Ryan Day needs a bottle of water.
After a 65-minute press conference inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center team room, the Ohio State head coach spent another 60 minutes with Paul Keels and Jim Lachey on The Ryan Day Radio Show on 97.1 The Fan.
At the risk of strained vocal cords, Day had more comments on Ohio State's quiet National Signing Day, the players who chose to return for another season in 2024, and more on the broadcast. Day also sat in as Keels and Lachey interviewed Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton and general manager Mark Pantoni.
Here's a bullet-point recap of The Ryan Day Radio Show:
Ryan Day
On National Signing Day
- Day believes moving the Early Signing Period and keeping coaches off the road could alleviate some of the "craziness" that college coaches experience in December.
- Day said National Signing Day is "very different" than it used to be. He said Ohio State's coaches had used the time and will use the time, to look at transfer portal talent the Buckeyes could potentially add during the second transfer portal window.
On Ohio State's returning players
- "It started after the last game of the season and going into the Cotton Bowl. ... We were a different team going into that game. We knew the key moving forward was, 'OK. What do we want to be as a team.'"
- Day said Cody Simon, Lathan Ransom, Jack Sawyer, Emeka Egbuka, and Denzel Burke led the charge for the Buckeyes that chose to return for another season in 2024.
On TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins
- On Henderson: "What a leader he's been the last month. ... I have a feeling he's gonna have an unbelievable season."
- Day said it's a "fascinating conversation" to have with his staff about how Ohio State will use both Henderson and Judkins out of the backfield.
- Day believes teams need to be "three or four deep" at all positions because of how many more games teams could play in the 12-team College Football Playoff era. "For us, we are looking forward to playing at the end of the season next year, so we need to make sure we have depth at each position."
On Ohio State's quarterback room
- "We had to bring in some extra chairs."
- Day said it was a "very unique situation with the way it all shook out" with adding Will Howard from Kansas State and Julian Sayin from Alabama. "We felt like it was the right thing to do. It's only gonna raise the room. ... We have to get a lot guys reps this spring... but we will see how it all shakes out."
- "We want to get these guys as many reps as we can."
- Between Howard, Devin Brown, Lincoln Kienholz, Air Noland and Sayin "each have something they do well."
On Ohio State's spring practices
- "I expect it to be the most competitive spring since I've been here."
- Day said he expects competition in position battles and in day-to-day workouts and practices since the Buckeyes have so many talented players.
On Ohio State's offensive line
- Day said Ohio State's offense performs well when it can be efficient in running between the tackles and recording explosive plays in the passing game. "When we are at our best, we have had a combination of those two things."
- "Seth McLaughlin is a great addition to the room."
- "Donovan Jackson should be one of the best guards in the country."
- "You are not gonna see a more talented player than Josh Simmons."
- Day said Josh Fryar has "swing ability" to play tackle and guard. He said Luke Montgomery will get some reps at guard this spring.
On the "ideal" spring game
- "Ideal would be to play a game," he said with a laugh. Day said he's not a fan of the spring game's simulated scrimmage format.
- Day said he expects a "great crowd" at the spring game.
On playcalling duties
- Day said the "plan" is for Bill O'Brien to be Ohio State's playcaller next season while he takes a step back and oversees different areas of the program.
- Day said he wants to experiment with playcalling simulations in practice this spring. "I thought a lot about doing it in practice and making it as game-like as possible."
- "I'd like to get (practice) to be like a game. ... Use some headsets, use some play sheets, let's make it like a game." Day said he hopes to add headsets and play sheets in practice about halfway through the spring.
On Ohio State's early enrollees
- Day said he never used to encourage players to enroll early in January, but now he does. He said it's incredibly valuable for a freshman to have spring football practices, summer workouts, and fall camp before their freshman year starts.
- Day said an athlete's education also plays a role when they early enroll. He mentioned players like Paris Johnson Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, who graduated in three years because they enrolled early. He said Egbuka is working toward a second degree at Ohio State now that he has wrapped up his undergraduate courses.
On Caleb Downs
- "One of the best high school players I have ever seen live."
- "To watch him this year have 107 tackles at Alabama was hard to do. ... But we were still pulling for him."
- "To have another opportunity to recruit him and get him here was kind of wild. ... We are certainly excited that he is part of the program."
On Denzel Burke
- "I can't say enough about Denzel."
- "He knows he has some personal goals, but he also has these team goals that he wants to accomplish."
- "He knew what he wanted, which says so much about him as a player."
- "He wants to go down as one of the best corners to ever play at Ohio State."
On Tim Walton
- On hiring Walton after 2021: "Tim had such a diverse background. ... We really took the next step when Tim took over the entire secondary." Day said Walton embodies the three Cs: Competency, Connection and Character.
- Day said Walton's history as a Buckeye helps him in recruiting.
- Day said that makes Walton the best secondary coach in the country.
On Mark Pantoni
- "I can't say enough about the transition Mark has made in the last two years." Day said Pantoni's position has "completely changed" and that Pantoni has done an excellent job adapting.
- Day said Pantoni has to wear so many different hats for Ohio State. "He's done an unbelievable job. He's a big part of why we've been where we've been over the past couple of months."
Tim Walton
On his recent recruiting success
- "We have a history and a tradition here that we can sell."
- Walton thanked Mark Pantoni and his staff for their assistance as he traveled the country and recruited for Ohio State. He said the Ohio State program works as a team to recruit the top talent in America.
On Burke, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock
- "It's great to have chemistry and players returning that are familiar with the system."
- "Great group of guys. They are competitive."
On Ohio State's freshmen cornerbacks
- Walton said he's excited to see Aaron Scott Jr., Bryce West and Miles Lockhart have adjusted well to life at Ohio State. He said all three players have worked hard for strength coach Mick Marotti.
- Walton said Burke, Igbinosun and Hancock have been leaders for Scott, West and Lockhart. They've also been leaders for Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Calvin Simpson-Hunt, who wrapped up their freshman seasons in 2023 and will be sophomores next year.
On approaching year three under Jim Knowles
- "We can try new things, implement new ideas."
- "We will see what these guys can handle in the spring."
Mark Pantoni
On National Signing Day, adding Dominic Kirks
- After Ohio State signed over 20 players on Dec. 21, Pantoni called today "an easy breath."
- On Dominic Kirks: "Glad to have him. ... He can add more depth for us."
- "It is a whole new life. ... It's been keeping me busy, but hopefully now in the dead period we can take a breath and focus on the team we have."
On the kind of players Ohio State recruits
- "We are very disciplined about who we bring on campus and who we bring into the locker room."
- "We pay a lot of attention to body language, how they shake your hand."
- Pantoni said he has staff members who monitor both high school recruits and college football players who enter the transfer portal.
On when he can take a break
- "Hopefully, right now."
