Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes congratulates players at Ohio Stadium on August 31, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
COLUMBUS – Last Saturday’s game against Akron was the first time in Ryan Day’s six seasons as Ohio State’s football coach that he turned the play-calling duties over to an offensive coordinator.
So how is that working out for Day?
“It’s still early. But I think what it has allowed me to do is just be more present with everybody,” Day said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “So far it’s been great to do and still have a say in what goes on in all three phases every day.”
Day seemed to portray himself as somewhat deferential to coordinator Chip Kelly in the Akron game, saying, “Jim (defensive coordinator Jim Knowles) is calling it (defense), Chip’s calling it (offense) and I am just kind of there, not getting in the way of what’s being called but just making sure they understand the situation, down, distance and time and things that we’re seeing down on the field.”
Kelly, a former head coach in college and the NFL, said Day “really contributed a lot offensively” in the Buckeyes’ 52-6 win over Akron.
“He was great. There were a couple of suggestions that we ran. He’s involved with the defense and special teams guys. I understand that role because I’ve been in it,” Kelly said.
Day said he is “still very involved” in offensive meetings and stays very busy but also has a little more time to gather his thoughts, meet individually with players, or just walk into the locker room to get a sense of how things are going.
“Those are the things that when you’re grinding away day to day on the film that might get away from you,” he said.
Some other thoughts from Day:
•TWO STARTERS DAY TO DAY: Offensive lineman Donovan Jackson and linebacker Cody Simon are still considered “day to day” to play against Western Michigan on Saturday night. “They’re day-to-day right now. We’re going to see how it goes (in practice),” Day said.
•GOOD FIRST STEP: Austin Siereveld (Lakota East), who started at left guard against Akron when Jackson was held out because of illness or injury, has “real potential,” Day said. “He looked like a first-time starter who has real potential, has power and has strength. I think once he got his feet underneath him and started playing a little bit he played decent. He didn’t grade out a champion but wasn’t that far off. For a first start, it was encouraging.”
•HOWARD’S DEMEANOR: Overall, Day liked what he saw from quarterback Will Howard in his first start as the Buckeyes quarterback after making 27 starts in four seasons at Kansas State. “He’s got a demeanor that’s he’s played before. He just hasn’t played in this offense so there are things he’s still picking up. In terms of the command and how he handled himself, he looked experienced out there.”
•MISSED OPPORTUNITY: Day thought there was a chance for OSU to return the opening kickoff against Akron for big yardage but didn’t make the plays to make that happen. “I thought we had an opportunity to pop that and we did not execute that well,” he said.
•PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE: Sophomore linebacker Arvell Reese climbed up the depth chart in the offseason and preseason. He had four tackles, including a tackle for a loss, against Akron. Could he get even more playing time as the season unfolds?
“The way Arvell played he deserves more reps (repetitions) but I think it has to do with his preparation. There was a moment last week when his preparation was just OK and then there was a point in the week where he really dug in and did a good job with his preparation. You see athletic ability and strength. Any coach in America would love to have someone like that.”
