Quick hitters from Ryan Day February press conference

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media Wednesday to answer questions about what’s already been an eventful offseason for the Buckeyes, complete with coaching staff changes, big recruitment developments and transfer portal splashes.

Lettermen Row has a rundown of Day’s comments.

What Day said Wednesday…

+ Day said there’s no update on Bill O’Brien, when asked about his candidacy for the Boston College head coaching job. Day said that O’Brien is in the building today and is working today.

+ Day said he is planning on handing over play-calling duties this season. When asked about why O’Brien was the right hire at Ohio State, Day pointed to O’Brien’s experience at both the college and NFL levels. Day said they spent a lot of time filling that offensive coordinator position.

+ Day said it’s not just like you can just take one guy out of the OC spot and put another in there. But they do have contingency plans in place. Hopefully they don’t have to use them, Day said, but they have them in place.

+ “Yeah, God dang. It was not good. But I spoke to Jeff and happy for him,” Day said of former BC head coach and Ohio State co-DC Jeff Hafley throwing Day another coordinator curveball after taking the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator job.

+ When asked about the possibility of safety Sonny Styles playing linebacker, Day said Styles has the flexibility to do a lot of different things, not only because of his physical skill set but also because of his mental skill set.

+ Day said quarterback Devin Brown is good to go health-wise, and he said the quarterback room is really interesting with the camaraderie that’s already been formed. Day said Brown has showed good leadership and brings back experience to the room. He believes having the competition with five QBs in the room is “healthy,” and all five of those guys are embracing it.

+ Day said they’re still not ready to make a decision on the last assistant spot. They’ve had conversations, but they’re probably a week away from making that call.

+ Day said his defensive backfield has embraced cornerbacks/secondary coach Tim Walton’s mentality. “I think you can see we have an opportunity to have an excellent secondary this year,” said Day, who believes Walton has a big part in that — because of his ability to develop players and because of his ability to recruit.

+ Day said he likes quarterback Will Howard’s mentality of acting like he’s the starter. He came here to play football, Day said while also acknowledging that there will, of course, be competition for QB1.

+ Day was asked about running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Day said they went to Henderson when Judkins hit the transfer portal, and Henderson was all for it. “It all started with TreVeyon,” Day said, in reference to Henderson’s leadership. He’s got a different look in his eye, Day noted. Day also said that Judkins has embraced the Ohio State culture. And he said with Dallan Hayden, James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon, that’s a deep running back room that will be necessary with a 12-team CFP and lengthened season.

+ Day was asked about if there’s a playbook for January and how that month shook out. He explained that it all started with the 11 returners deciding to run things back. Once they were in place, Ohio State started looking to add its transfer pieces. And the staff changes were sprinkled in there. Day later said: “Ultimately, you had a bunch of guys who wanted to come back” for what Day referenced as “unfinished business.”

+ Day said that he felt like superstar wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. was always a top-five pick, but him leaving for the NFL Draft wasn’t a done deal right away. It’s hard to walk away from your college goals, Day noted. And that’s factored into as many guys returning as the Buckeyes have had.

+ Day said that true freshman quarterbacks Julian Sayin and Air Noland coming in mid-year will allow them to make more of an impact this fall than if they came in at the beginning of the summer like Lincoln Kienholz did last year. But everything’s still new for those two. Sayin hails from California, Noland hails from Georgia — again, this is new for them.

+ Day said they didn’t plan on the Sayin situation. But when he became available in the portal, they evaluated if bringing him on board could help the room, so they did.

+ “He’s killing it right now,” Day said of Ohio State general manager Mark Pantoni and his staff. Day said that defensive lineman Dominic Kirks — a former Washington commit — is a good addition to the 2024 class who’s bought in on the Buckeyes’ culture. He won’t arrive until the summer, but he’s ready to get to work and understands the process that comes with developing in the Woody.

+ Day was asked where he’s at in terms of having a full-time special teams coach. He feels comfortable going either direction with the final assistant spot, either defensively or with special teams, but finding the right guy is of utmost importance.

