Scarlet Sunrise: Ryan Day looks back on succeeding Urban Meyer as Ohio State head coach
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.
Ryan Day looks back on succeeding Urban Meyer as Ohio State head coach
Ryan Day is now in his fifth year as Ohio State’s full-time head coach. He reflected last week on his start to that tenure and, more specifically, what it was like succeeding Urban Meyer as a first-time head coach at a blue blood program.
Day was a guest on the inaugural episode of the “More Than Coach Speak” podcast. It’s a new show that’s hosted by Buckeyes head men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann and Terence Dials, a former Ohio State basketball standout and the program’s current director of professional development.
“For me, being a first-time head coach is significant,” Day said. “I give so much credit to [athletic director] Gene Smith for putting his trust in me as a first-time head coach at Ohio State. I mean, that’s a big job for the first time ever as a head coach. You have an opportunity when you’re a head coach, maybe at a different school, to kind of learn a little bit and grow.
“But one of the things I did was I really attached myself to the head coach at really the last four or five stops that I had been leading up to Ohio State. Because I knew I wanted to be a head coach. So I felt like I was prepared to do it. Because we kept so many pieces in place here between Mick Marotti (strength and conditioning coach), Mark Pantoni (associate athletic director, player personnel), Ryan Stamper (former player development director), the infrastructure was already here. I wanted to keep that going because we were having success with it.”
Day acknowledged, however, that, over time, things changed. He’s gradually molded the program to his “managerial style.” But Day isn’t taking credit for his 45-6 record, or his three College Football Playoff appearances in four years.
He’s instead focused on being thankful for the people around him. Day emphasized on the podcast that “no job is too small,” in reference to every Buckeyes staffer who has played a part in the smooth transition from former head coach Urban Meyer.
“When you surround yourself like that,” Day said, “and then you go recruit people who want to be at Ohio State — and who understand the quality of what it means to be at Ohio State — then you have something special.”
Day added: “Every year, you learn and you grow. There’s still some things that we do that we did five years ago. But there’s a lot of things that we changed and had to adapt. And, so, you just have to be yourself. I heard that from a bunch of folks when I was named the head coach. It was like, ‘Hey, you’re not Urban Meyer. You’re not Chip Kelly. You just gotta be you.’ And you can take the things you’ve learned from them and put them to work every day but then, as time goes on, it becomes yours more and more.”
The Recap: Everything we learned from Lettermen Row Tight Ends Week
“Tight Ends Week” is in the books at Lettermen Row. Two position weeks down, seven to go, as we continue to preview every Ohio State unit leading up to Big Ten Media Days and fall camp.
The Buckeyes tight ends could play a bigger role in the passing game for the second year in a row during the 2023 season. Even though there are a bunch of familiar faces in the room, headlined by fifth year Cade Stover, there is a new leader.
Top 10
- 1
LaNorris Sellers
South Carolina QB signs NIL deal to return
- 2New
Justice Haynes
Alabama transfer RB commits
- 3
National Championship odds
Updated odds are in
- 4Trending
Urban Meyer
Coach alarmed by UT fan turnout at OSU
- 5Hot
CFP home games
Steve Spurrier calls for change
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Keenan Bailey finally got his break as an assistant coach this offseason, earning the title of tight ends coach following the departure of longtime offensive coordinator and Ohio State tight ends coach Kevin Wilson, who is now the head coach at Tulsa.
Lettermen Row highlighted Bailey’s transition and covered everything else related to Buckeyes tight ends. Check it out here.
RELATED
- Five Questions as Buckeyes look to continue successful run of tight end play
- Keenan Bailey bringing energy, enjoying first spring as Buckeyes full-time assistant coach
- Tale of the Tape: Knowing the basics of Buckeyes tight ends
- Taking closer look at state of Buckeyes tight ends room
- How they got here: Mapping out career path of each Buckeyes TE so far
- How Jelani Thurman can earn snaps, crack lineup early in Buckeyes career
- Examining 2023 Ohio State tight end NIL valuations
- Ranking the three hardest Ohio State tight end records to break
What Brice Sensabaugh staying in NBA Draft means for Buckeyes hoops
Brice Sensabaugh became Ohio State’s second consecutive one-and-done when he decided to remain in this year’s NBA Draft rather than returning to the Buckeyes for his sophomore season. Like Malaki Branham in 2021-22, Sensabaugh outperformed his recruiting ranking and climbed draft boards quicker than expected in 2022-23.
The Orlando native led the team with 16.3 points per game, a scoring average that was tied for fourth best among freshmen last season. He reached or eclipsed the 20-point mark 11 times and, at one point, was Ohio State’s top scorer in 13 straight games.
So who will step up as the Buckeyes’ new leading scorer? Could there be another one-and-done in the 2023 class? And what did we learn from the sneak peek of post-Sensabaugh Ohio State?
All of those questions are addressed here.
Counting down
Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 89 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 173 days
Are you subscribed yet?
Are you ready to get all your latest Ohio State news in one place? Become a member of Lettermen Row today. With your Lettermen Row/On3+ membership, you’ll not only have access to the everything that’s happening with the Buckeyes, but you’ll also be able to peruse other fan sites within the network to hear just how rivals are feeling about Ohio State, as well. Make sure to follow along on Twitter, Instagram and on Youtube for all the latest Buckeyes news you need to know.
