Ryan Day DeBrief: Ian Moore's chance to make a move, the explosion search, Earl Little impresses
What Day said after the ninth practice of spring football on Monday.
COLUMBUS — Five thoughts on what we heard from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day on Monday after practice No. 9 of the spring.
1. It’s officially go time for backup tackles Ian Moore and Carter Lowe — who may not be backups for much longer. Day confirmed Monday that starting offensive tackles Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels both had minor medical procedures and will miss the rest of spring practice. They were the starting tackles last season and the starters when spring began. They’ll be back for a full summer, Day said, so this time away is less about what they are missing and more about what the guys behind them are getting.
The backups now have a chance to prove an O-line shuffle might be in the best interests of the Buckeyes.
Day zeroed in a bit on Lowe, a second-year player, when asked about the opportunity in front of the backup tackles. When we watched practice Saturday, we thought Moore at left tackle handled his business against the first-team defensive line pretty well, while Lowe at right tackle struggled more with the step up to first-team reps. Day talked about how the defensive linemen should seize the chance with the first-team tackles out and “go after” Moore and Lowe.
“Now (Lowe is) getting reps with the ones and going against the best guys over on the other side of the ball,” Day said. “So this is a great opportunity for him and he’s got to take it and run. It’s not just the the physical part, it’s the mental part, being able to do it and then consistently do it over and over again.”
Honestly, that’s likely more a long-term conversation for Lowe — getting him ready to start in 2027. But for Moore, a third-year player, it’s about now.
“We need those guys to finish with two really good weeks of work,” Day said, “so they need to really step up for us, because not only are they playing for depth, but they’re playing for a starting position.
“Everything is on the board, and the more guys we have that can play, the more we’re going to put them in a game. We know it’s a long season, and as we’ve talked about before, playing multiple positions is important with the offensive line. Both of these guys right now are tackles and they need to step up in a big way.”
The right guard spot remains a competition for the Buckeyes, so I wanted to make sure we had the right vibe for what Day is thinking when discussing the tackle opportunity now.
If Moore (or Lowe) shows a readiness to start, could someone in the tackle group bump inside to start at guard?
“Yeah, for sure,” Day said.
He then quickly mentioned center/guard Josh Padilla, who is also injured this spring. But then he turned the answer to Siereveld.
“The good news about Austin is he has the flexibility right there,” Day said. “We’ll try to find the best five the best we can.”
Bill is on the record with his prediction that the starting offensive line in the fall will have Moore at left tackle and Siereveld sliding to right guard. This was Day confirming the real possibility of that. Moore now has a two-week window to show he’s starter quality, and if he does, it’s likely he’ll stay at left tackle. Then Siereveld could move to where he’s probably more comfortable.
This is a huge end of spring for the future of the line. The drive for Moore at left tackle is on.
2. Bill already wrote about the Buckeyes emphasizing yards after the catch in the passing game. Overall offensive explosion might be the No. 1 thing on Day’s mind this spring.
He really wants running backs running over and around guys in the second level more than last year. When the head coach gets going on the topic, he doesn’t stop. He continues to be a little frustrated that OSU running backs aren’t healthy this spring to work on it. Returning second-year backs Bo Jackson and Isaiah West have been out all spring with injuries, and Legend Bey and Turbo Rogers have also missed some practices.
Strap in. Day had a lot to say.
”Bo and Isaiah are both out for the spring and we really need those guys to get to the second level, make some people miss,” Day said. “They did a nice job as freshmen, but they’re not freshman anymore. I wish they were practicing this spring, but that is what it is.
“I think we’re going to continue to get them to the second level. They have to make people miss or run them over. And that’s just the bottom line. And if we do that, we’re going to be explosive, because then we’re forcing guys to come down in the box and then we can be explosive throwing the football.
“I think guys are working on run after the catch more than ever. I think Arthur (Smith) is doing a really good job of trying to be creative about the formations and ways that we can attack teams. So that’s been good. But at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to in the run game getting guys to the safeties and second level and making those guys miss and running them over.
“So we can certainly come up with creative plays to do that, but really it comes down to execution at the end of the day. We’ve got to make sure that we’re continually trying to get our guys in the right position to be successful. We’re getting better at the techniques it takes, because it’s usually not this exotic play that creates a good explosive. We have to be on schedule so that we can take our shots and be ahead of the chains. But it isn’t always shots that create the explosive plays. A lot of it is effort on the perimeter and blocking.
“So that is another challenge for Cortez (Hankton) and the receivers, getting to the second level and making those blocks, because that’s what turns good plays into great plays. Whether it’s a pass where we can transition to make blocks, or whether we’re blocking in the second level in the run game. That’s it. Everybody’s got to be a part of it. But we’re seeing some explosive plays and that’s important. So the combination of those two things are a focus.”
3. Day was asked a special teams question Monday (we are scheduled to talk with new special teams coach Robby Discher on Wednesday) and it allowed him to use the c-word — clutch — when it comes to new kicker Connor Hawkins.
“The games are going to come down to this and we need these guys to step up in a big way,” Day said. “So Connor is somebody who’s won, he’s been clutch. We’ve seen that before when he was a Baylor. He has experience making game-winning kicks and big kicks. So we know that’s going to come up this season.
Much was made of the kick Hawkins made at the end of practice Saturday. Lovely. But Jayden Fielding made those, also. He just didn’t make them in the games that mattered. Day said they’ll continue trying to replicate those moments in practice, but we know the only kicking that will really matter is clutch kicking in big games.
Day also likes veteran transfer long snapper Dalton Riggs. And he said returning punter Joe McGuire gets the ball off quickly but needs “to continue to get a little bit more hang time and a little bit more depth in terms of his punting,” Day said.
McGuire has averaged 42.2 yards per punt in his two seasons at Ohio Sate. There were 45 qualifying punters last season who averaged at least 43 yards per punt.
4. Saturday’s practice featured a fourth-down red-zone play where Jeremiah Smith caught a lob from Julian Sayin for a touchdown and the defense had to run as a result.
Day said that on Monday the offense had to run to make up for the fact that Smith stepped out of the back of the end zone before he made the catch, which would have negated the score.
Here Day is jokingly running through the review process that overturned the call.
5. Day was reluctant to answer when asked a generic questionsabout players on both sides of the ball who have stood out this spring.
"You're going to get me in trouble now. Parents, agents — how come you didn't name my kid?” Day joked.
He then went on to mentions transfer tight ends Hunter Welcing (Northwestern) and Mason Williams (Ohio) on offense, especially when it comes to catching passes.
“Just seeing them make a lot more plays maybe than we've seen in the past,” Day said.
On defense, he named Florida State transfer safety Earl Little Jr.
“How do you replace Caleb Downs? You can’t,” Day said. “But Earl has been doing a great job of really communicating back there. Jaylen McClain has been doing a good job back there. So that’s been exciting to watch.”
Good stuff Doug! 🙌👍
Coach Day didn’t have to run either way 🤣