There will still be press man this year and that’s not changing. There will be different tweaks here and there. He is excited about the secondary, including young guys Sevyn Banks and Josh Proctor.
+ What does Day love about the college game as opposed to the NFL? He enjoyed the NFL, but always had a place in his heart for Columbus and Ohio State for a lot of reasons. “Couldn’t be happier with that.” When you are in the college game, you can have an impact on your players. In the NFL, you punch a clock. In college, you are ingrained in the community and you can impact lives.
+ Florida Atlantic will be up-tempo, but OSU’s linebackers can still play out there and the Bullet won’t be a necessity on every down.
+ The Bullet is a spot for guys with unique skill sets. You figure out what they do well and then put them on the field and allow them to do that.
+ Tuf Borland brings professionalism to the defense. He’s loud and confident and accountable to the guy next to him. There’s no nonsense with him. He is where he’s supposed to be. He’s a leader as the Mike linebacker. He had a tough injury to come back from, but having a whole year now, he’s excited to get back on the field.
+ Chase Young and the senior defensive linemen have done a great job leading the defense. Javontae Jean-Baptiste has done a good job. “His length is off the charts.” Zach Harrison and JJB look like big basketball players out there, and that’s where the game is going.
+ Every pass play has its own life and progression or “pick-a-side.” The more you get reps with each plays, the better feel you get for where the ball will need to go.
+ They have a couple of different ways of sending in plays. They’ve changed a few things, but they also still have the same system.
+ The third week of camp, Justin Fields took care of the ball and made some good decision. He was put in some tough situations and made the proper calls. Early on he was throwing the ball into traffic. His skills are off the charts, he just doesn’t have a lot of experience.
+ Brian Hartline is developing and recruiting at a high level. Garrett Wilson and Jameson Williams are showing that they have a bright future.
+ There will be a bunch of receivers playing this year. There may not be as many passes this year, but they will still throw plenty.
+ Up-tempo is part of the offense and always will be. There will be times when they want to slow it down, depending on the situation and opponent.
+ “We’re gonna roll guys on the offensive line.”
+ The offensive line has depth. “We’re big, strong, and we’re powerful right now.” If they can run the ball, that opens more of the offense.
+ Demario McCall is a weapon because he can do a lot of things. Not as big as JK, but can do a lot of things. We saw that last year. “He’s a really good third-down back for us.”
+ “Excited to see how he runs on Saturday.” JK Dobbins has been running hard. Master Teague and Demario McCall have to step up and provide depth. Dobbins has to step up and he can’t look for a home run. He’s going to get enough carries this year. The big plays will come through the opportunities. “He looks hard right now.” He’s also a part of the passing game with 13 straight games with a reception.
+ The change in the kickoff rule has affected things. The fair catches and the elimination of wedges are significant. Now it’s all man-on-man blocking, so you need guys who want to run down the field and make contact. You can’t assume there is going to be a fair catch.
+ How does Day handle first-time starters? He tells them not to create expectations for them on how it’s going to go, because the minute it doesn’t go that way, things get out of hand. There are going to be mistakes, so they have to focus on their assignments and the task at hand.
+ Matt Barnes has done a great job with the special teams and picking up where they left off last year. The battery is back in terms of snapping and holding and kicking. “I think we’ll be good on special teams.” There are also a lot of linebacker types who are good on special teams.
+ “That is the tip of the spear of the program. You earn your stripes by playing on special teams.”
+ How do they prepare for a game one against a new opponent? You have to look back at past games, but it’s also about being sound in what you do. Then you adjust from there.
+ Day believes football is evolving to where you play lines of guys like hockey. You have to keep up against tempo offenses.