The Ohio State football program has been very successful on the recruiting trail under Ryan Day. Day is usually able to get most of the prospects that he wants to land. He is a very good recruiter, especially at the quarterback position. He has done a great job of putting QB's into the NFL.
Since Day took over as the head coach in 2019, he hasn't had that many regrets when it comes to recruiting. Most of the time, if he doesn't land a particular recruit, it ends up working out. However, that is not always the case. He has certainly had some what-ifs.
There are three big what-ifs so far in the Ryan Day era when it comes to recruiting. Some of these are guys that the Ohio State Buckeyes didn't land, while some are guys who did commit, only to leave later. The first what-if could have had major ramifications for their modern history.
1. What if Quinn Ewers stayed at Ohio State?
Quinn Ewers is the highest-rated recruit in the history of the Ohio State football program. When Day landed him, there were questions about whether he could start right away as a true freshman in 2021. Instead, the starting job went to C.J. Stroud. Stroud was likely going to start for two years before Ewers got a shot to start.
Instead, Ewers collected a year of NIL and decided to head to Texas. Ewers ended up starting for three years at Texas. He lost to the Buckeyes in the 2024 Cotton Bowl, which would have sent him to the national championship. Had he stayed at Ohio State, his career could have been much different.
If Ewers had waited out Stroud, the Buckeyes likely wouldn't have brought in Will Howard to be the starter in 2024. They might not have gone on the greatest four-game run in college football history and won the national championship. Although, Ewers likely would have been better than he was with the Longhorns.
2. What if Dylan Raiola stayed committed?
Raiola committed to the Buckeyes back in May of 2022. He was the top-rated quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class. He would likely have been the starter for Ohio State in 2025 right after Will Howard came in via the Transfer Portal. Raiola would have won a national championship with the team.
Instead, Raiola has had a wild career. He committed to George after de-committing from Ohio State, only to eventually commit and enroll at Nebraska. Raiola had two uninspiring seasons starting for the Cornhuskers. He decided to transfer to Oregon this past season, where he will back up Dante Moore.
Raiola would have had a shot to throw the ball to Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, and Carnell Tate. Instead, he looks like a bust. That would be an interesting what-if to think about. Julian Sayin likely wouldn't be a Buckeye if he had stayed committed.
3. What if Caleb Downs picked Ohio State out of high school?
One of the biggest recruiting losses Day has had at Ohio State was losing out on Caleb Downs to Alabama in 2023. Downs was the best player on Alabama as a freshman and then decided to transfer to Ohio State in 2024. Downs immediately became the best defensive player the Buckeyes had.
What if Day had gotten his hands on him sooner? Would Ohio State's defense have been able to get off the field against Michigan in 2023 on that final drive that milked six-plus minutes off the clock? If they get the ball back sooner, they could have scored a touchdown to win the game and make the College Football Playoff.
If that had happened, TTUN would never have won a national championship. That's a pretty good what-if.
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