Ryan Day reveals how Ohio State monitors transfer portal activity, identifies fit

Scouting and bringing in players via the transfer portal is as much a part of college football now as bringing in high school prospects. And Ryan Day and Ohio State are adjusting accordingly.

The Buckeyes actually have a dedicated staff member, Billy Homer, who handles that realm. Under the title of “college scouting coordinator,” Homer tracks who is getting in the portal and builds out lists for the Ohio State staff to use as they pursue players.

“We have a guy on staff here, Billy Homer who handles all that,” Day said. “He identifies the guys who are in the portal, evaluates them, and then we have a board and a list and things like that to see if there’s anybody out there that fits a need.”

Ohio State made some notable additions via the transfer portal alongside the 2023 signing class. Safety Ja’Had Carter and cornerback Davison Igbinosun should bolster the secondary, while a few offensive linemen and specialists will push to contribute. Additionally, quarterback Tristan Gebbia arrived from Oregon State and provides depth at the position, and wideout Lorenzo Styles Jr. recently committed from Notre Dame, strengthening probably the best receiver room in the country.

Day explained his renewed optimism for Ohio State heading into 2023

Despite making the College Football Playoff, the end of the 2022 season didn’t leave a great lasting impression on many Ohio State fans, with a pair of losses ending an otherwise sterling season.

But with that in the past and Ohio State facing the same lofty expectations as ever, Day is optimistic about where the 2023 team can end up.

“I think when you leave the spring you get a feel for where things are, and when you start the spring, it’s hard and I think you hear me say or I’ll say that we’ll get through the spring and we’ll have a better feeling,” Day said. “So, coming out of the spring, I do. I think the first thing was the back end explosives.”

Day was speaking following the Ohio State spring game. In that game, he saw the defense prevent explosive plays, the key recipe for success in his mind.

“You saw, today we didn’t really give up a lot of explosives. Maybe just a couple in the second half and that’s important for us. We expect to score a lot of points on offense and if we can avoid explosive play, that’s a recipe for winning, which was the idea in 2019 and we need to continue to do that,” Day said.