Four Ryan Day offseason moves that can catapult Buckeyes to national title

The summer offseason is in full swing, and Lettermen Row is trying to survive it with our annual Position Week breakdowns. By the time all nine units and coaching staff at Ohio State have been covered, training camp and media days will nearly have arrived, and the return of football in the Horseshoe will be just around the corner. Our offseason preview weeks come to a close with the loaded Buckeyes coaching staff.

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COLUMBUS — Something had to change for Ohio State this offseason.

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes had tough decisions to make, sure. But some of them needed to be done, especially after they came up short of the goals they set for themselves each year.

In the immediate aftermath of the loss to rival Michigan, Day knew the defense needed changed. But the other tweaks and assessments of the state of the program came through this offseason. What he, Gene Smith and Ohio State decided on changing to become better-suited to win a national title haven’t been seen in practice yet. That comes in August and once the season starts.

But the self-reflection and decision to make sweeping changes to parts of the program — and subtle shifts to others — shows Day can bring back a College Football Playoff title with the Buckeyes.

“We’re always going to be evaluating and seeing what’s the best move going forward,” Day said in December. “I don’t think you go into any type of situation with a predetermined set of thoughts … You just kind of figure out, year-to-year basis, what’s best to move forward.”

Lettermen Row is looking back at a busy offseason inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, what Day decided to move and act on and how those moves can lift Ohio State to its first national title since 2014.

Ohio State overhauled defensive coaching staff

The first and most important step of the offseason for Ryan Day came immediately. Day decided to replace nearly his entire defensive staff in December and January, bringing in three new defensive minds to fix the glaring issues on the side of the ball that kept the Buckeyes from winning a national title in each of the last two seasons.

Out: Kerry Coombs, Matt Barnes, Al Washington.

In: Jim Knowles, Perry Eliano, Tim Walton.

Knowles is the $1.9 million headliner, and the former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator has been tasked with being the head coach of the Buckeyes defense. He turned the Cowboys defense from a laughing stock into one of the best in the country.

He has to do that at Ohio State for Day’s aggressive early-offseason move to pay off quickly.

“I’ve had a good reputation for that,” Knowles said. “But, you know, I talk about what’s important now, or what have you done for me lately? You’re right, there is a lot of pressure. I mean, that’s not that’s not lost on me, this is not an entry level position.

“To those that a lot has been given, a lot is expected. … It took four years [at Oklahoma State]. It’s not lost on me that I don’t have four years here. This program is ready to win every single game right now. And we have to get the defense to that level.”

Knowles is the headliner, but Walton and Eliano are also elite at what they do. Eliano coached a first-round cornerback and the Thorpe Award winner last season at Cincinnati. Walton, meanwhile, has worked with some of the best cornerbacks and safeties in the NFL.

With the loaded offense Day and the Buckeyes have, the addition of Knowles, Eliano and Walton can lift Ohio State to a national title as this fall.

Ryan Day spoke about cost of roster, NIL impact

Ryan Day made headlines in early June when he spoke in front of 100 members of the Columbus business community and potential NIL donors, talking about what On3’s Pete Nakos called his boldest strategy yet: “putting a price tag on how much it will take to keep the Buckeyes competitive.”

Day’s comments were clearly targeted at the boosters and donors — a message that Ohio State can’t stay competitive on the field without the help of NIL in the new world of college football.

But Day is also making sure the Buckeyes are doing everything above board, being clear that nothing is being done wrong along the way of building a championship-level roster.

“There’s risk everywhere,” Day said after spring camp in May. “There’s risk that if you do nothing, you get left behind. If you go the other end, there’s risk that you can get fired for cause, for crossing the line. So finding that sweet spot is where the challenge is right now. And when there aren’t clear-cut rules or rules that are being enforced, that it creates hard feelings and unrest. I think that’s what we are right now.”

Day is being more and more aggressive on the NIL front. That will only help Ohio State now and into the future.

Buckeyes brought in fresh face to lead offensive line

The Ohio State offensive line was good enough to help the Buckeyes have the best offense in the country a season ago. That same line kept C.J. Stroud clean in the pocket, catapulting him to a record-breaking, Heisman Trophy-caliber season. But good enough isn’t the standard for Ohio State.

So Ryan Day made the decision to move on from long-time offensive line coach Greg Studrawa — and bring in Justin Frye, who was previously at UCLA, where he helped the Bruins running game to 214 yards per game on the ground a year ago, good for 14th nationally. Day has worked with Frye during past coaching stops, and he knows how good Frye can make the Buckeyes’ offensive line and running game.

“I know exactly what he can do and how talented he is,” Day said. “He’s very, very talented. He really connects well with players. Very good, technically and fundamentally. He’s a Midwest guy. He played at Indiana. His wife’s from up in Mentor, Ohio. So they’re Midwest people. So that was a great fit.”

Frye has gotten off to a fast start, leading a rejuvenated unit this spring and showing some power on the recruiting trail, already securing commitments from four offensive linemen in the 2023 class.

The aggressive move by Day to target Frye was just one of the big pieces this offseason.

Ryan Day did not shy away from becoming better after rivalry loss

Ryan Day didn’t mince words when talking in the immediate aftermath of the Buckeyes rivalry loss in Ann Arbor last November.

“But this game, if you don’t bring it in all areas, you can be exposed,” Day said in the Big House after the loss. “Just like you see week in and week out, this is what happens what can happen when you don’t play your best game. We did not play our best game today, so this is what you get.”

Ohio State entered the offseason without beating Michigan for the first time in nearly a decade. And Day hasn’t shied away from the loss. He and the Buckeyes have allowed the failure to meet expectations from a season ago to become a driving force in the offseason programs.

With full focus on getting back on top of the rivalry and winning the Big Ten after a season that came up short of expectations, Day and the Buckeyes are positioning themselves to make yet another run at winning a national title.