COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — It has been a whirlwind of a month for Ohio State football, and coach Ryan Day discussed it on Monday.
Day addressed the media for an offseason update at noon on Tuesday to discuss the state of the current team and thoughts on former players drafted to the NFL last week.
The news conference began with Day confirming the addition of North Carolina defensive tackle Beau Atkinson from the transfer portal. Atkinson, a sophomore last year with the Tar Heels, was among the top players available in the portal after leading UNC in sacks last season.
Ohio State completed spring practice on April 12 with the spring game, which saw the quarterback competition play out among Lincoln Keinholz, Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair. Day said Monday that the starting job has become a “two-horse race’ between Sayin and Keinholz.
“I’m encouraged with what we saw coming out,” said Day. “You can see the talent with Tavien but he just needs more experience. Needs more at-bats.”
As for our starters, offensive lineman Austin Siereveld is set to start, per Day, but whether its at guard or tackle is still up in the air. Players also gave positive feedback on new coaches Matt Patricia and Tyler Bowen after the spring football season.
Day was asked about the 14 former Buckeyes who were drafted into the NFL over the weekend, tying an Ohio State record set in 2004. Ohio State had more draft picks than any other school in this year’s draft but just missed out on tying a draft record for one school in a single draft.
“I’m pleased with the location that everybody ended up with,” said Day. “I don’t think anybody got drafted and when you looked at it said ‘Wow, that’s not a good fit’.”
Day felt that record should have been tied as he said center Seth McLaughlin should have been drafted this past weekend. McLaughlin suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, which Day said hindered his chances of being drafted. He was later signed by the Cincinnati Bengals after going undrafted.
As Day was getting ready to approach the podium, he was awarded the Super 11 Coach of the Year for 2024 by the Football Writers Association of America. The Super 11 coach of the year is awarded to the head coach that “provides outstanding media accessibility to their program throughout the season.”
The season is set to begin on Aug. 30 against Texas at Ohio Stadium in a rematch last season’s Cotton Bowl semifinal.