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NIL Game Changers: Ryan Day Applauds Ohio State’s Success in Building a Strong Roster Through Generous Donations

Columbus, Ohio — After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan in November of last year, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day gave a dejected and hopeless postgame press conference. It was then that he undoubtedly knew that, even if he had led his team to 88 percent of its victories as head coach, he and his program would forever be remembered for their unfathomable three-year losing run against the Wolverines.

After more than four months, Day, 45, is seated in his Woody Hayes Athletic Center office, looking happy, content, and even ecstatic. Having added some of the most accomplished transfers in the country and gotten back almost every junior from Ohio State who had the option to turn pro, he gives off the confidence of a coach who is aware of how loaded his roster is.

“At Ohio State, you’ve got to beat the Team Up North and win every other game,” Day said. “If that’s the expectation every year, you like your chances a lot more when you have good players. So, might as well get the best.”

If not for NIL, Day said, “You certainly wouldn’t have seen what you’ve seen this year with us.”

Using the assistance of two collectives, The Foundation and The 1870 Society, Ohio State donors went on a spending binge after the team’s humiliating 14-3 Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri. The program “re-signed” defensive linemen JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, and Tyleik Williams, as well as running back TreVeyon Henderson, receiver Emeka Egbuka, cornerback Denzel Burke, and guard Donovan Jackson—all of whom were expected to be first- or second-round draft picks.

“Coming in, our (2021) recruiting class was very stout. We knew we were able to do something special,” said Jackson, one of six five-star signees in his class. “But at the end of three years here, we didn’t accomplish the goals that we set out to do. NIL is a controversial topic, but in this case, it gave us the reassurance to come back and get after it one more time.”

Now that the majority of his team was back, Day entered the gateway to fill in the last few gaps. Among his haul were All-Big 12 quarterback Will Howard (Kansas State), All-SEC running back Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss), rookie All-American safety Caleb Downs (Alabama), and seasoned center Seth McLaughlin (Alabama).

The backfield tandem of Henderson and Judkins could be particularly frightening. Together they’ve rushed for a combined 5,470 career yards and 63 career TDs.

“We don’t decide who’s in the portal,” Day said. “But when guys are there, we want to upgrade our roster in certain areas.”

Ohio State was not regarded as a prominent player in the NIL-fueled portal business prior to that bowl game on December 29. Actually, one of the loudest opponents of the NCAA’s efforts to rein down collective recruitment was retiring AD Gene Smith. This was two months prior to the NCAA being unable to enforce regulations that prohibit collectives from negotiating NIL arrangements with recruits, according to a ruling by a federal judge in Tennessee.

ESPN broadcaster Dave Pasch informed viewers throughout the Cotton Bowl that Ohio State would not pursue another quarterback, even after 2023 starting quarterback Kyle McCord entered the portal shortly after last year’s Michigan game and with third-string freshman Lincoln Kienholz struggling against Missouri.

After visiting Miami and USC, Howard committed to the Buckeyes five days later. Remarkably, The Foundation announced on Twitter on January 19 that Downs had committed to the Buckeyes from Alabama.

Day informed a group of investors two years prior that Ohio State’s roster maintenance would cost $13 million in non-interest funds. It is thought that the budget is even higher now.

“We had a lot of people step up and really help us,” said Day. “Gene (Smith) is obviously instrumental in this, but I made a lot of calls, and a lot of people stepped up. It just goes to show you how great the support here is.”

After deciding on the personnel, Day had one more important choice to make: he needed to locate a reputable offensive coordinator to whom he could assign play-calling for the first time in his professional life. Day called his old college coach at New Hampshire, Chip Kelly, when his first pick, Bill O’Brien, departed in February to take over as head coach at Boston College. Unexpectedly, Kelly left his position as head coach of UCLA, which was headed to the Big Ten, to work for Day. Day had previously coached Kelly at the Eagles and 49ers before joining Ohio State in 2018.

“I didn’t think of it that way,” said the 60-year-old Kelly, who enjoyed returning to his roots when he coached UCLA’s quarterbacks leading up to their bowl game. “Coaching football makes me happy. It’s as simple as that.

