Ohio State Football: Spring brings beginning of Ryan Day era

A new era for Ohio State football has begun with spring practice kicking off in Columbus as Ryan Day takes over for Urban Meyer.

Spring football is underway for Ohio State football, and with it has brought the beginning of the Ryan Day era as the Buckeyes’ head coach. Urban Meyer retired at season’s end, leaving behind a complicated legacy filled with on-field glory and off-the-field controversy.

This is Day’s first head coaching gig, which is akin to handing the keys to a new Ferrari to a 16-year-old who just got their driver’s license. Day had the faith of and the blessing of Meyer as the guy to replace him at Ohio State, but time will tell whether he is up for the job of maintaining the standard of Buckeyes football.

Day had an audition for the gig at the beginning of last season while Meyer served a three-game suspension for his lack of action revolving around the repeated domestic violence of Courtney Smith by one of his long-time assistant coaches. Day coached the Buckeyes to a 3-0 record to start the season, which included a neutral-site victory over TCU in Arlington.

Now he moves forward without the Meyer oversight, and with significant production to replace on the offensive side of the ball in his first season in the big chair. Can Day keep Ohio State atop the Big Ten and in the thick of the College Football Playoff race? Or will he prove to be in over his head at such a prestigious job right off the bat?

Justin Fields replaces Dwayne Haskins, offense moves forward without a lot of 2018 production

How Day’s first season as the head man in Columbus goes will depend largely on how quickly Georgia-transfer quarterback Justin Fields can get up to speed in his offense. Fields was one of the most highly-sought after recruits in the 2018 cycle, typically rated as 1A and 1B with Clemson’s wunderkind Trevor Lawrence. Fields watching Lawrence shine with the Tigers undoubtedly influenced his decision to leave Georgia and seek out an opportunity to play.

Fields is talented, but it would be foolish to expect him to replicate the numbers produced by Dwayne Haskins last season. Haskins threw for 4800 yards and 50 touchdowns, almost single handily carrying the Buckeyes to the Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl victory.

Fields won’t have the same prolific passing season as Haskins did in 2018, but his dual-threat ability as a runner might ultimately be a better fit for what Day would like to do. As a first-year starter, Fields will have the luxury of leaning on a returning 1000 yard rusher in junior J.K. Dobbins.

With Mike Weber off to the NFL, Dobbins will likely have to carry a much greater load. He’s certainly talented enough to handle it, but Day will hope another runner emerges to take some of the weight off of Dobbins’ shoulders. Master Teague and Demario McCall are the most likely candidates to step into larger roles in 2019.

Even with the losses of Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, and Johnnie Dixon, Ohio State has a ton of talent at receiver that should also ease Fields’ transition. Seniors K.J. Hill and Binjimen Victor have a wealth of experience, and rising sophomore Chris Olave flashed his immense potential as a freshman. He had a pair of touchdown catches against Michigan in the regular season finale that announced his arrival as a threat in Ohio State’s receiving game.

Defense must make significant strides

Ohio State has plenty of offensive talent to compete for another Big Ten title and inclusion in the playoff, but they’ll only go as far as their defense can take them in 2019. It’s not realistic to expect Fields to replicate Haskins’ production, so the Buckeyes must take a significant step in the right direction next season on the other side of the ball.

Day brought in former Michigan assistant and long-time defensive coach Greg Mattison and tasked him with fixing a defense that ranked 72nd in the country last season and gave up over 400-yards per-game.

Fortunately for Mattison, he has a lot of returning talent to work with; no Big Ten team brings back more returning production than the Buckeyes defensively.

Outside of DT Dre’Mont Jones and CB Kendall Sheffield, the majority of Ohio State’s defensive contributors return in 2019, led by junior defensive end Chase Young, who seems poised for a huge season in 2019. You can expect him to be on almost all preseason All-American lists.

While the front-seven should be solid, it’s the secondary where Ohio State needs to make the biggest leap in 2019. The Buckeyes ranked 86th in the country in pass defense last season, and new-secondary coach and co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will be tasked with improving the unit.

It’ll help that there’s a lot of experience in the defensive backfield, aided by the return of senior safety Jordan Fuller. He should be able to lean on upperclassmen as his starting corners as well, with junior Jeffery Okundah and senior Damon Arnette leading the way. Sophomore Shaun Wade will push for playing time as well, and should occupy the nickel cornerback role in the very least, if he doesn’t push Arnette for his starting job.

The significant returning production should help, particularly on defense, as Ohio State’s thinner-than-usual recruiting class won’t have as many first-year players who are able to contribute.