COLUMBUS – Ohio State announced it’s captains for the 2020 season on Tuesday and the list includes two returning captains, linebacker Tuf Borland and defensive end Jonathon Cooper and five first-time captains, quarterback Justin Fields, offensive linemen Wyatt Davis and Josh Myers, linebacker Justin Hilliard, and cornerback Shaun Wade.
A conference call was held with the captains on Tuesday to answer questions and head coach Ryan Day also jumped on the call.
Here’s a summary of what was said from the players on the offensive side of the ball.
Head Coach Ryan Day
+ The players and coaches have done great job at taking care of their health. They are all holding each other accountable and the testing policies and procedures have allowed the players, staff, and coaches the confidence to know that they are doing everything they can to create the safest environment possible.
+ They have been working around the clock to develop protocols for training camp which starts this week.
+ He is very proud of this group of captains and he thinks they have a great group of guys leading the team.
+ C.J. Saunders’ waiver for his sixth season was denied, making him unable to play with the team this season. The plan is to join the team in some capacity as a coach. ‘He has coaching in his blood.’
Justin Fields
+ His family has provided him with everything that he has needed. Getting to the money as fast as possible isn’t really a priority for him. He is cherishing playing with his teammates here and he is looking forward to the season. He can see why guys are opting-out of the season but he has not thought about it himself.
+ He is trying to stay as optimistic as possible about the season.
+ He is proud of the PAC-12 athletes coming together to take a stand and have a voice on these issues. He agrees with what they are doing. A few guys in the Big Ten have been talking about ‘what-if’ they did something similar but not to that extent.
+ It is a blessing to be named a captain and it is something he will forever be grateful for.
+ Throughout the summer he had Zoom meetings with Coach Day looking at film of the opponents but now that they don’t know who the opponents are going to be, he is just trying to do everything he can to improve his game. He has been going back to the basics to get better.
+ The staff is doing a great job at keeping them safe. He doesn’t have a concern about what going on at Ohio State but he hopes other schools are taking the same precautions. The team is concerned about what happens when all of the students come back to campus.
+ There are a lot of things that they can’t control but they are doing a great job controlling what they can control. They are doing their part.
+ He talked to his parents a little bit about the virus and their concerns and they put him in the drivers seat. They trust that he is going to make the best decision for himself and he thinks they all feel safe at Ohio State. The big question is – what are other schools doing?
+ Their goals as a team are to beat Michigan, win the Big Ten Championship, win a playoff game, and then win the National Championship. His personal goals are to show everybody that he is the best quarterback in the nation, and win the Heisman Trophy. But the team goals come first.
+ This has made them work so much harder in the off-season. He feels great, his body feels great, and he is ready to go.
+ Fields doesn’t care when they play Michigan, he just want to play them.
+ He thinks he was an effective leader last year but he just didn’t have the title. He still plans on being a leader of this team as much as possible.
Wyatt Davis
+ The circumstances are hard but he has just been taking it one day at a time. He is optimistic about the season.
+ The word optimistic has been thrown around a lot because that’s all they can do, be positive and have a good attitude.
+ He has been approaching the practices and workouts as if everything were normal right now.
+ His parents feel good about the precautions Ohio State has taken.
+ Davis feels like he is at a good spot right now. Being back in California for so long he took it upon himself to do all of the workouts they sent and stay on top of things and work out on his own. He feels very good going into camp and he is ready to play some football.
+ He doesn’t care when the Michigan game is played, he just wants to play them and if it’s the first game of the season then so be it, they will be ready.
+ He knows being a captain at Ohio State comes with great responsibility. He knows that he has to expand his leadership.
Josh Myers
+ There are countless things that make Justin Fields a great captain. He is very approachable, not intimidating, and he is open to talk to anybody and teach others. He has a natural ability to lead.
+ He feels very strongly about how well Ohio State has done in taking the precautions to keep them safe. He is not concerned about his safety and he can’t say enough about what Ohio State is doing to protect them. He thinks that if people can go to bars/restaurants, then he should have the choice to participate in a season. Myers strongly believes in the coaches and trainers and that they will keep them safe through this thing.
+ He worries about his parents more than they do about him. They are comfortable with what Ohio State has been doing.
+ Myers says there is a lot of competition at the left guard spot and the right tackle spot. “I don’t think we can put a wrong person in there.” Everybody is competing at a high level. They have high expectations for this offensive line.
+ Myers has been a lot more conscious of what he has been eating. It is hard to replicate and match what Coach Mick does so he has been a lot more conscious and has been working as hard as he possibly can on his own. He is ready to go.
+ With being a captain, Myers knows that he has to expand as a leader beyond just the offensive line.
