Both types of recruitment came to be defined, at least at times, by the specter of reward in the form of payments for names, images, and likenesses. This brought even more landmines to the already dark landscape.
All the while, Day lives up to the expectations of the Ohio State fan base. One of his predecessors, John Cooper, once said:
Day was warned about that before he took over at Urban Meyer on Jan. 2, 2019, but over the past two years, he’s come to believe that he’s definitely from New England.
The Buckeyes have only lost three times, but they definitely couldn’t afford to lose for three days. A major inter-conference showdown with Oregon and his two conferences with Michigan.
They are trying to clean up his team, and the fanbase is disappointed and questioning their team’s place in the college football pecking order and Day’s ability to maintain it.
In announcing that he would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, Cooper also revealed another truth that would come in handy for Day more than others. He confessed that he felt pretty good that the team was going to come out on top thanks to the recruitment program he had put in place.
Meyer and Day stepped up its manipulation after Jim Tressel’s tweaks, making it more likely than ever to be true and making the loss even more pronounced.
“I mean, we all have certain expectations and we all have goals,” Day said. “And if you don’t reach those goals, you have to identify what those are in order to deal with them. Not only will you be aware, but you will get a very good idea of where everyone is and where you stand in the program.
“Because when things are going well, everyone is by your side. And when something goes wrong, you know where people stand. I think I have a pretty good feeling about
Day’s players spent a year recovering from Ohio State’s first loss to Michigan since 2011.
On the Recruiting Trail, another top 10 effort has been building for over a year, but Day’s class has suffered some losses in recent weeks and the Buckeyes have made several attempts that could make the class even better. You beat a potential customer.
In the meantime, a second loss in years to Michigan devastated the Buckeyes, but did not keep them out of the national championship race.
December thus gave plenty of reasons to feel good about the state of things and optimism for the future on both fronts.
Still, there’s still some question as to what happens next.
If Ohio State doesn’t finish in the biggest recruiting battle, can the Buckeyes keep pace with the Southeastern Conference beasts?
Did the Buckeyes make the playoffs just to lose healthy to Georgia on New Year’s Eve?
If they can no longer control Michigan, are there more problems on the horizon?
It may not have been a good time off to let the fans’ minds wander, but Day said what the players need to do to give their best against the Bulldogs and make 2022 sound their best. I hope it helped you find one.
“I would say that the people who have been in this program have been working really hard for the last month,” says Day. “If you look at the 19[recruits]that we brought here, they are some of the best players in the country and they understand what is going on here and we are here. I understand the incredible culture that we have.I see a lot of transfers going on.Look at our team.Why?I think it’s because we have a strong culture here. Guys appreciate the way they are developed and all that sort of thing.
“Life doesn’t always go as planned, year after year, season after season. It’s what you’re guessing.
The recent loss to Michigan may have come as a shock, but the college football playoffs offer an unprecedented second chance.
“We’re not going to overreact,” Day said. “As painful as that loss is, we are not going to overreact to it. We’re putting it in and trying to adapt to what’s happening across the country, and even though it hurts to lose that game, I know the program is in a great place. It’s a yearly goal and we can’t walk away from it, but at the end of the day, there are really good people in this program, we have really good talent, good coaches, and really good coaches. We are hiring.”
game on saturday
Ohio v Georgia, 8pm, ESPN, 1410