May 15 – A month after wrapping up spring football practice, Ohio State football coach Ryan Day shared his thoughts on a few topics with a radio station in Columbus.
Roster management, recruiting and the future of athlete compensation were among the things Day talked about during his appearance on WBNS 97.1 The Fan Wednesday morning.
Here are three lessons:
1. Day is happy with the lineup.
That might be a given at a place that recruits like Ohio State, but the transfer portal has changed a lot of things in the sport.
While the ground may always be shifting beneath a coach’s feet, Day said communication is key to keeping the roster intact.
“You need to be transparent so there are no surprises,” Day said. “You’re constantly talking to these guys, giving them feedback on where they stand. Things they’re doing well, things they need to improve, what they can expect in the next year. And I think now more than ever, you have to continually talk to these guys about where they stand, but I think when you look at the transfer portal window, most guys say, ‘Hey, we’re here with you. a common purpose. We know what goals we have in front of us.'”
Six players departed in the transfer portal, though none were returning starters or seemingly in line for major playing time this fall.
“There’s been a lot of bonding over the last few months, during winter practice, during spring practice,” Day said. “It’s a good group right now.”
Overall, 23 scholarship players have opted to transfer since the end of last season, including some who would have been out of eligibility if the NCAA still granted players an extra season if they were on the roster during the COVID pandemic in 2020.
3. June will be busy.
Changes to recruiting rules led to most players signing their national letters of intent in December rather than February, and the acceleration of the deadline for many prospects continued when rules against players taking official visits before beginning their last year were raised.
“Once they made official visits available in June, which was a few years ago, that became the window because it’s a little quieter,” Day said. “When you come for an official visit during the season, the coaches are distracted by the games. players around some of them so they can see this. And so it’s been a good thing for us, we’ll have four weekends coming here in June.
3. He appears to approve of potential changes to college athlete pay.
Reports have circulated that college leaders are close to reaching a settlement in the so-called House lawsuit against the NCAA and major conferences.
This would result, among other things, in revenue sharing between the faculties and current stakeholders.
“I don’t know if it’s a level playing field, but I think it’s at least more streamlined,” Day said. “In terms of how this is being done, I think right now it’s a little difficult to understand exactly what’s going on. This will allow for a little more structure, and I think it’s just the first step along the way.”
