Five days remain until Ohio State's Spring Game.
As the top question on the minds of Ohio State fans remains who will start at quarterback this fall, Ryan Day feels that it's a neck-and-neck battle, still, between Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz and Tavien St. Clair. He added in his press conference Monday that he expects Austin Siereveld to compete at both guard and tackle for an offensive line starting role.
Speaking of position battles, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia also met with the media Monday and updated the joust between Malik Hartford and Jaylen McClain at safety before raving about linebacker Payton Pierce's physicality. Offensive coordinator Brian Hartline closed the press conference by discussing Tyler Bowen's recruiting success and the progression of his wide receiver room.
Ryan Day
- On the state of the quarterback competition and what he saw Saturday: "The only thing that was different about Saturday's practice is that the students were there and that the media were there. But what it does make you realize is that every rep matters. ... It's been three guys getting after it across the board, improvement. ... Nobody is much further ahead of the other one."
- Day said it's better to have the challenge of a position battle at quarterback than to have no options. "It's nerve wracking when you don't have a quarterback. ... That's part of the problem, is finding the right one."
- Austin Siereveld is at the point where he could start at guard or tackle, Day said.
- On whether Lincoln Kienholz has a realistic shot to be the starting quarterback this fall. "Absolutely. ... You saw his potential in some of the throws he made. ... We need to see them make routine plays routinely."
- Jeremiah Smith's leadership and versatility are areas where he can improve this offseason. "I think everybody on the team is at a different point. ... For Jeremiah, it's like, 'How do I get that 1% better every day?' ... You're starting to see him come out of his shell a bunch. ... We're gonna increase his route tree. There's a lot of things that he can improve on."
- On freshman wide receiver Quincy Porter losing his black stripe: "He was productive. He made a lot of contested catches. ... He earned it."
- Linebacker Payton Pierce will have a "big impact" in 2025, Day said. "I think Payton Pierce is thriving right now. ... He's a guy that understands football at a high level, he's a great tackler."
- Day took the rare step of making his quarterbacks live during parts of Saturday's practice to give his young room a chance to develop pocket presence and learning when to scramble. "You start to get in a rhythm of practicing as opposed to playing, you get comfortable in the pocket. ... When you're standing there as a quarterback, you know it's live, it's a whole different feel. ... Everybody came out alive."
- Day said he realized about a week and a half into spring practice that Ohio State needed to put the pedal to the floor to get its young players ready. "We need about five more weeks of spring ball. ... It's actually become one of the most physical spring practices we've ever had."
- On the spring game format: "We'll break up offense and defense and the first part of that will be thud. ... Once that happens, after a few drives, we'll get right into it, we'll be tackling."
- On the defensive tackle position: "There's been flashes, but in order for us to play defense like we did last year, but we're going to need those guys to step up more than they have. ... We need these guys to step up in a big way."
- On how he weighs the spring game in the quarterback competition: "It's a piece. I think about quarterbacks' journeys along the way ... it's a process and a journey along the way. So it's hard to make hard and fast decisions, sometimes, with young players."
Matt Patricia
- Patricia loves the competitive fire in his cornerback room.
- On what he wants to see in the Spring Game: "I'm looking for a lot of things, I'm pretty excited. ... I'm excited to see the fans. ... I think one of the things defensively that we're always trying to practice in these settings is communication. ... Our overall operation, coaching staff, make sure we're coaching well. ... And, of course, we want to see everybody compete."
- On the safety competition between Malik Hartford and Jaylen McClain: "It's a great evaluation now of seeing some deep play, seeing some in-the-box play. ... I'd say both are really shining and showing their skillsets."
- On Pierce: "Everyone's gonna feel Payton Pierce right away. He's gonna come downhill with a physicality that's undeniable."
- Larry Johnson is a big boost to the defensive line development, Patricia said. "I think those guys are working really hard. ... Those guys are blessed to be in that situation to be able to grow from that."
- Multiplicity and better technique are the top areas where he's seen the Buckeyes' defensive linemen grow. "Our pad level has gotten better. ... We've made strides there, hand placement, pad level."
- On Caleb Downs: "Outstanding presence on the football field. ... Really good football player, obviously, but that would be the thing I would say."
- Patricia is going to let offensive personnel, defensive fit and game situations will dictate what formations and personnel packages Ohio State utilizes.
- On Arvell Reese: "He definitely has a diverse skillset, so there's a lot of different things you can do with him at linebacker. ... Moving him around makes it difficult for people to figure out what he's going to do."
Brian Hartline
- On the quarterback race: "They're competing at a high level. ... Their preparation outside the allotted time for practices is very apparent here. ... We're chasing consistency across the board, not just quarterbacks. ... I can't say it's ever good enough, that's college football. That's Ohio State. But they're on a good trajectory."
- On the depth of wide receiver: "There's a group forming. ... Very encouraged with the young guys, the freshmen that have come in. They're competing. ... They're doing a good job taking meetings to the field."
- Hartline said Smith can still develop in the finer technical points of his game. "He operates beyond his years. ... You're chasing that 1%, you're chasing that finite growth. ... He has some of the highest goals, and he's not that right now. So he's chasing that gap."
- On Tyler Bowen as a recruiter: "He's a great dude, man. I like talking to him, I like being around him. ... I like, mechanically, how he teaches guys. ... His ability to connect with guys doesn't shock me."
- On the quarterbacks going live on Saturday: "I'm surprised it's even a conversation. They should always be live. It's how you play football. ... If I'm a quarterback, I'm asking to be live so I can show him how I'm different. ... That being said, I will cast my vote, that will not be my final decision. ... It was good for all parties involved."
- Hartline said Smith does an excellent job handling his stardom after students mobbed him for autographs on Saturday. "It's a blessing to be in a position where I can provide insight. ... He does a really good job on his own. He doesn't need checked on that much. ... Humble. I'm always trying to be the bad guy for him, because he's not going to be."
- On Porter shedding his black stripe: "Frankly, I'm not really involved in that. I can be. ... He was starting to make a lot of plays consistently. I think the consistent level that he is as a person ... it starts being seen by your peers. And your peers start asking for it. ... It speaks volumes of the general respect that you're earning through the process. It was well-deserved."
- On Siereveld: "He's one of those guys, you watch film over and over and over again. ... When his name is brought up ... it's always positive. ... Continuing to build the respect of his peers, and he's done a very good job."
- Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss have been the most outspoken leaders at wide receiver, Hartline said. "I think (Tate) has pulled guys aside and had one-on-one conversations with them. He saw the impact that Emeka (Egbuka) made. ... He's making sure we still have that."
- On the running backs: "I think we saw the benefit of (a two-back system) last year. ... I've been very impressed with, even the younger guys, Sam (Williams-Dixon) and Bo (Jackson). ... I think, overall, Lock's been on them and they understand the standard. ... James (Peoples) has done a really good job growing, really excited about him."
