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Scarlet Sunrise: Gene Smith reaffirms confidence in Ryan Day as 'CEO' of Ohio State football

IMG_7408by:Andy Backstrom•04/12/23•

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Gene Smith by Spencer Holbrook -- Lettermen Row
Ohio State athletic director greets visitors at spring practice. (Spencer Holbrook/Lettermen Row)

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.

Gene Smith reaffirms confidence in Ryan Day as ‘CEO’ of Ohio State football

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith told ESPN’s Heather Dinich Tuesday that Ryan Day is his “CEO.” Reaffirming his confidence in Day, Smith explained that he and the fifth-year Buckeyes head coach have discussed what the program can do to achieve its high standards.

Smith said that Day potentially giving up play-calling duties was something Day, himself, brought up to Smith, unprompted. Day has allowed new offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, also the team’s wide receivers coach, to shoulder some of those duties during spring ball.

That way, Day can oversee both sides of the ball and focus more on the big picture.

“When we hired him, I told him, ‘You’ve got to stay in your wheelhouse and call plays. There’ll be a natural point in time in your career where that changes,'” Smith told ESPN. “So that’s not for me to decide; that’s for him to decide.”

Smith trusts Day, who is 45-6 overall as head coach of the Buckeyes. Of those six losses, three have come in the College Football Playoff. But, infamously, two of the other three defeats were against Michigan. Ohio State is coming off its first home loss to the Wolverines since 2000, and it’s trying to avoid three straight defeats in The Game, something that hasn’t happened since 1995-97.

A win in Ann Arbor this coming season would go a long way in quieting the outside noise. So would a national title, of course.

It’s clear Smith is confident Day is the man to lead to Ohio State back to that glory.

“We talk about how do we get better and how do we make sure we are able to win the championships that we aspire to win?” Smith told ESPN. “We look at each individual contest that got in the way of that, and we’re trying to figure out what’s the strategy to mitigate that.”

Sudden perspective led linebacker Payton Pierce to Ohio State commitment

Ohio State landed its second defensive commit, and 10th overall pledge, this cycle Tuesday: four-star Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy linebacker Payton Pierce.

Pierce had taken only one visit to Ohio State before making his decision. It’s a decision he made now so that he can direct his attention elsewhere — to his best friend, Sam Reynolds, a teammate and classmate who was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this spring.

“You can look at the whole situation with my friend Sam and realize you can’t take anything for granted,” Pierce told Lettermen Row. “[Life] can be over whenever at any moment. And so I know where I want to be. I have a place, that’s where my heart is and I’ve realized, why wait?”

For more on Pierce’s perspective and decision, head here.

Four under-the-radar Buckeyes to watch in annual spring game

Leading up to Saturday’s spring game, Lettermen Row has full preview coverage: insight on everything from the big-ticket items, most notably the two-way race for QB1, to the nitty gritty, such as which under-the-radar Buckeyes players could step up Saturday.

There are four players, in particular, we think could surprise a few people in the Horseshoe this weekend. They aren’t household names, but they could be someday.

To be well-versed about Ohio State’s unheralded up-and-comers, go here.

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