+ Day said that new safeties coach Matt Guerrieri is a great teacher, and he brings familiarity to the safety room given that he was with the program in 2022. He has ability to help with special teams, but, again, they haven’t settled on how special teams will be handled yet.

+ Day was asked about how former Alabama safety Caleb Downs will help Ohio State get to the next level. “He brings a lot to the table. His talent is exceptional,” Day said. He’s already created a lot of discipline in his life, Day noted. “Everybody sat up a little bit straighter when he walked in,” but they embraced him, Day said in reference to the Ohio State defense.

+ Day said that adding former Alabama center Seth McLaughlin was “critically important.” Day pointed out that O’Brien’s fresh eyes on the offensive line was also key. He’s identified a lot of talent on the offensive line. Day believes experience should pay off for the O-Line, and right now he’s confident they have the pieces to win a national title.

+ Day said that Josh Fryar is still going to be on the right side right now. He’s going to play tackle, and he’s going to play a little bit of guard in the spring. He does bring some flexibility there, which is good for him long term in his football career, Day said. “Playing guard is something we’ll take a peek at this spring,” Day said. But he emphasized that Fryar’s feedback there will be important.

+ When asked about O-Linemen Tegra Tshabola and Luke Montgomery, Day said it’s a big spring coming up for them. He said the more reps, the better. But that also goes for all the guys that arrived in the summer last year, like Kienholz and linebacker Arvell Reese.

+ “He’s jumped right in,” Day said of true freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith. “Has had a great approach so far, so certainly expecting great things from him.” Day recalled the crazy day that took place when Smith signed in December and said he hasn’t had one like that before.

+ Day said when you’re calling the game, there are so many more things that you’re in control of. But he believes that having someone else call the game will allow him to step back and have a different perspective. Sometimes, as a play-caller, you get more dialed in on the actual plays than the situation at hand (fourth down decisions, etc.).

+ Day was asked about Howard’s extraordinary trait. Day said he likes Howard’s competitiveness and toughness. “He’s a big guy,” Day emphasized. But he can both pass and run, and he’s won a Big 12 title and had Texas on the ropes last season, Day pointed out. Day said one of the things they have to do to win against Michigan is run the football better, and Day wants a quarterback who brings a running threat. Howard brings that, even if it’s not the focal point of his game.

+ “It’s not something someday you just wake up and decide,” Day said in terms of him giving up play-calling. It was a thorough process, and he wanted to make sure they got the right OC fit. He believes they found that with O’Brien. Day said that being around the players more, having a chance to spend more time with the defense and having a bigger hand in special teams are all part of him focusing on just being a head coach instead of also calling plays.

+ Day was asked about what he alluded to in terms of his increased involvement with special teams. He said that also allows you another opportunity as somebody who’s managing the game to know when to block or fake a punt, etc., Day explained.

+ When asked about it, Day said that if O’Brien does leave, the idea would be to have another play-calling OC join on, but it would have to be the right fit. They wouldn’t just fill that spot just to fill that spot.

+ Day was asked how much he and O’Brien speak the same offensive language. Day said O’Brien’s come in with a different perspective, and he’s made some tweaks to helping teach the offense. Day’s valued the collaboration with O’Brien so far.

+ Day said he knew as the season was going on what needed to happen in terms of giving up play-calling. He also reminded reporters that pre-CFP last year, he was already contemplating relinquishing those duties.

+ Day said you adapt, you have to change. The reason why he got this opportunity as head coach is because of what he did as an offensive play-caller — he acknowledged that Wednesday. But that’s not the role he’s in anymore. “Just because it’s a different role doesn’t mean it’s any less fun or more fun, it’s just a different role.” Everybody’s got to embrace your role, Day emphasized.

+ Day referenced former Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud’s quote about how “pressure is a privilege,” when talking about the prospects of the 2024 season. Ohio State has a great opportunity next season, and Day said the Buckeyes are going to attack it.