Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says Jeremiah Smith is “Bigger, Stronger and Faster,” Quarterback Competition Still a Tight Race at Big Ten Media Days

Every year, it starts the unyielding somersault toward the first game, with preseason camp on the horizon. With that somersault comes hype for the sophomore season of Jeremiah Smith, and Day added to it on Tuesday by saying his star wide receiver is “bigger, stronger and faster” than a year ago.

Day also touched on Ohio State’s quarterback competition, Brian Hartline’s progression as an offensive coordinator and his hiring of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

• Day began by recognizing the work of Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and thanking the Ohio State fanbase.
• Day recognized the academic achievements of his team, including last season’s perfect APR score.
• From the first week of the offseason, Day has seen his 2025 squad work to build a new foundation after losing so many cogs of its 2024 national championship team. “The team that we have currently wants to leave their own legacy behind. … We’re not defending national champions because we aren’t defending anything.”
• On Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles representing the Buckeyes at Big Ten Media Days: “The three guys that we have here are tremendous young men. … All three guys are a great representation of what it means to be a Buckeye.”
• In concluding his opening statement, Day said, “It’s an honor to be the head coach at Ohio State, and I don’t take that lightly.”
• On the next step for Smith: “He’s gotten bigger and stronger and faster than he was last year. … He just sets such a standard. And you don’t need to motivate Jeremiah. … He may not be an older guy, he may not be vocal in terms of his leadership, but what he does on the field speaks for himself. … He deserves an opportunity to be here today and that’s why he’s here.”
• On the defense and new coordinator Matt Patricia: “I’m very excited about our defense and what we’re doing. We wanted to keep continuity there, and that’s one of the reasons it took us a very long time in the process, hiring Matt. … Matt has his own background and things that he likes … he’ll have his changes, but we want to keep the structure of what we’ve had in the past and keep that going.”
• On Smith guaranteeing he wouldn’t lose to Michigan again: “He’s very, very competitive and he’s not used to losing. We lost the first game to Oregon and he was angry. … He expects every single game. He expects to win every drill that he’s in. … When he tells you something, you can believe it.”
• Day still views Ohio State’s quarterback competition as neck and neck. “I think both guys have gotten stronger. … We’re going to put them in as many competitive situations as we possibly can.”
• On Brian Hartline: “He’s grown from a really good player to a really good coach, now the next step in the progression is to become a really good coordinator. … Maximizing our players, making adjustments in-game. … Working hand-in-hand with Tyler (Bowen) will be good.”

Following his 15-minute televised press conference, Day fielded questions on a wider array of topics during a 45-minute breakout session at one of the stages in Las Vegas.

