WATCH: Ryan Day speaks at Dwayne Haskins vigil

The tragic death of former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins this month led many to reflect on what he meant to the Buckeyes, to his friends and family, and to those he touched throughout his life. On Sunday night, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day travelled to a vigil, speaking in front of a large crowd as people remember the 24-year old.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke at this evening’s vigil for Dwayne Haskins pic.twitter.com/FSDjTqM5rP

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“We play against a team up north, we don’t use the M-word – someone used it earlier – we don’t use that word,” Ryan Day said at the vigil. “He took that game very seriously. We scored 62 points in that game, Dwayne threw for six touchdowns and 396 yards in that game. They were a top five team in the country. Then the Big Ten championship game against Northwestern he threw for 499 [yards] and five touchdowns. And then in the Rose Bowl he was the MVP. He threw 50 touchdown passes that year, 13-1.

“But the thing to me that was most amazing about that year was the legacy he left behind. It’s been said before that some men don’t fear death, they fear being irrelevant or being insignificant. I can tell you something right now, Dwayne Haskins left a legacy behind. He was relevant, he was significant, he had an impact on so many people at Ohio State and I know so many in your life. But in such a short time, the impact he made on this earth – I just wish I had more time with him, and I know we all do here. I just want to let you know that Ohio State and our program is forever in debt to Dwayne Haskins and the Haskins family. God bless.”

Ryan Day issues statement on Dwayne Haskins

Dwayne Haskins was one of the breakout stars of Ryan Day’s offense at Ohio State, setting record after record in his storied Buckeyes career. After news broke of Haskins’ passing, Day took to Twitter to issue a statement.

Haskins flourished in 2018, Day’s second season as offensive coordinator. He completed 70% of his passes for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns that year, finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting as Ohio State went 13-1 overall, including 8-1 in Big Ten play, before defeating Northwestern in the league championship game.

Haskins paved the way for future quarterbacks Justin Fields and CJ Stroud after Day moved up to head coach in 2019. But Day spoke more about Haskins as a person rather than as a football player in his tweet.

“The loss of Dwayne is beyond tragic and extremely difficult to process,” Day said. “For those who knew him closely, he was much more than a great football player. He had a giant heart, old soul and an infectious smile. The Ohio State community and our entire football program are heartbroken.”