Ohio State Football: Ryan Day addresses defensive changes

The Ohio State football team obviously made a bunch of changes on the defensive side of the ball. Ryan Day addressed those changes for the first time today, and also let us know the status of some players and whether or not they are returning to the team or not.

Day mentioned the fact that he thought the whole unit needed a change today during his press conference. He certainly made that change happen when he remade the entire defensive staff. Some players are changing their scenery as well.

Day affirmed that Sevyn Banks won’t be rejoining the Ohio State football program. He will be looking to finish out his career elsewhere. The writing was on the wall early in the season when he didn’t start. He wasn’t very good in 2020 and clearly wasn’t someone they trusted in 2021 either.

However, multiple Buckeyes are returning to the program next year. Palaie Gaoteote will return for his second season with Ohio State. He didn’t play a whole lot early in the year because the staff wasn’t sure if he was eligible or not. Now that he is, he has a chance to earn more time.

Teradja Mitchell will be trying to earn time at linebacker too because he will be returning for a fifth year. Mitchell was average to below-average this past season at linebacker. He will be in a suddenly crowded linebacker room fighting for time because another player is staying at linebacker.

That player is Cade Stover. Stover started the year as a tight end and played most of the year at that position. He ended the year playing linebacker in the Rose Bowl. According to Day, that’s where he will start next season. It seems as though there’s a logjam at that spot now.

It will be interesting to see how Jim Knowles handles all these changes. Day mentioned that Gene Smith told him to get the best defensive coordinator available, and Day determined that was Knowles. Hopefully that means good things for the Ohio State football program moving forward.