The celebrations following the Ohio State Buckeyesâ victory in the National Championship Game are still ongoing, although there are also moments of reflection within the program. Ryan Day was one of the authoritative voices to make it clear how crucial offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was in securing the title for his team.
The Buckeyesâ offense, led primarily by Will Howard and Jeremiah Smith, was undoubtedly one of the most solid and explosive throughout the College Football season. According to the head coach, the addition of Kelly as offensive coordinator was key to the development of their game.
âVery excited to see, you know, a big smile on his face after the game,â Day said to the press of Kelly, once the game concluded. âYou know, for him to come and leave the head coaching position, to come work with me meant a lot, because heâs obviously someone whoâs a mentor to me, and certainly would not be where I am without him, and he has just a great feel for the game. He really helped me this year (and I) spent more time outside of the quarterback room.
âCertainly I was involved very much with the offense, but it allowed me to spread out a little bit and spend more time with the guys on defense, again, not as much as Iâd like to, but still enough to just bounce in and out. And I think it brought us all together.â
Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks coach Chip Kelly talking during warmups before the game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio.
Ryan Day thanks the entire team for their hard work
Often, when a team wins a title, the head coach becomes the face of the victory. In this case, Ryan Day didnât want to miss the opportunity to thank the entire teamâs efforts within the program, after having an outstanding season and capping it off with a title following their victory over Notre Dame.
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âAnd I think the guys would agree and wouldnât have got that done without Chip (Kelly). But I also want to just make sure that I recognize the guys on offense, you know, the offensive staff, I think will will tell you between Brian Hartline, Justin Fry, Kenan Bailey, Billy Fessler, you know, Carlos Laughlin, you know, go through all the different guys in that room. We got a great staff in there. And I thought, again, they came up with a great game plan, but they work at it. I mean, work their tails off at this thing. And, you know, it really showed itself ⊠When you get in the playoffs âŠ
âIt becomes almost what I feel, almost more like the NFL. You got to wipe the slate clean, and you got to, you got to put a whole new game plan together in about 10 days, and you got to go put it on the field. And hats off to our coaches.â
A key player stays with the Buckeyes for the upcoming season
Looking ahead to whatâs next, the Ohio State Buckeyes are starting to plan for the start of the next season, with the main goal of defending the title they won just a few days ago. The good news for Ryan Day is that one of his key players has confirmed his return for the upcoming season.
According to College Football reporter Pete Thamel, via his X account, cornerback Davison Igbinosun will be under Ryan Dayâs command once again, as he wonât enter the NFL Draft.
âOhio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun will return to Ohio State in 2025, he told ESPN. He did not file paperwork to enter the NFL Draft, which was due today for OSU/Notre Dame players. âIâm coming back to school to be a first-round draft pick,â he told ESPN,â Thamel stated.
