Latest / Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning / Ohio State Football: How Can The Buckeyes Improve On Defense In 2026?

Transcript

Ohio State Football: How Can The Buckeyes Improve On Defense In 2026? · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buckeyes Tomorrow Morning for Saturday, March fourteenth, I'm
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: your host, tom Or the ball State game in one
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: hundred and ninety five days, the game against Michigan in
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: two hundred and fifty nine days. Our friends at Grateful
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Griddell Columbus's favorite food truck. They are now on Uber, Eat,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: scrub Hub, and or Dash. Just search for Grateful Griddle
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: there or check out Grateful Griddle oh dot com for more.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: All right, on today show, you're going to hear a
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: little bit from Ryan Day. Our conversation with him earlier
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: last week. He talked a little bit about the players
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: and some specific guys he was watching. You got that
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: on the Morning Show for Thursday last week. Now you
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: get to hear some sort of broader thoughts here. And
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: let's start with just the last year's defense. Statistically, it
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: was such a dominant defense, really didn't give up many
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: points at all, led the country and scoring defense set
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: a bunch of records, a bunch of historically dominant numbers.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: But they also didn't create as many turnovers as the
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Buckeyes probably wanted. So when you look look at last
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: season overall, is Ryan Day good with that? Kind of
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: a defense or do they need to maybe change things
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: up to make more make more turnovers happen.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: Defensively, we spend a lot of time on ball disruption
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: and creating turnovers. I think we would all say we'd
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: like to create more more turnovers. It's something that you know,
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: Map and in our whole defensive staff believes in. And
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: so you know, there's always a give and take when
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: it comes to like how aggressive you want to get
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: to sort of force the action.
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: But there's also just.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: The idea of you know, punching at the ball and
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: creating PBUs tip balls, sacking the quarterback, those types of things.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: So all that comes into play and all part of
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: the discussion I think with this group, because you know
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: we have lost, you know, some pieces from the defense
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: we'll have to look to see, you know, if our
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: percentages change on how much we pressure not pressure. So
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: but then you know you also put yourself at risk
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: of explosive plays the more you aggressive you get. So
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: there's a give and take. But I can tell you
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: there's a huge emphasis to create turnovers like there is
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: every year, and you know we jumped on it today
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: and we'll continue to do that.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Amber you've probably heard a bunch this week is fifty one.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: That is a number of new guys on the roster
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: this spring. Has that been the biggest challenge of the
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: off season so far for the buck Eyes getting those
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: guys all prepared and also getting them connected together as
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: a team.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like we did a really nice job.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: Mick Murati and his staff are just I mean, I'm
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: not with everybody across the country. I don't get a
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: chance to see what they do, but if they're better
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: than what Mick does in that room, I to my
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: hap to them because I can't imagine there's anybody better
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: what Mick does and there with his staff is tremendous.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: And we had a huge champions meeting yesterday and the
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: growth that these guys made physically what was tangible, the
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: work ethic that they showed. But then you know, really
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: brought everybody together. And again with half the team being new,
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: there's there's a camaraderie being built right now that's important.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: And you know, true love and brotherhood is when, like
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: you know, your brother makes a play and you're just
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: as happy for him as if you made the play yourself.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: I mean, the guy that I use all the time
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: is Trevion. You know, when Quinnchaw would score a touchdown,
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: he was more happy for Quinnchon than he was for
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: his own self. And what happened that all came back
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: to him in the end. And if we had that
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: same type of mentality into this season, then we'll have
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: a chance.
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: But so much of that happens in the weight room.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: But I told the guys right here, I see, only
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: got fourteen left and they got fifteen in the spring,
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: so these things go fast.
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: We got to do a great job on the off days.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: I'm making the corrections, but also spending time in the
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: building and connecting with the guys on the team, because
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: to your point, the connection of the team will be important,
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: which we know in today's game is something that is
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: different than what it's been in the past.
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: Usually, you know, you would, you know, grow up with.
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: These guys and year three and year four and you've
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: been with them for two and three and four, sometimes
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: five years.
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: That's not really.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: The case anymore because of the turnover we're seeing, because
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: of the structure everything. So it is a big challenge.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: But I really like this team. I like the guys,
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: I like their energy. I like their competitiveness, their seriousness.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: It's a mature group, but we haven't been together very long,
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: so we've got work to do.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: One of the reasons the Buck guys have had so
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: much turnover on the roster is, boy, they keep losing
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: a whole lot of players to the NFL. Yeah, they
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: lost guys to the Portal, but man, a lot of
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: veteran players have been off to the NFL recently. And
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: with as many veteran players as they've lost to the
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: NFL the last couple of seasons, was that maybe one
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: of the reasons for an increased emphasis on finding guys
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: who had proven production and experience at the college level
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: in the portal.
