Ryan Day raves about Manning family, how they handled Arch Manning process

Ohio State will take on Texas in one of the most anticipated season openers in recent memory. The game will pit heralded Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning against the defending national champions.

Buckeyes coach Ryan Day was asked about whether there might be some advantage in having defensive coordinator Matt Patricia on staff. Patricia coached against Peyton Manning and Eli Manning several times in the NFL.

“I think you look at everything, for sure,” Day said. “Sometimes we look at too much. But ultimately it comes down to what our guys can do, especially in Week 1. We’ll focus on that.”

The question, though, did trigger another response from Day on Arch Manning. He’s a huge fan of how the quarterback has conducted business since arriving at the college level.

Despite all the fanfare, Arch Manning has been OK with biding his time behind Quinn Ewers for the last two years. He has only been minimally involved so far. But he didn’t transfer.

“Certainly I have the utmost respect for the Manning family, starting with Archie, the dad,” Day said. “I think he’s just an unbelievable ambassador for the game and Eli and Peyton, I can’t say enough about who they are as ambassadors for the game, gentlemen and great players. And certainly Arch is a tremendous player as well.”

Still, as far as actually defending Arch Manning in the game, Day turned the focus to his team. What Manning has done in being patient is mostly irrelevant. His family is too.

“Really that has nothing to do with this game and playing Texas,” Day said. “He’s an excellent player, but those guys, they’ve stayed out of it for the most part because they want him to just write his own story. I’ve got a lot of respect for how they’ve handled that.

“He’s got a great future ahead of him and he’s a great player. So it’s a great challenge for us. But, again, this is more about our preparation and doing what we do well.”