Ohio State football: Ryan Day deserves more credit
By Ryan Stano
Ryan Day knew that the Ohio State football program needed changes. He made them and is now reaping the rewards.
The 2021 season was a disappointing one for the Ohio State football team. A year after reaching the National Championship Game, the Buckeyes didn’t even win the Big Ten. Ryan Day knew that there was a need for changes because that result just wasn’t good enough.
Day proceeded to fire Kerry Coombs, Matt Barnes, Al Washington, and Greg Studrawa. The only guy he kept on the defensive side of the ball was Larry Johnson. He wanted the team to improve on defense, but also just be tougher in general. Their softness is what cost them the Oregon and Michigan games.
Fast forward one year and it looks like those decisions paid off in a big way. Day hired the best defensive coordinator available in Jim Knowles to fix the defense and he has done wonders already. The defense is legitimately good now.
Justin Frye has made the offensive line tougher at the point of attack. There hasn’t been a single game where the Buckeyes have struggled to run the ball when they’ve needed to. It’s been a sight to behold. The running game is going to be crucial in the second half of the schedule.
Day doesn’t get enough credit for making these decisions so swiftly and making the right hires afterward. All of these hires look like good ones and the Buckeyes look like the best team in the country right now. These are the kinds of hires that win you a title.
Next. One thing Ryan Day needs to do during the bye week. dark
The journey is not complete yet. The Buckeyes still need to play the second half of their schedule, and it’s much harder than the first half of it. Those new hires will surely play a role in how this Ohio State football team finishes things off.