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: No.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: I think it's a great question, because I think every
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: year is a little different. But a part of what
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: you just said was, you know, I don't think anybody
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: realizes how many guys here over the last you know,
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: seven years, have left after three I don't know if
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: maybe there's a program that's had more guys leave after
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: three years, maybe someone can do some research, But you know,
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: we've had a lot and really the guys who are
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: all being considered like first rounders right now, you know,
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: I consider Sonnia three and done because of the reclassification.
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: But when you look at Carnel, when you look at Caleb,
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: when you look at k Mack, when you look at
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: you know, our Vell and Sonny, those guys are really
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: three year guys. So you're losing all that experience. Now
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: if they were fourth and fifth year seniors, you know,
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: naturally you just see some guys step into those roles,
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: and but when you lose those guys, man, it makes
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: a big difference. And two years ago when you saw
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: you know, Jack and j T and Tylee and Cody
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: and some of these guys Lathan come back, they were
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: already within the program and we were veteran that way.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: When you see guys who are going to be seniors
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: walk out the door, the first thing you got to
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: do is you got to get some more veteran guys
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: in that room, or else you're just constantly young.
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: You know. I felt like we.
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: Were a little young this year, quite honest. And so
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: when you go through it and you get some more
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: senior guys in there, just a different approach, and we
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: felt like we needed that. So I think when you
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: look at the guys who actually left and the guys
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: that came in. I think there's a significant matrix out
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: there or you know, some sort of analytic that shows,
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: you know, in terms of how our number of games
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: played and age gap went up maybe a year and
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: a half or two years. And that was by design
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: for sure, because we felt like when those guys were
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: walking out the door, we better replace them with some
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: more veteran guys. Now that being said, they have to
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: be the right guys, and they have to fit what
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: we do and believe in our culture. So all those
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: things are into consideration now. Each year it's a little
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: different based on what you have in the room.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: And finally we're gonna end with this one. Ryan Day
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: was asked about a recent panel at the White House,
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: a potential executive order. They were sort of looking at
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: college football and how they get maybe save college football,
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: change some things about college football, fix some things about
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: college football. If Ryan Day was in that spot, what
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: would he ask to see addressed? You know, whether it's
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: there or somewhere else.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: I think when I think about this, it's you probably
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: heard me say something like this before.
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: Is that to me?
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: It all starts with the structure, you know, and until
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: we build a structure where we can enforce some of
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: the rules that are in place. We're constantly just putting
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: aids over issues. Then they get ripped off. And you know,
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: college football for a long time has been built.
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: Okay, a rule is there? What's the loophole around it?
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: And I think we all know right now that you know,
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: the rules are not being very well enforced across the country.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: And my concern more than anything is that we're raising
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: a young group of college coaches that you know, see
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: it that way that's becoming there, they're they're normal, and
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: that's not the way that I came up in this game.
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: I mean, we used to you know, our phone logs
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: and everything had to be exactly right in the you know,
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: school contacts, and you know, if the NCAA came in,
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: man like, you better have your stuff in order, because
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: there's going to be hell to pay. And I can't
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: sit here and tell you that's the case anymore. And
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: so to me, that's the first thing it has to
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: be addressed, and then once we get that addressed, we
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: can deal with everything else. But until then, we're certainly
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: going to try to or we're gonna have a situation where
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: people are going to try to get around the rules.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: And when people talk about, you know, the NFL and college,
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: I think the biggest difference is we all know there's
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: a lot of differences, but the biggest one is we
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: recruit in college, they draft in the NFL.
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: It's a big deal.
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: And so having those things in place are critical in
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: terms of keeping the integrity of the of the sport.
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: So there's a lot of great ideas.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of things that came up that you know,
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: are really worth a debate, and you know, I think
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: it's it's interesting conversation, but to me, that's the number
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: one thing that has to happen and then we can
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: go from there.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: All right, that will do it for today. A lot
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: of interesting stuff from Ryan Day. We'll have much more
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: from Ryan Day and the rest of the Black guys
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: all spring long. Got just two practices into the fifteen
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: practice spring schedule that of course ends on April eighteenth
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: with the spring game. We'll be there to give you
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: updates on all of it. We'll have plenty of interviews
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: and plenty of practice updates, all that kind of fun.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: Stuft Off All spring long, Fuckin' Buckeye Football at buckeyehuddle
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: dot com. Thank you guys all for joining us. Have
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: a great day. We'll talk to you tomorrow.