Scarlet Sunrise: Wild day commences after Ohio State football's first fall practice

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise! Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Ohio State football, recruiting, basketball and more.

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Ohio State practice observations

Friday was the real deal for Ryan Day, as the Buckeyes reported for the opening practice of fall camp with Day now firmly, permanently entrenched as the leader of the program. Ohio State wasn’t in full pads, but there were still a few notable takeaways.

Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward put together a list of practice observations, including the following points:

• Justin Fields leads quarterback line
• Offensive line showing depth, versatility
• Ohio State linebacker unit unchanged on Day One
• Chase Young is ready to lead Buckeyes

To see Ward’s analysis and what he wrote about each point, be sure to check out the practice recap.

WATCH: Ryan Day speaks after practice

Ohio State coach Ryan Day met with the media after the Buckeyes opened training camp to start the 2019 season. Watch the full press conference here.

Alabama tried to hire Zach Smith

On Friday afternoon, Ohio State released more than 2,000 pages of text messages and emails related to its investigation of Zach Smith. If you want to check them out yourself, you can read all of it here.

One of the more surprising revelations came from an Urban Meyer text to university president Michael Drake in January 2018. Meyer told Drake that Smith had been offered a job by Nick Saban to be Alabama’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. The documents also contain the conversation where Meyer told Smith that after having reservations, he wanted Smith to stay at Ohio State, followed by Smith telling Meyer he was offered the job but decided to turn it down.

Meyer then encouraged Smith, telling him he had the ability to be a coordinator if he stopped acting childish and put away his cell phone.

Bijan Robinson commits to Texas

Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic 5-star running back Bijan Robinson committed to Texas on Friday, ending a week of speculation about whether Ohio State would be able to hold on to its lead before he announced.

The recruitment took a weird turn on Sunday. Robinson had been considered an Ohio State lock for weeks, but recruiting analysts began shifting their 247Sports crystal ball picks from Ohio State to “cloudy” on Sunday. Expect the Buckeyes to keep recruiting Robinson, especially after the lead they had and how suddenly this happened, but it’s certainly a blow to have to be playing from behind in his recruitment from this point forward.

Ohio State women’s hoops coach resigns amidst issues

Ohio State announced Friday morning that it was beginning an investigation into NCAA violations and violations of university policy from within the women’s basketball team. The news came alongside the resignation of assistant coach Patrick Klein, who tendered his resignation in a letter that stated the following:

“Over the course of the past two weeks it has come to my attention that some of my actions as a coach have not adhered strictly to NCAA rules,” Klein wrote in his resignation letter. “I’ve also been made aware that in some instances, my communications with some student-athletes have been too informal or in some cases even inappropriate, violating university policy. I apologize for these mistakes and realize that I should have used better judgment.

In light of the above, I’ve determined that it’s in my best interests, as well as the program’s, to resign and take time to reflect, spend time with family, and focus on the next chapter of my professional career. I wish Coach McGuff and the Ohio State women’s basketball program nothing but continued success.”

Counting down

• Ohio State vs. Florida Atlantic (season opener): 30 days
• Ohio State at Michigan: 121 days

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