Ryan Day on Harry Miller pic.twitter.com/Z375bu0xao
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) March 22, 2022
- The head coach did not want to make it about himself, but he confirmed he was glad Miller felt comfortable coming to him to speak about having suicidal thoughts. That the coach and his wife have made youth mental health an important initiative and Day has spoken publicly about losing his father to suicide when he was growing up might have contributed to Miller going to him.
“The dilemma is that nobody has to say something, but that is precisely why somebody has to say something.”
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 21, 2022
Ohio State University football star Harry Miller (@h_miller76) joins us to discuss his decision to step away from football to focus on mental health. pic.twitter.com/naKJLse0LC
- Ohio State has not messed around much with a three-down look in new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense. At least not yet. They are working on solidifying what they do out of their normal four-down defense as everyone learns the new scheme.
- C.J. Stroud and Cardale Jones will throw for Ohio State’s receivers at Pro Day on Wednesday. It should be good experience for Stroud, who is not eligible to enter the NFL Draft until next year.
- Asked about helping players deal with criticism on social media (something Miller mentioned on the Today Show but already a well-known issue), Day said everyone involved with the team gets negative feedback (including coaches), but it’s probably easier for adults to deal with it than college-age kids who are more defined by their experiences on social media. There is much to gain from social media but also a lot of negative to deal with.
- Freshman quarterback Devin Brown has looked pretty good to Day so far, but it is a good group overall. He likes having a returning starter in Stroud, a returning backup with playing experience (an unusual development for Day at Ohio State) in Kyle McCord and a youngster like Brown all under one roof.
- He said the team will consider using 10 personal (one running back, four receivers) but finds it necessary to have a tight end on the field almost all of the time. They need a physical presence from a tight end. Without that, it is almost impossible to run the ball. Mitch Rossi, a senior walk-on who is coming back for an extra year, is out with injury this spring, but they are looking forward to getting him back in the fall and being able to utilize his skill set, which is unique and more like a traditional fullback.
- He can’t say much about the offensive line yet because they have only practiced three times and Tuesday was the first in pads, but they seem to be in a decent place under new position coach Justin Frye.
- He hasn’t had to match wits with Knowles yet on the practice field because Knowles appears to be taking it slow installing his defense. They spent one day in only one defensive look, for instance. He said that means Knowles is more worried about learning the basics of the scheme inside and out at this point in the spring.
- They have a lot of veteran defensive linemen, and getting them to play like veterans this season is important. (That was also true last year, but it didn’t really happen.) Guys like Taron Vincent, Zach Harrison, Jovantae Jean-Baptiste and Noah Potter have been around a while, and some of them even played in the National Championship Game so it’s important they use the experience they have to help the team. Then of course there is some excitement to see the development of sophomores like Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams.
- Someone randomly asked if they had the type of guys in the offensive line room to play tight end and thus give them a six-man line, and he said yes. Day noted they did that with Donovan Jackson last year at times. He was the third tight end in goal-line situations.
- Asked if receivers can be used in the running game (A staple of Urban Meyer’s offense back in the day and possibly a budding trend in the NFL but not something that’s been seen much at Ohio State recently), Day said yes. However, that means they have to be able to run between the tackles, too, not just sweeps and reverses. They have to have a certain physicality. In a sense, they are used as part of the running game with run-pass option plays and quick screens because sometimes the quarterback will read the defense and flip the ball out to them based on the look he sees. Essentially, the running game can create open receivers (or at least single-covered receivers) so it’s all related.
- Lots of good competition at safety right now even though some veterans are not available because of injury. The coaching staff has a lot of options there, but there is an extra slot for playing time since this is primarily a three-safety defense. They are still trying to figure out who fits where. Having lots of bodies is nice, but they still need to gain some experience.
- Asked about the protocol for dealing with players who have been diagnosed with a concussion, Day said that is entirely handled by the medical staff. With any injury, they evaluate a player and then tell Day who is available and who is not. The question came up as a result of star running back TreVeyon Henderson telling reporters earlier this month he dealt with concussion symptoms at times last season but played through them. Henderson later clarified via Twitter he was diagnosed with a concussion in one game and was held out the rest of that day but was cleared every other game. In the interviews, Henderson had indicated he left games at times with headaches but passed concussion tests and was able to return.
I want to clear up what I said during today’s interviews: I didn’t play through a concussion at anytime last year. I did sustain one during a game, left & did not return. I was cleared to play by our team doctors every time I played the rest of the season. https://t.co/JelpPAAQY7
— TreVeyon Henderson (@TreVeyonH4) March 10, 2022
- J.T. Tuimoloau surprised Day with his ability to not only see the field but play well when called upon last season despite not joining the team until the end of the summer. That is not something he has seen anyone do before. Now that he will have a whole offseason, Tuimoloau should look a lot different, and Day is excited to see it.
- Day watched Pickerington Central’s upset win over Centerville in the Division I boys basketball state championship game Sunday because Ohio State football recruit Sonny Styles plays for the Tigers, and he is excited to see that athleticism translate to the Buckeyes. Usually football payers are not as graceful on the court as Styles is.
- Tyleik Williams is much better shape than he was last season as a true freshman. That means he can practice more and give more at a time in games. The 315-pounder is one of the most athletic guys on the team with some numbers that rival much smaller players. He needs to show he can play strong against the run every play, but he has flashed a lot, including that day.
- Marvin Harrison Jr. is a great young man who has benefited from growing up the son of a Hall of Fame receiver, but a lot comes with that good and bad. He certainly learned a lot from his father, but it also brings great expectations.
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