Oller: Ryan Day’s January haul has Ohio State loaded for bear. Time to win big or go home

Jan 30, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State University football quarterback transfer Will Howard talks with the Columbus media during his first sit-down interview since transferring.

Over the past month, Ryan Day has accomplished something extraordinary. By restocking the Ohio State roster with plug-and-play impact players, and by upgrading the coaching staff, the Ohio State coach managed to double down on fans’ already lofty expectations.

It won’t be enough next season simply to beat Michigan. Clubbing the Wolverines is just the start. The Buckeyes are so loaded with defensive talent, and have upgraded with a mobile quarterback and an elite between-the-tackles tailback, that anything short of playing for a national championship will be viewed as an underachieving disappointment at best and failure at worst. Some of the lunatic fringe that Herbie is so enamored with will take it further. If a natty is not in the bag, time to bag the coach. Crazy times, indeed.

In a nutshell, Day has gone all-in on winning it all. On one hand, that is nothing new. The OSU program’s yearly top goals go something like 1. Beat Michigan; 2. Win the Big Ten; 3. Win the College Football Playoff national title. But this feels different. Not necessarily desperate, more like pushing every last poker chip to the center of the table. Boom or bust.

It’s easy to say Day was forced to go full Maverick Mach 3 based on the way 2023 ended, with a third consecutive loss to Michigan and ugly 14-3 loss to Missouri. Things got hot.

But instead of leaving the kitchen, Day cooked up a plan, aided by Nick Saban, that instantly tossed red meat to a fanbase hungry for blood. Mostly his.

First, Day determined that OSU’s run game needed a legitimate Mr. Inside to go with Mr. Outside. TreVeyon Henderson is dangerous when he bounces outside and catches passes…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/oller-ryan-days-january-haul-134158078.html

Author : The Columbus Dispatch

Publish date : 2024-01-31 13:41:58

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