Ohio State Buckeyes football coach Ryan Day isn't doing anything different during the first bye week of the 2025 season than he did last year after his team lost a close 32-31 road matchup against the Oregon Ducks.
Like any coach during any season, minus Deion Sanders because the Colorado Buffaloes don't make it mandatory for him due to his health, or Bryan Harsin during his Auburn Tigers tenure, Day will be hitting the recruiting trail.
Buckuts' Patrick Murphy revealed that Day will likely be at his son's high school game in Winchester, Kentucky, on Friday night -- revealing that Day could be sticking around the Midwest and Mid-South for visits.
"Coaches can hit the road to recruit and observe prospects, something they wouldn't normally do if Ohio State played this weekend. They will also have time to watch games and spend with their families. Don't be surprised if Day makes a trip to Winchester, Kentucky, to see his son, RJ, play for DeSales against George Rogers Clark High School on Friday night," Murphy wrote.
"While the schedule will remain largely the same as the game week, Monday through Friday, the Buckeyes' focus will be different during the off week with no game on Saturday."
The Buckeyes have a minimal presence in Kentucky, with no offers to the top five players in the state's 2026 recruiting class. Winchester, being smack dab in the middle of the Bluegrass State, gives Day options: Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and Tennessee.
The Volunteer State is deeply controlled by UT and the Georgia Bulldogs, but talent-rich enough to find a diamond in the rough. The Buckeye State, meanwhile, is being strongly recruited by the USC Trojans, and its No. 1 overall 2026 recruit, Central Catholic CB Victor Singleton, is committed to the Texas A&M Aggies.
There are options all over the region. Day doesn't have to go far from his son's game to find talent he should be talking to for his 2026 and 2027 classes.