“I never wanted to get into athletic administration, but the head coaching job is turning into that at certain places. I have a hard time asking people for money.”

That’s Day’s job now.

When Fox broadcasts Ohio State’s spring game for the first time on Saturday, the results of all that money will be on show. Watchers will be able to follow the quarterback duels between Devin Brown, the returner, and Howard. Jeremiah Smith, a rookie receiver who has impressed so much in spring camp that coaches have even mentioned him as a starter, will make his debut appearance for them.

Despite having committed to Ohio State for over a year, Smith—the top recruit in the 2024 class—created a stir in December when he delayed signing his letter of intent until that evening on the first day of the early signing period. According to Manny Navarro of The Athletic, the explanation was that “Smith’s NIL rep was making sure whatever Ohio State’s collective had promised Smith during the recruiting process would also be in writing.”

But aside from Smith and incoming sophomores Downs and receiver Carnell Tate, nearly all of Ohio State’s starting players will be in their fourth or fifth year of eligibility. Players with at least one year of full-time starting experience might fill as many as 17 spots, almost all of them on a defense that was third in the nation in terms of yards per play allowed during the previous campaign.

All of which was an intentional push by Day.

“We’ve been talented here in the past, but when you lose guys to the NFL after three years, you can quickly get young again,” he said. “I’ve identified that the last couple of years, wanting to be talented but also wanting to be experienced. I’ve noticed some of the teams we played have been a little bit more of 21-, 22-years old, and I think that matters.”

He won’t say it, but those teams were Michigan’s.

Ohio State does, however, have two question marks, and they are perhaps the two most crucial positions, despite all that talent. The offensive line is one; they had several difficulties last season. The left side is secure thanks to the return of starting linemen Jackson and Josh Simmons, a 2023 transfer from San Diego State; however, the right side is still in turmoil.

And the quarterback comes last. Though he led K-State to the 2022 Big 12 championship and started 27 games, Howard is not mistaken for C.J. Stroud or Justin Fields. Brown, who suffered an early injury during his first career Cotton Bowl start, has not yet been surpassed by him. However, Howard also offers the staff a chance, being the first genuine dual-threat quarterback for the club since Fields in 2020.

“We felt like Will was a really good fit for our team for a lot of reasons,” said Day. “I’m kind of excited to see how he fits in with Chip’s offense.”

In some ways, “Chip’s offense” was Ohio State’s offensive at the time. Though the terminology has changed, Day’s passing game from Kelly’s 49ers, when he was hired by Urban Meyer as offensive coordinator, is essentially the same. Kelly claims that on sometimes during practice, he had to catch himself referring to a play by the incorrect name.

However, the running game is where Kelly’s influence should be most noticeable. Day’s offense at Ohio State has occasionally come under fire for being overly sophisticated; this is why his legendary Lou Holtz tirade following the team’s victory over Notre Dame last year came to pass. Even though Kelly does not run the Oregon offensive he did in the early 2010s, his UCLA teams were nonetheless known for their potent rush defense. With star tailback Zach Charbonnet trailing dual-threat quarterback Dorian Thompson Robinson in 2022, the Bruins led the nation in yards per rush (6.0).

He will now collaborate with Henderson and Judkins.

“I think (Kelly) likes some of the tools that he has to work with,” Day said with a smile. “Our pass game has been very, very successful, and his run game has been very, very successful. So as we combine the two of those, it’s been fun.”

With all that skill, the generosity of all those contributors, and the high-profile hiring of an offensive coordinator, Columbus has never seen a higher standard since Meyer’s Buckeyes were winning the 2014 national championship. While winning the national championship for Ohio State for the first time in ten years will be expected, ending the Michigan drought will be a baseline expectation. This season, the 12-team Playoff will make this goal more difficult.

“This wasn’t like it’s broken,” said Day. “The truth is, we’ve been a play or drive away for the last two years from achieving our goals. We haven’t beaten our rival the last couple of years, that’s stung, but we were one play away against Georgia (in the 2022 semifinal). We’re trying to figure out that last 1 percent, 2 percent. Those last few plays.”

Furthermore, Ohio State has invested a lot of money in trying to figure out those final few plays.

(Photo: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)

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