Ad Disclosure
What Ryan Day said during his Wednesday presser as Ohio State prepares for spring practice
Published:
Ohio State is about to begin its third spring season under head coach Ryan Day.
The first two have produced pretty good results. In 2019, the Buckeyes finished 13-1 and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff before dropping their first game of the year to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. Last year, Ohio State went 7-1 and made an appearance in the national championship, suffering a loss to Alabama in the title game.
Both years resulted in undefeated regular season play and a pair of B1G titles. Not too shabby for a first-time head coach.
Friday, the Buckeyes will begin preparing for the 2021 season with the start of spring practice. They’ll host 15 practices and round out a month of workouts with a spring game on Saturday, April 17.
On Wednesday, Day met with the media to discuss the spring season. Here’s what the head coach had to say while speaking with reporters:
Ryan Day on Marcus Hooker's OVI arrest: “We're very disappointed… He is suspended right now indefinitely.” Day said Ohio State will let the process play out before a final decision is made on his future.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day on choosing a starting quarterback: “You'll know when the time is right. We'll know when the time is right.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Day said the availability soon of vaccines is exciting. Day said he's scheduled to get vaccinated on Friday.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day specifically mentions how Lathan Ransom “really stepped up late” and how Josh Proctor “flashed at times” when talking about the secondary.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day said it's going to be important for a second tight end to step up behind Jeremy Ruckert this spring. Said Luke Farrell was a player who did a lot for the Buckeyes even though he didn't get a ton of attention.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day on the addition of analysts Paul Rhoads and Todd Fitch to the coaching staff: “The early returns on this have been a home run.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day said Paris Johnson Jr. will begin the spring at guard, but can easily move back to tackle if Ohio State needs him to.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day on Justin Fields: “Whatever NFL team asks him to do something, he will learn it very, very quickly. … I can promise you this, Justin Fields is going to make plays in the NFL … Some team's going to get very lucky by drafting him.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Day is gushing about Zach Harrison's offseason development. "He sticks out, for sure."
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day (and uh literally anybody else who watched him at Ohio State the past couple years): "I can promise you this, Justin Fields is going to make plays in the NFL."
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day singles out Zach Harrison as somebody who has stepped up the past couple months: "He just looks different. Hats off to him for a great offseason. He just has a different look in his eye."
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day on last week's COVID-19 stoppage: “It was like taking a punch when we had to shut down for a while.”
That said, he's “starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel” and is hopeful the Buckeyes will be playing in front of fans at Ohio Stadium this fall.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day on Ohio State basketball: “I love March Madness. … I think Chris (Holtmann) has done an unbelievable job. I think his team plays really, really hard … As long as they stay healthy, I think they're going to make a great run. It's been fun to watch them play.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day said Ohio State is planning to hold some practices in Ohio Stadium this spring.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Ryan Day says Cameron Brown and Kourt Williams are still working their way back from their injuries last fall and will not participate in any contact drills this spring.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 17, 2021
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB