Ryan Day on 2024 expectations: 'Every year there's urgency'

Ryan Day doesn’t give any season special treatment. On Thursday, the Ohio State head coach revealed how much pressure to succeed he feels ahead of the upcoming season.

“Every year, there’s urgency,” Day said. “You don’t think it’s important? Try losing a game at Ohio State. I say it all the time. So, it’s no different that way. But, certainly, there’s a lot of guys on the team that want to be able to finish the season with some hardware, and that matters.”

In Day’s first two years at the helm of Ohio State, he led the Buckeyes to back-to-back Big Ten titles. However, since then, Michigan has won three straight conference championships. With former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh heading to the NFL, the door is open for Day to reclaim the Big Ten throne.

Ohio State certainly has the talent to do so. During this offseason, Day added several standout transfers, headlined by former Alabama safety Caleb Downs, who was the SEC Freshman of the Year and the SEC Newcomer of the Year in 2023.

The standout safety also earned first-team All-SEC honors. He became the first Alabama freshman to lead the team in tackles in program history with 107. Nonetheless, Downs is far from the only exceptional talent Ohio State added during the offseason.

Ohio State is also expected to start transfer quarterback Will Howard in the 2024 campaign. In 25 career starts at Kansas State, Howard tallied a 14-11 record. His best season came this past fall, throwing for 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing a career-high 61.3% of his passes.

Ohio State players are determined to win

With other players like running back Quinshon Judkins and offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin joining the Buckeyes, Ohio State will have a surplus of talent in the upcoming season. Day believes his team not only has the talent to win championships but the correct mindset, as well.

“There’s a great energy around this team,” Day said. “They know what they want. There’s an urgency, there’s a purpose and they’ve come together. You can just see it.

“We don’t want to create distractions for this team. We want them to continue to focus on what matters. But you can just feel it when you’re around the guys, you know,” Day continued. “You guys will spend some time with our players. You guys can feel it. It’s real.”

Ohio State will kick off its upcoming season against Akron at 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 31. The game will be broadcast on CBS.