Ryan Day recalls Dwayne Haskins' love for Ohio State, Buckeyes fans

Tragedy struck over the weekend when former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Dwayne Haskins passed away. On Monday, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day held a press conference to address the death of Haskins. Day recalled the impact that Haskins had during his time at Ohio State, and that impact began before he even arrived on campus.

Day recalls a younger Haskins coming through the Ohio State facilities and setting goals for himself even at such a young age. He then came to the Buckeyes and achieved those goals. And that epitomizes the legacy of Haskins.

“Just the way that he was 11 years old walking through this facility and said, ‘This is what I’m going to do.’ And then he did it,” Day said. “That’s the legacy he’s gonna leave behind.”

Haskins starred for Ohio State in 2018, which was Day’s second season as the Buckeyes offensive coordinator. That year, Haskins threw for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns while completing 70% of his pass attempts. Ohio State went 13-1 that season and 8-1 against Big Ten opponents, defeating Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship. Haskins finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.

Haskins also had great impacts on his Ohio State teammates

Many former Ohio State players penned heartfelt tributes to Haskins after his death, including Terry McLaurin. McLaurin and Haskins played together with the Buckeyes in 2017 and 2018, and then both were drafted by Washington in the NFL Draft.

From Ohio State to Washington, Haskins and McLaurin remained close and had a great relationship. When McLaurin learned of Haskins’ death, he tweeted an emotional response, expressing his devastation.

“Devastated is the only word I can come up with right now,” McLaurin wrote. “Dwayne always had a smile on his face and had a personality that was 1-of-1. We talked the night we were both drafted about how hopeful we were for our futures and how excited we were to be able to play and compete together again. I thank God for the memories we shared and the conversations we had. I’ll miss those so much.

“He was a man trying to become the best version of himself, just like we all are. He was excited to continue to compete for his dream and I know as well as those closest to him that his best years on and off the field were ahead of him. He was more than a phenomenal football player, who could spin it like I have never seen to this day. He was a guy who wanted to see the ones around him win and have success. He was a man of God of his faith quite often. A beloved son, brother, husband, friend and teammate.