Ryan Day explains why he added Justin Frye to staff

In January 2022, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day added Justin Frye to his staff. Frye had previously been the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at UCLA, where the Bruins had one of the best running offenses in the country. A former player himself, he played for Indiana. He is the offensive line coach and assistant head coach at Ohio State.

Ryan Day was asked about the hiring process for Justin Frye. In particular, what was it about Frye at earlier stops that may have made him stand out to Day?

“Worked with Justin early on and saw him first off as a person and who he is in terms of his ability to relate to people and players, families, a great man,” Ryan Day said.

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“Played the position at Indiana. Played in the Big Ten and was very good. His dad was a high school coach. So, had coaching in his blood. But, then it was just the understanding of the run game and how it all fits and his intelligence, ability to teach.”

Ryan Day emphasized that while Justin Frye does have a good background in coaching and player development, his role with UCLA is a huge part of why he’s qualified for the staff at Ohio State. He’s able to see the game more fully because of his time as an offensive coordinator.

“Then, when he was at UCLA, he was in a coordinator position where it wasn’t just about the front. It was the entire picture, and I think that any time you have somebody like that who can see the entire picture it brings a lot of value.”

Ryan Day and Justin Frye both coached under Steve Addazio at Temple and then Boston College. They were both also GAs at Florida while Addazio was an offensive assistant. That’s also where they’re all connected to Urban Meyer, who was the Florida head coach at the time before later hiring Day to the Ohio State staff.

Ryan Day knows Ohio State can’t let up

The next stretch of games for Ohio State doesn’t seem too difficult on paper. The Buckeyes have Northwestern this Saturday. That game will be followed by Indiana and Maryland before Ohio State gets its shot at Michigan. Still, Ryan Day knows that Ohio State can’t overlook this stretch.

“Well, I think the first thing is, we’ve always said it’s about us; so why does changed this week? It doesn’t matter. Last week, going into Penn State, it was about us; it was about our preparation. I think that’s the first thing. So if that’s the case, then let’s just focus on us and getting better,” Ryan Day said.

“I think the second thing is, you have to continue to do what you’re doing and get better every week. If you don’t, not only do you show a weakness, but you set yourself up for problems down the road. And I think that when you have a problem, or you lose a game; maybe it’s something you did that week. But maybe it’s something you did the weeks leading up to it. So for us, our goals are still our goals, and if we don’t maximize every single minute of the day this week, then it doesn’t matter.”