COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ryan Day said he and his team faced a difficult weekend with many players still hurting after the death of former quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
According to Florida Highway Patrol, Haskins was attempting to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 in South Florida on foot when he was hit by a dump truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Haskins was reportedly in Florida training with his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates.
"It's hard to wrap your mind around something like this especially when it’s just happened so tragically to a young person. Especially somebody who had such a big heart,” Day said on Monday.
Haskins, who was the starter in 2018, led Ohio State to a 13-1 record including a Big Ten Championship and a victory over Washington in the Rose Bowl in Urban Meyer’s final season.
With his 4,843 passing yards and 50 touchdowns, Haskins was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy where he finished third in the voting.
In the Big Ten Conference, he was named offensive player of the week a record six times and awarded the Silver Football Award, given to the conference’s best player.
Along the way, Haskins broke several Ohio State and Big Ten records including the single-season passing and touchdown records.
Day, who was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for Haskins, said he was a man of faith and had good integrity and values.
He added the first thing anyone noticed about Haskins was the fact everyone loved to be around him because he uplifted others.
He added that Haskins had a smile that was infectious and had an old soul about him.
“Somebody who was young and very, very talented on the field. Just had a gift for throwing the football but sometimes when you were talking to him you felt like you were talking to a 45-year-old, 50-year-old man, just the way he approached life in general,” he said.
Day said his best memories of Haskins will be those day-to-day, private things they shared. His favorite on-the-field moment came when Haskins led the team to a comeback overtime win at Maryland.
"I thought that was the game where he really grew up. I think he had three rushing touchdowns in that game…That was back in his home state and he wasn't going to be denied that day."
When asked about his legacy, Day talked about the video of Haskins when he was 11-years-old, touring the facilities at Ohio State where he said this is where he was going to play.
"I think that's the legacy he's going to leave behind to so many other younger people across the country, not in just Buckeye Nation, that you can set a dream and goal and go achieve it,” Day said. "He set a dream and he chased it and he did it."
Day said the program will have a tribute at this Saturday’s Spring Game with decisions still being finalized.
"Buckeye Nation meant a lot to Dwayne. I think having everyone there on Saturday is significant,” Day said.
To purchase tickets to the Spring Game, click here.
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