Fresh off a national championship, Ohio State showed up to Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas with its stars front and center. Head Coach Ryan Day led the way, accompanied by standout WR Jeremiah Smith, safety Caleb Downs, and linebacker Sonny Styles. All ready to defend their crown. For Ryan Day, the mood has shifted, and he is feeling that post-championship energy. As if after the grind, the team’s pressure cooker has popped, and now it’s time to let loose and have fun on the field, while still being laser-focused on winning more titles.
Smith exploded onto the scene as a freshman with jaw-dropping numbers. With 76 catches, 1,315 yards, and 15 TDs, he is firmly planted as one of college football’s brightest stars. And the clear offensive leader this season. And thus, Day plans on making an all-rounder this season. He’s not just going to stick Smith in one spot and throw it to him on the regular. He’s going to move him all over the field. “You know, when coaches come in,” Day says on the Big Ten Media Days. “They have to write down their favorite play and draw it up, and go through the details of it all. And I just wrote right throw the ball the number four. And I just handed it to him like that. That’s my number one play.”
Day is designing the offense to diversify Smith’s touches, think different formations, routes that vary week to week, and lining Smith up in multiple positions to create mismatches. The goal is to make defenses guess and prevent them from putting a wall around Smith. But he also adds, “We also have to be creative because we know that teams aren’t just going to sit there and say, you know, here’s one-on-one coverage and just allow that to happen. So, we do have experience doing that. But there has to be a balance.”
This is a developing story…
The post Ryan Day Reveals New Details on Jeremiah Smith’s Role as Ohio State HC Makes Strong Statement on Texas Game appeared first on EssentiallySports.