Nothing wakes you up quicker than a stiff punch in the face. Or, in Ohio State's case, three (losses to arch rival Michigan in a row) will definitely do the trick.
As confetti remnants still swirl amid the frozen streets of Ann Arbor following Michigan's College Football Playoff National Championship win over Washington, Ryan Day and Ohio State have been hard at work preparing for the 2024 season. It feels odd to point out the Buckeyes enjoyed a successful week during the same seven-day span in which the Wolverines won their first national title since 1997. But, the fact is they did.
When the clock hit zero in Houston last Monday and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was dodging a Gatorade bath, Quinshon Judkins, the top running back in the transfer portal, announced his commitment to Ohio State. More good news followed as key members of the Buckeyes such as cornerback Denzel Burke, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson and defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer all announced they'd be putting their NFL dreams on hold for another year in favor of a return to Columbus, Ohio. They join a number of other contributors returning for next season.
Yes, there are departures. Big ones. Marvin Harrison Jr. will be terrorizing NFL cornerbacks next season. Kyle McCord will be wearing a Ryan Day-sized chip on his shoulder as he takes over at quarterback for Syracuse. But things could've been far worse. Day could've been heading into the 2024 season on one of the hottest seats in the country while having to prepare an entirely new roster.
Make no mistake, though: Day is on the hot seat. It seems ludicrous that a coach with a 56-8 record would have something to prove, but it's the reality of college football amid the level at which Ohio State competes. Especially so when the only three Big Ten games Day has lost among the 42 he's coached have all come to Michigan. It should matter that Day and the Buckeyes are a missed field goal against Georgia away from a possible national title in 2022 (imagine how different things would be if that kick had gone through the uprights), but it doesn't. The situation at Ohio State is only more complicated as a well-known athletic director steps onto the scene to replace a longtime administrative fixture.
Judging by Day's actions this offseason, he realizes what's at stake. Replacing McCord with Kansas State transfer Will Howard signals a shift in approach for the Ohio State offense. It's a continuation of what we saw in 2023 when the Buckeyes had to replace C.J. Stroud. Day's offenses in 2021 and 2022 were labeled as "soft." Michigan bullied the Buckeyes along the lines of scrimmage. The offense didn't seem soft when it put up 41 points and averaged over 7 yards per play against Georgia; but, again, the kick missed, so it didn't matter. Ohio State came out in 2023 showing more of a commitment to the run game, and while it was effective enough and helped the Buckeyes win a tough road game against Notre Dame, they came up short against Michigan ... again.
Now, it looks as if the Buckeyes are leaning even further into it. Howard is not a QB in the mold of what we've seen in Day's tenure as coach. He's a greater threat with his legs than McCord could ever hope to be, but he's not as reliable a threat with his arm. With Howard, Judkins and Henderson, Ohio State looks to be returning to an offense similar to what it ran with former star QB J.T. Barrett when Day first arrived as an offensive coordinator.
Is this a wise move? I don't know. When I watched the Ohio State offense in 2023, the problems I saw weren't that it was "soft." Nor did I find McCord to be the problem. McCord was a popular target for fans and media, but while he wasn't Stroud or Justin Fields, he was a better QB than most in the nation. Ohio State's offensive problems began with a sub-par offensive line and were exacerbated by injuries that kept key players out nearly every week and prevented the unit from developing the kind of chemistry needed to perform at an elite level.
What I think doesn't matter much. Frankly, what Day thinks won't matter much, either. At the end of the day, all that matters is Ohio State wins in 2024. If it does, Day will be hailed as a genius for making the changes he's made. If they don't, we'll be evaluating a different type of change in Columbus next season.
