Ever since Ryan Day took over as the head coach of the Ohio State football program, he has preached that the best guys will play, no matter their age. That has been the way that he has fostered competition throughout the years. However, not many true freshmen get to play snaps.
This year, Jay Timmons is the only true freshman who is seeing significant snaps. Timmons is a starter, and he has already proven that he can be an impact player. However, Day hasn't been practicing what he has preached with fellow freshman Khary Wilder.
Ryan Day needs to play Khary Wilder more snaps moving forward
Wilder was a former five-star recruit, and there's a big reason for that. He has shown so far that he is perhaps the defensive lineman with the most potential to do damage. Wilder was the only one who could put consistent pressure on Arch Manning, and he did so in consecutive snaps.
There's not really a good reason why Wilder hasn't played more often. What exactly have the other defensive linemen done to deserve snaps over Wilder, even if he is a true freshman? The only defensive tackle who has really proven anything with the snaps he's gotten is Jason Moore, which is a big surprise.
Eddrick Houston continues to disappoint. James Smith hasn't done much, and he got hurt in the last game against Kent State. Wilder is strong, smart, and has quick hands. Why wouldn't he end up getting more snaps if Day is being honest about the best players getting snaps?
Against Illinois on Saturday, the Buckeyes need to get Wilder on the field more often. Ohio State has a lot of issues that they need to fix against the Illini. Getting more sacks is one of those issues. Wilder is a player who seems like he can help out with that.
Ohio State has problems that must be fixed vs. Illinois
This is going to be the last semi-easy game that the Ohio State Buckeyes play for a while. The Illini are massive underdogs. Three of the next four games are against Iowa, Indiana, and USC. All of those are ranked opponents. The only other ranked team Ohio State has played was Texas, and that didn't end well.
These next few weeks are when we learn what kind of team the Buckeyes are. Is this the team that everyone thought it was in the preseason? Can this team actually compete for a national championship? Those will be the answers Ryan Day will be looking for this weekend.
Playing the players who can actually make an impact on the game, regardless of age or experience, needs to start happening now. The days of playing a lot of depth in games are coming to an end. It's time for the best players to be seeing the majority of the snaps.
Fans won't be happy if Wilder continues to be sidelined for large chunks of the game on Saturday. 20 snaps should be the minimum for him moving forward.
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