• On what he wants to see be done better from his team from last year: “It’s really not about comparing last year to this year, it’s really about maximizing ourself and finding our own way.”
• On Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs: “Jeremiah certainly requires a lot of attention, so he makes everybody else on the field better because of that. … On defense, Caleb is like a coach out there, somebody who sets an example not only on the field, but off the field of how he handles himself.”
• Day wants to put as much pressure as he can on Ohio State’s quarterbacks so they know what it’s like to be the quarterback in Columbus. “As much as possible.”
• On last year being perceived as the roster that NIL built and what will define this year’s team: “I don’t think we really listen to a lot of that stuff. … That never really decided who we were as a team. … The fourth- and fifth-year seniors are the guys who really galvanized the team. … We want an angry team playing against Texas in 39 days. … We’re all excited to see what this team looks like.”
• Day thinks it can click for a quarterback late in the process. “It didn’t happen for Will (Howard) until he got into the preseason last year.”
• Asked to name what he likes about each quarterback: “Start with Tavien, he certainly has the size, the makeup. … Julian … he’s very competitive, he has good athleticism he’s accurate. … Lincoln, he’s a super athlete. You pick a sport, he can do it.”
• On the future of revenue sharing and NIL: “Things have changed year after year. … We all understand how the revenue share is working, how it’s going to work. I think what we’re all looking for clarity on is how the third-party NIL deals will be enforced going forward. … We want to make sure we’re doing right by Ohio State, but we want to be aggressive.” Overall, day called for clarity on NIL deals and what the exact paramets are to clear them through the clearinghouse.
• On whether there should still be collectives: “I don’t know. … I’m excited to find out what the rules are so I can play by them, and whether they’ll be enforced. The gray is what drives me insane.”
• On how NIL uncertainty has impacted the current class: “I think the class that we’ve recruited is a strong class. … We’re gonna continually figure out how we fit into this thing.”
• Day said it’s been helpful for Ohio State to learn from Matt Patricia how the NFL handles salary with its salary cap. He wants starters to be paid more than backups for culture, but recognizes there will be exceptions to that rule. “I think culture is going to be very, very important as we build on this.”
• Day confirmed that Ohio State has turned NIL deals into the clearinghouse that have been accepted and others that have been denied.
• Patricia’s ability to mold different defenses around his players with the New England Patriots is something that appealed to Day. “When you look at the Patriots and what he did there, it wasn’t always the same system. … The feedback we’ve gotten from recruits and players has been excellent.”
• On defensive tackles and the depth: “Some of those guys have had very good springs (and summers) … now they’ve gotta go do it.” Day said Ohio State weighed transfer portal options, but decided based on its evaluations that its best bet was to stick with the players it had, maximize them and develop them.
• Day said that Will Smith Jr. is a defensive tackle who has stepped up “in a big way.”
• When Day brought Sayin in, he told him that he’d make no guarantees of playing time and that he’d have to work for everything he gets. “He’s done that. He’s working, he’s getting better every day.”
• Day said the decision not to hand over play calling to Brian Hartline in 2023 had more to do with wanting to remain involved with then-quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown than any shortcoming on Hartline’s part.
• Day joined the other Big Ten coaches and Petitti in calling for four automatic qualifiers for the Big Ten, but also called for the SEC and Big Ten to play the same number of conference games. “When you play nine conference games, it’s not the same as someone who plays eight conference games. … It’s one more loss for the entire conference. That’s different. … In my opinion, it isn’t great for football when you have one that plays eight games and one that plays nine games.”
• On Austin Siereveld: “Austin’s been great. Austin’s been one of those leaders. … He’s going to be a part of our offense in a big way. … There’s a lot of confidence with those guys (on the offensive line) that they played in those four games (during the CFP).”
• On Ethan Onianwa’s progression this offseason: “He’s gotten better, more flexible, quicker, lost weight and he’s gotten more comfortable with the offense.”
• Day feels strongly that coaches shouldn’t be allowed to be on the road recruiting while other teams play in the CFP and that the transfer portal shouldn’t open until after the season.
• The fact that teams could tamper without enforcement to go after Ohio State’s players after the CFP run created a scramble, Day said. “We were playing catch-up mode.”
• Day didn’t have any comment on Oregon’s lawsuit against Carlos Locklyn.
• Day says Ohio State’s running backs have a chance to be a “special room.” “I think CJ (Donaldson) has really changed his body. … I think all of them, across the board, have a chance to be three-down backs and that’s really exciting.”
• Day said it took time for Ohio State’s offense to get things together after injuries to Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin last season. “It took us a few weeks to get our feet underneath us and figure out what worked with those guys. … It took a little time to figure that out. … That group, you could see in the Tennessee game, was big on gap scheme, counter was big in that game.”
• On how to beat Michigan: “By scoring more points on them.”
• Day said that tight end Bennett Christian is a player who’s taken a big step as a leader, but wide receiver Carnell Tate has taken the biggest step in that regard of anybody.
• On whether the baseline of talent to win championships in the current era has lowered after the spread of NIL and revenue sharing and different, new schools getting top recruits: “It’s to be determined. … We’re still recruiting at a very high level. … It’s just a different format, and to your point, with the revenue sharing, that’s equal where I think the delta can be with the third-party NIL.”
• The CFP model will impact which opponents Ohio State schedules going forward, Day said.
• On what it’s like to be involved in his son, RJ’s, recruiting process: “You learn a lot. … The one thing I’ve learned is people have great facilities … but it’s all about the people. Who’s gonna raise my son, who’s gonna raise your son on a daily basis.”
• On whether Jeremiah Smith would be the No. 1 receiver for an NFL team right now: “I think the rule is in place for a reason. He’s 19 years old, there’s a maturity. … At his age, he’s further along than anyone I’ve ever seen.”