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Ryan Day relaxed: 5 takeaways from the start of Ohio State football spring practice
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- Ryan Day relaxed: 5 takeaways from the start of Ohio State football spring practice
Ohio State opened spring football practice Monday and coach Ryan Day looked during his press conference as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Winning a national championship has its benefits.
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"Yeah, I'm definitely more relaxed," Day said with a smile. "To say I'm not is crazy. There's no question. We're in a different place than we were a couple of months ago."
Ohio State coach Ryan Day leads practice on Monday.
Day said he still pinches himself that the Buckeyes went on the four-game College Football Playoff roll that they did. But now it's on to the new season with a largely different cast.
Will Howard , Jack Sawyer , J.T. Tuimoloau, TreVeyon Henderson , Cody Simon , Emeka Egbuka and so many others are now awaiting the NFL draft. A new wave of players is ready to take over.
More: Jersey numbers revealed for Ohio State football freshmen, transfers
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Monday's practice was not a padded one. The Buckeyes are easing into the spring, so even conjecture about position battles or first impressions at this point is merely that.
Here are five takeaways from Monday's first day of practice:
Current Ohio State players put championship season in the past
Several panels on the walls of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center practice field are devoted to OSU's championship run. But Day said the current players do not want to live off the 2024 team's laurels.
He said he and strength coach Mickey Marotti met with the team's leadership committee recently and that the players said they wanted fewer tangible reminders around the Woody of the championship.
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More: Watch live: Ohio State coach Ryan Day speaks on first day of spring football practice
"They realized that we (the current team) didn't win a national championship," Day said. "Last year's team did. That was a good start because that's the right mentality to have. We're going to start this thing from scratch and build from there."
Ohio State coach Ryan Day talks to his players during practice on Monday.
No pecking order at quarterback at Ohio State
Redshirt freshman Julian Sayin took the first rep in drills, followed by redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz and true freshman Tavien St. Clair.
Day cautioned about reading anything into that, though Sayin is regarded as the favorite. But unlike last year, when Howard had four years of experience at Kansas State , the resumes of the current contenders are almost blank.
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"When you're a young quarterback that hasn't done it," Day said, "you've got to prove yourself every day because you don't have a body of work to go back on."
Sayin and St. Clair were five-star prospects. Kienholz was a four-star recruit.
"They're all talented," Day said. "The ball comes out of their hand well. They're all good athletes."
But physical ability is only part of the equation. Day said the quarterback needs to be the hardest-working player on the team because of the responsibility the position requires.
Ohio State running back position likely to be by committee
With TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins gone, sophomore James Peoples and West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson are first in line to take over at running back.
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"It's not easy to figure out what running backs can do in the spring because we're not tackling them," Day said.
Peoples has a year in the system while Donaldson has three years of college experience in which he gained over 2,000 yards and scored 31 touchdowns. The 238-pound Donaldson joined the Buckeyes during their playoff push and served on the scout team simulating Notre Dame power runner Jeremiyah Love in preparation for the national championship game, Day said.
The Buckeyes also have redshirt freshman Sam Williams-Dixon and promising freshmen Bo Jackson, Isaiah West and Anthony "Turbo" Rogers.
"To say it's solidified and we know what's going on in that room is not the case," Day said. "But we do have some really good options there. I'm excited to see where these guys go."
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Position flexibility is an emphasis for Ohio State
Austin Siereveld, who played guard last year as a rotational player, took some snaps at tackle on Monday. That push for versatility is part of OSU's plan for a lot of players. Roster sizes are expected to be capped at 105 players this year, about 20 fewer than in the past.
Though that may seem to be more than enough, coaches expect depth to be tested. Last year was proof of how important versatility is. All-Big Ten guard Donovan Jackson moved to tackle after Josh Simmons ' season-ending injury. Carson Hinzman , the 2023 starter at center, took over at left guard and then moved back to center after Seth McLaughlin 's Achilles tendon tear.
The need for versatility applies elsewhere as well. Day said he wants tight ends to be able to fill in at wide receiver or in the backfield for pass protection. He wants certain receivers to be capable of playing running back if needed.
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Nate Ebner joins Ohio State staff
Nate Ebner had one of the most unconventional football careers of any Ohio State player in recent memory. Now he has joined the staff as a quality control special teams coach.
Buy Ohio State books, posters, gear from CFP title win
Ebner played rugby, not football, growing up in Hilliard. He walked-on to OSU's team following his father's murder in 2008 and became a standout special-teams player. The New England Patriots made him a surprise sixth-round draft pick, and he won three Super Bowl titles in a 10-year NFL career. He also made a return to rugby and in 2016 became the first active NFL player to compete in the Olympic Games.
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"He brings credibility," Day said. "This is a guy who's really self-made and turned out to have a great career in the NFL. He can have an impact in the safety room. He can have an impact on special teams. He's somebody now trying to make the transition from being a player to coach, so it's great to have him around."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football: 5 takeaways from first day of spring practice
