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Everything Ohio State coach Ryan Day said at his Signing Day press conference
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With a Rose Bowl matchup on the horizon, a recruiting class that signed 17 players Wednesday morning, NIL, the transfer portal, and a buzzing NFL rumor, there was plenty for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day to talk about when he met with reporters.
The Buckeyes’ lead man spoke on the outset of the Early Signing Period. It was a morning filled with a low amount of drama, though still some disappointment, as 4-star corner Terrance Brooks flipped on Signing Day and signed with his home state team: the Texas Longhorns.
Here’s a rundown of what Day had to say:
Day: “I’m very excited about this class.” OSU has 17 players signed, not counting Gabe Powers. Day said he expects to have “north of 20” in the 2022 class.
— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
Day on Sonny Styles reclassifying: "I was very, very excited when Sonny (committed and then reclassified from 2023). "He's a very serious young man who has serious potential." Said reclassifying was Styles' idea.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
Day on where Styles will play: "Everywhere. We're going to use him everywhere we can. He's like a Swiss army knife out there."
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
On Sonny Styles, Day says "he's gonna be a very good player for us." Day says Styles' family told him he always "played up" in age anyway, and Day says he supports the decision to reclassify.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
Day said the Buckeyes will be very deliberate and careful in bringing players in from the transfer portal.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
Day says Ohio State and the coaches aren't allowed to set up NIL deals, and that it's "concerning" that there are people outside of the university influencing young players. "That being said, our guys have benefitted tremendously from NIL."
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
Ryan Day on NIL concerns: "To say that I'm not, at the very least, concerned about what's going on around the country right now, that would not be accurate."
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
Ryan Day says he doesn't think anything against the rules is going on across the country with NIL, but "the deals that are being made have nothing to do with the university itself." Day says "it's kind of out of our hands, which is concerning."
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
On the transfer portal, Day says "somebody on our team could say that they're coming and leave tomorrow, too."
Day says "we've already had somebody that was supposed to be in this class come and leave." Day says "it's certainly very new, and it's happening very fast."
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
Day on QB Devin Brown: "His athletic ability – ability to run, ability to throw – is tremendous." Said people who worked with him at Elite 11 raved about him and said he has outgoing personality.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
Ryan Day said Terrance Brooks’ flip was very disappointing. “In the conversations we had leading up to this, there wasn’t any indication that this would happen.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) December 15, 2021
Day on five-star LB C.J. Hicks and his leadership in building the class: "He jumped on this thing early. He recruited a lot of these guys."
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
Ryan Day on Jim Knowles' impact on recruiting and evaluating talent: "Schematically, we're looking for the same type of players." Day says the defense will still look like a 4-2-5, "like we've been working towards."
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
Day says he will visit with Jim Knowles over the next couple weeks and after the Rose Bowl to "figure out what this thing's gonna look like" on defense.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
Day on losing DBs to recruiting flips: "We want to have eight corners on the roster. I feel really good about our young corners. I felt we hit a home run last year."
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
Day on signing Caden Curry: Said Curry told him he was pretty sure all along he would sign with OSU. Day said he joked with him that he could have saved OSU coaches anxiety by telling them that.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
Day says he doesn't want the date of signing day to change right now, because it would just create one more thing that would be new and different amid many changes in college football.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
Day said he wouldn't want the early signing day to change. Said there have been so many changes lately that he doesn't want any more of them.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
Day said he expects RB Master Teague to be available for the Rose Bowl.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
On Knowles having any input on the Rose Bowl, Day says "we're gonna start fresh on (Jan. 2)." Day says he will show up for a few days to get a lay of the land before that, though.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
"It's unlike anything that's happened before in college sports."
Day says roster management these days is a "moving target," and that in high school and pro sports, you can't just change teams whenever you want to. "You can in college football right now."
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
"I think it's dangerous to live in the portal world." Day says he doesn't think it's "sustainable" for the chemistry of the team to bring guys in without thinking it all the way through.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 15, 2021
Day on the rumors of him going to the NFL: "There's nothing to it, no truth to it. And I love being coach at Ohio State."
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) December 15, 2021
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.