Ryan Day preaches versatility for the Ohio State football team

Ryan Day wants his team to be as versatile as possible for the 2025 season.
Ohio State Buckeyes huddle around head coach Ryan Day during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on March 17, 2025.
Ohio State Buckeyes huddle around head coach Ryan Day during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on March 17, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State football team has gotten Spring practice underway. It's the first practice of the new season and the first practice the Ohio State Buckeyes have had since the 2015 season in which they are the defending national champions. In fact, they unveiled a new banner on Monday showcasing that title.

Ohio State won the title last year because of how versatile they were able to be. They had several players step up and play different positions. Donovan Jackson comes to mind right away with what he did shifting from left guard to left tackle after Josh Simmons went down.

Jackson wasn't the only one who was able to play multiple positions. Ryan Day knows how valuable those kinds of players are. He knows that the injuries are going to happen. How they are able to respond to injuries is what made them such a special team last year.

Ryan Day preaches versatility at the Ohio State football team's first practice

During his press conference following the first practice of the Spring, Day preached versatility among all Ohio State players. He mentioned specifically that Brandon Inniss might line up in the backfield and take some snaps at running back, as well as several other guys on the offensive line playing multiple positions.

The Buckeyes are looking to repeat as national champions, and doing so will require a lot of grit. They start out with a tough game against Texas in the first game of the year. They also have to play Penn State and at Michigan, so their schedule is no cakewalk.

Day understands that in order to get through that schedule, they are going to need guys who can do multiple things. The offensive line is the biggest need in that area, as we saw last year. Injuries can strike at any time, and the Buckeyes need depth up front.

It'll be interesting to see where certain guys line up as Spring practice continues to go along. Guys are going to get reps at multiple positions before Fall camp arrives. This is the time to develop versatility for Ohio State.

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