Quick-hitters from Ryan Day Big Ten Media Days press conference
INDIANAPOLIS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took the podium Wednesday afternoon in Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Buckeyes haven’t played since the 2020 Big Ten Championship.
It’s a reminder of how Ohio State has fallen short of one of its season goals, winning a league title, two years in a row. Instead, rival Michigan has hoisted the conference trophy the first week of December.
Ohio State is aiming to not only reclaim bragging rights in The Game but also re-assert its Big Ten dominance. Above all else, though, 2023 will be about winning the program’s first national championship in nine years.
Ohio State came close to ending that drought last season. It might have, had it not blown a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead to Georgia in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal.
Day answered questions at the podium about the 2022 season, this offseason and what’s to come this fall.
Quick hitters from Ryan Day’s podium appearance
- Day spoke about how it’s nice to bring three different players to this event: wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., tight end Cade Stover and defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau. Harrison is from Philly, Stover is from a rural Ohio and Tuimoloau is from Seattle and has a Polynesian background.
- When asked about the quarterback position, Day said he’s been very surprised with Lincoln Kienholz’s approach. He noted that the environment hasn’t been “too big” for the true freshman. Day added that Tristan Gebbia has contributed to the depth under center and has served as a pseudo-coach.
- Day talked about the new-look offensive line, which could include San Diego State transfer Josh “Jimmy” Simmons and a slimmed-down Josh Fryar among others. Day is confident in the group’s growth.
- Day discussed taking a bigger-picture approach. He said it’s important to not get too wrapped up in the offense once the season gets going. That’s why it’s key for Brian Hartline heading the offense, he said.
- Day said that the Buckeyes have been working hard to avoid a scenario where matchup games are decided by explosive plays they’ve given up defensively. He said it’s a “motivating factor” to make right on what happened versus Michigan and Georgia. Day is focused on putting the right players in the right places.
- When asked if he’d play both quarterbacks in games early season, Day said he’d really like to have a player emerge at the position in fall camp. That’s the goal. But he didn’t rule out the possibility of trying out each quarterback in the regular season.
