Ohio State under Ryan Day is now basking in winning momentum, pulling off recruits after recruits, and keeping their second consecutive national title aspirations well kindled. But the OSU camp wasn’t always this jolly and confident, as it took more than sheer resilience to push through last season. If not for this national championship, Ryan Day still would be named among coaches like James Franklin, who always manage to lose big games. We saw that in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, then in the 2020 devastating loss against Alabama, as Ryan Day had no answers for Steve Sarkisian’s brilliant offense. Lastly, we saw that in 2022 as a last-minute missed field goal cost Ohio State their Peach Bowl. Something needed to change for good, and maybe it wasn’t necessarily an on-field issue.
What separates a winning team and a team that fails to make their moments count? What was the secret sauce of teams like Nick Saban’s Alabama, which managed to grab silverware almost every season? These are some questions Ryan Day himself had pondered as he sat alone amid those incessant trolls and a sea of criticism. This was something the now elated head coach said comes with time, and it only took a minor mindset change to fulfill his natty dream.
Speaking on a recent episode of Josh Pate’s 1st May podcast, the OSU head coach seemed to disregard a desire to win the national championship and endorsed a whole different mindset. “I think if your goal is to just win a national championship, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. To me, my goal is to help these young men reach their dreams and goals. Winning championships just allows us to continue to do that“.
The Ohio State fan base could very well be one of the most demanding fan bases in college football, and Ryan Day knows that. Honestly, a program that has seen Jim Tressel’s 3 decades and Urban Meyer’s 7-0 record against Michigan, it always becomes “championship or bust” for them. We saw some fringe stooping to even greater heights as they threatened Ryan Day with death threats last year, and which, to a lesser extent, has been the norm ever since Ryan Day lost a major game. Now the head coach is essentially saying something counterintuitive, something “antithesis,” as Josh Pate puts it. Will the fans accept their head coach’s mentality?
Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day walks off the field after losing 14-3 to Missouri Tigers in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY Sports
No matter the OSU fans’ mentality, Ryan Day even emphasized later how he just wants his players to play good and reach heights, a championship will automatically come. “If you don’t win championships at Ohio State, they’re gonna find a new coach. That’s just the way of the world, right? But that’s not the goal. The goal is to help these guys reach their dreams and goals. Help these young coaches, you know, come up in this profession. I think that’s what this is all about.”
The head coach is saying all the right things now, which may well not be the norm in OSU’s rich fanbase. But, mind you, this is the same mindset that finally brought you a national championship after a decade of drought. The same head coach who brought in players like Jeremiah Smith, Quinshon Judkins, convinced Jack Sawyer to stay back, and brought in Will Howard, OSU’s hero. The mentality may well have taken time to reap benefits, but once that candy jar is opened, there are always endless candies to take, right?
Jeremiah Smith achieves another incredible feat
There are very few occasions in which a freshman player comes into the college football arena and starts wreaking havoc; this is something rare, but when it happens? It’s a thing of beauty. We saw some freshman stories unfold last year as DJ Lagway saved Billy Napier’s job and the Ohio State dark horse, Jeremiah Smith, captivated with his incredible catch plays for Ryan Day. The wide receiver received 1,328 yards and 14 touchdowns, something historic for a freshman. The incredible feat merits some reward, right?
Jeremiah Smith won several awards, like the Biletnikoff Award and the consensus All-American place, becoming the first OSU freshman to do so since Andy Katzenmoyer in 1996. But after all of those incredible feats and achievements, the wide receiver is going to add one more feather to his already well-adorned cap.
As per a recent revelation by the IG page ‘CFBALERTS’, the OSU wide receiver will be given a perfect 100 rating in the upcoming College Football Video Game (2026). The feat is incredible, as now the wide receiver’s heroics will be known in greater numbers, and it will also be something to boast about for the young guy. But who will play behind the center?
The post Ryan Day Hits Back at OSU Fanbase’s Unrealistic Demands as Jeremiah Smith Proves His Worth With Massive Feat appeared first on EssentiallySports.