The Ohio State football team has 51 new players on the roster from a year ago. With this many new players, spring is used to integrate the new guys into Ohio State's system and start defining roles for everyone. That is especially true for the guys who transferred in.
Defensive tackle James Smith is one of the guys who came in from the portal during the offseason. Smith came in from Alabama after three seasons with the Crimson Tide. He actually got to play for Nick Saban when he first enrolled at Alabama, so he knows what greatness looks like.
After the 2025 season, Smith decided to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes. After practice on Thursday, Smith was asked why he chose Ohio State compared to the other offers that he had. His answer is very enlightening and a huge endorsement of Ryan Day.
James Smith explains why he chose the Ohio State football program
Smith talked about his experience visiting Ohio State compared to what he saw at Alabama.
"It kind of gave me that feeling back when I visited as a freshman with Saban. When I came here, they didn't lie to me. Not one time. Coach Larry Johnson told me, 'It's going to be hard.' I was okay with that."
That wasn't the only thing that impressed Smith about the Buckeyes.
"He (Ryan Day) came to me and said, 'If you came here to go to the NFL Draft and be a first-rounder and all of that, it's probably not the place for you. If you come here to do that, but this is a family-oriented program, you have to come here and be willing to learn new people and really embrace the program, it's the place for you.' And he did not lie."
Smith was clearly impressed with everything that Ohio State had to offer him. He wasn't promised anything, and he likes that. Smith is someone who wants to earn his time on the field, and that shouldn't be hard for him to do. He will likely be one of the starters at defensive tackle.