COLUMBUS – Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media on Wednesday to discuss the Big Ten’s decision to cancel the 2020 fall football season and what’s next for Ohio State.
Here’s a summary of what was said.
Ryan Day
+ Day said he found out from Gene Smith and President Johnson and started telling the staff and then had a team meeting. Smith addressed the team and then Day addressed the team.
+ Day said yesterday was a tough day for everybody. They woke up today with their focus on what’s next and that is figuring out the spring schedule and the different options they have.
+ On Justin Fields and other high-profile players making the decision to leave for the NFL or stay, Day said in his conversations, Fields wants to see what the schedule is and what the plan is moving forward. They owe it to guys like Fields to have a plan in quickly so that they can plan for their futures.
+ It is devastating. There is a time of mourning but they are focused on getting a season in the spring going in January so they have something to work towards. It is going to be difficult, the whole year is difficult. It hurts, and he is sad, angry, frustrated, all of the above. He has a range of emotions and the players do as well. They feel like something has been taken away from them. They owe it to the guys to get a plan on what’s next.
+ On a spring season, Day said they have to start as soon as they can on developing the spring season. Day and the staff think starting the first week of January would be the best and having an 8-week season that allows some time between the seasons and allows the new mid-year guys to come in and have two games in one year, which some will be really excited about.
+ They have to be creative. Each guy will have an individual plan for how to improve their game and skills this fall. In the next few days they will get that finalized but still a lot of conversations with Gene Smith on what they can do this fall.
+ On roster management for next year, Day said he won’t be concerned about it if they play in January, February and March, but if they don’t play, then he will be concerned.
+ Day said he felt very strongly about the medical people at Ohio State and their recommendations on managing the procedures and protocols. He felt confident about moving towards full-contact if they had been allowed.
+ They have everything in place in Columbus to help the guys prepare for the draft if needed. They have the best strength coach, meals, meetings, testing, etc. If by chance they do want to go somewhere in the spring, they do still have all spring to do that. To go somewhere to train right now doesn’t make a lot of sense, they have everything they need here at Ohio State.
+ He is sure schools will try to reach out to recruit his players to play in other leagues this fall and transfer. He doesn’t think that is possible for them or even safe to try and do that at this time and to try and get a waiver in this short of time would be difficult. It’s another reason they have to get the spring plan solidified.
+ He and Gene Smith were aligned in this thing. He is proud of what they did here. “It’s not a bubble, but it was close to it. A lot of work went into that.”
+ Everybody is throwing ideas around for spring right now. A few days ago, that was not a focus. “We are going to have to work quickly and diligently to get this done.”
+ Telling the team was one of the hardest conversations and was the hardest meeting he’s ever had. “To look guys like Jonathon Cooper in the eyes, Justin Hilliard, Justin Fields, and on and on, guys who have put so much time and effort into this program was awful. The message was that in life things get taken from you.”
+ “You don’t just wake up in the morning and feel fine. It’s going to take some time.”
+ He is concerned about the mental health of the team.
+ He thinks they have to play in January and February and March because recruiting battles would be very challenging if they didn’t. It would be difficult to recruit when other leagues are playing in the fall and they didn’t have a season at all. They need to play in the spring.
+ The voices of the players and their parents were very important. Their voices were strong. “It was hard for me to look them in the eyes, after everything that has been done, to say we’re not playing football. A lot had been done but not we have nothing to show for them.”
+ As of right now they are putting a work plan together here for the fall. Nothing has come from the Big Ten on moving forward. This is what they feel comfortable with and they are going to be discretionary all the way through the beginning of September and then put together an individualized plan for each guy.
+ He had to be transparent and real with the guys. “You don’t just get up the next morning and move on. It’s not okay, it’s not easy. We have to provide direction and let them know how much we love them and care for them.”
+ The players have stuck together and they are great. There’s some excitement about playing two seasons in one year and only using one year of eligibility.
+ On getting a spring schedule together, Day said it has to be fast. “It has to be weeks, not months.”
+ He will get emotional even thinking about not having a season. “As a coach you work your whole life to coach a team like this. This team is special. It could have been a once in a lifetime team. There was something about this team that had it. They came back hungry and determined. This quarantine, this virus was not going to get in this way.”
+ Day said he thinks it will be hard to have visits in the fall, bringing recruits and families on campus. That exposure is a challenge, and it’s frustrating for recruits. It has been dead for months almost a full calendar year, but he doesn’t think they should change the recruiting calendar.
+ On playing two seasons in one calendar year, Day thinks if they play a full schedule and start in March then they’re asking for trouble but if an eight or nine game season starts in January then it could work. The number of games and start dates matter.
+ Day and Jonathan Cooper had difficult, long, emotional conversations last year and Cooper put in and incredible off-season, this was his shot. Day has had multiple conversations with him and shared some of his life experiences with him. “He is healthy, and he will have a bright future no matter what. This is another obstacle he has to push through.”
+ Day said being the head coach at Ohio State, there’s a lot you have to work through but number one you have to be a leader and have composure when things don’t work well. “When you have times like this you just push through it, doesn’t make it any easier, but that’s the job.”
+ Scholarships have to be solved very very fast and they need some help getting the answers for the guys.
+ Day has wondered about the CFP in the spring. Winning the Big Ten Championship would be the first goal but if the CFP pushes back to the spring that would be great. He hasn’t given up on that. He would much rather play the CFP than just split it.
+ He threw a pity party last night and woke up this morning and got to work.
+ Day said part of the conversation he and Gene Smith had this morning was on playing outside of the Big Ten. He is trying to find out exactly the conference’s stance is on this and what it means with TV contracts and all of that. He is asking all of those questions.
+ On whether or not the administration fought hard enough, Day said President Johnson and Gene Smith were all aligned in that they wanted to play or at the very least move it back to September. They thought the decision needed to wait.
+ A ton of resources were poured into the program to prove to others that this can be done as a college football program, Day thought they did prove it.
+ He wasn’t ready to play a game, but thought they could get there and had how he though they could get there on the table. Now they’ll never quite know but that’s fine they have to work towards figuring out the spring.
+ Day said if they don’t play a season, the seniors deserve an extra year of eligibility.
+ The weight room will be open tomorrow and they still will test once a week. They will provide meals, tutors, and once they get into September they will start more of the on-field workouts.
+ Day said he would push for being able to put pads on for practice this fall. It should be up to the university. The young guys need developing and need to play some football, if the medical staff says it’s safe. That should be up to the program to figure out what that is. There are certain guys that need that on-field development.
+ On the quarterback development, Day said it’s a concern. But everybody is in the same boat. They just have to figure out a plan to get it fixed. They want to get some reps under their belt.
+ On the financial strain, Day said that’s stuff he and Gene Smith talked about last night. They will do everything they can to make sure they are whole financially. They’ve had many conversations about things they can consider.
+ A reporter used the word Michigan, and Day kindly reminded her that it was That Team Up North and asked her to please not use that word.
+ Day said they have some work to do. He will fight like heck for these guys to push forward on what he thinks is right. It will be some back and forth but he feels strongly about what he has said and will work hard to get it done.