The non-conference schedule is over. The Big Ten schedule is here.
With a road matchup against Michigan State set for Saturday, Ryan Day made some of his final comments before the Buckeyes travel to East Lansing. In a 10-minute press conference on the Woody Hayes Athletic Center indoor practice field, Day discussed Tyleik Williams' heath, Donovan Jackson's performance against Marshall and more.
Here's all the need-to-know information from Day's session:
- Day said Tyleik Williams practiced today and will be evaluated by the team's training staff after practice to see how his body responds. "He practiced today and he did OK. ... That was great to see."
- On what he wants to see from a freshman before feeling confident enough to put them on the field: "The first thing is that they get here at midyear. It's been really hard for guys to make an impact that aren't here in January. That's just the reality." Day also said he looks for emotional, mental and physical maturity in young players and whether or not they can handle "the speed of the game."
- On Donovan Jackson's performance against Marshall: "He graded out a Champion. ... I think there was confidence across the board having him in there. ... We're talking about one of the better players in college football. Across the board, up front, I think the communication was much better. ... Good to have him in the mix."
- On the NIL dispute between Matthew Sluka and UNLV: "I don't know the situation."
- On Austin Snyder and Jayden Fielding, the future of Ohio State's kicker position: "We feel like Austin can do the kickoffs. Whether Jayden can or not, we'll see how he does at the end of the week. ... I feel like Jayden can do the field goals." Day said Ohio State's coaches will continue to evaluate what the best option is for Ohio State at kicker moving forward.
- On Tegra Tshabola and Austin Siereveld continuing to both earn reps at right guard: "We're gonna keep letting them play and see how that shakes out right now." Day said "it's a good thing" that Ohio State has depth at the right guard position. Day said he has experience with rotating offensive linemen in the game after doing one year at Boston College. "We want to keep playing these guys that deserve to play."
- On TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins running hard: "It's contagious in the room. I think Carlos (Locklyn) does a great job in his individual role. ... I think it's contagious. Guys are pushing each other. ... They have pride in that. ... It's a good start, but we want to continue to see them improve as the season goes on. Encouraging to see them running hard."
- On Brandon Inniss bouncing back from a muffed punt against Marshall: "We go off what we see in practice. ... Somebody is reliable, accountable, we see it in the offseason. ... Are they Gold with Mick in the weight room? ... We have confidence that he can do that. I never really batted an eye. ... We kind of went with him. We have confidence he'll do a great job."
- On Will Howard and his ability to run the football: "He knows that that's a huge weapon. It's a huge weapon at all levels of football. Certainly for us, we're gonna need that. ... Having the ability to pull the ball, read somebody, certainly makes a big difference. ... It adds to his overall game."
- On Michigan State and what challenges the Spartans pose to Ohio State: "Different style of defense. They've changed a little bit more on offense. ... It's more of what (Jonathan Smith) did at Oregon State: huddling, under center, 12 personnel. ... You got to do a good job being ready for the unexpected."
