Ryan Day on Ohio State quarterbacks of the past, future
With Fields set for Pro Day, coach evaluates his replacements.
This is a big week for quarterbacks at Ohio State.
While three freshmen continue to vie for the right to replace Justin Fields as the starter in the fall, Fields has a big job interview lined up with representatives from 30-some professional football clubs.
At the start of the second full week of spring football at Ohio State and one day ahead of the Buckeyes’ annual Pro Day workouts at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, coach Ryan Day shared his thoughts on all that and more.
Here is a breakdown of what’s going on with the game’s most important position in Columbus:
1. Day is still very much in the Justin Fields Fan Club.
While the silly season is fully in
effect with various rumors and reports swirling about what NFL teams think of his newly former Ohio State quarterback, Day continues to endorse Fields.
“Well, the first thing is I think when you look at the way he competes on the field, that speaks for itself — Not only his ability to throw the ball but his size, ability to make plays, he’s a winner,” Day said. “He’s tough, really smart, and he picks things up really quickly, so whatever they teach in terms of a scheme, he’s going to pick that up very, very quickly, and he’s very, very competitive. So when you combine the talent, the size the arm strength, his competitiveness, his toughness, his intelligence. I mean, it kind of checks all the boxes. And if you were trying to design a quarterback, you know, to me, you know Justin fits that prototype.”
2. He acknowledged Fields is still on the young side.
That could be viewed as a positive or a negative, and it might impact where Fields fits best at the start of his career.
“Now, he hasn’t played four or five years of college football, so the good news is he’s got a really, really high ceiling,” Day said. “Whoever drafts him, if they have a really good plan for him and continually developing him, then the sky’s the limit for Justin Fields, and I don’t think anyone can argue that.
“Whether he’s readymade to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, that’s up to them. Every team has to make their own decision, but I know this: Everything you invest in that kid you’re going to get back, and it’s just a matter of the fit.”
3. Day says he still does not have a first impression of C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller III or Kyle McCord, the quarterbacks competing for the starting job this fall.
With practice closed, reporters have been forced to try to get coaches who have done interviews so far to describe what they have seen in an effort to get some feel for what various players bring to the table.
Day has not bitten yet when it comes to the quarterbacks.
“It’s still early,” Day said. “They’re still learning the offense, and we’re still installing the offense. There’s no incumbent starter, so the competition’s open and those guys are competing every day.”
4. All throw the ball well but can improve in that area along with many others was the gist of what Day would reveal Monday.
“Now, decision making, timing, consistency, vision, anticipation, those are all the things that come into play,” Day said.
“They all share that they are doing things for the first time. We are still on first and second down (offense). We start to install third down on Thursday. They all throw the ball well. The ball comes out of their hands well. They have to work on consistency in those areas and the different things fundamentally.
“In the end, who takes care of the ball? The guys who turn it over aren’t going to last long as a quarterback at Ohio State. Who’s going to run the offense and be a leader?”
5. Earning the starting nod will take some time.
That did not come as a surprise, but Day reiterated it again.
“You can’t win the job in one day,” he said. “You can’t win the job in one throw either. You have to build over time.
“It’s easy when you’re young to try and force the action and win the job. It doesn’t work that way. It comes over time with a body of work.”