COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day spoke with the media Tuesday ahead of the Buckeyes' season opener against Akron.
Saturday's game at Ohio Stadium will be the debut of newly named starting quarterback Will Howard.
In his weekly press conference from the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Day said his expectations of Howard for the first game are to "run a clean operation."
"That's ball security, that's cadence, communication...how we are converting on third down," Day said. "It's getting into the game, getting a feel for it and playing clean. That's what we're looking for in week one."
Returning starters, transfers have No. 2 Ohio State talking about another national championship
The national championship window has been thrown wide open again for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
NIL money helped keep the cupboard full of returning starters and lured other key contributors from the transfer portal. New athletic director Ross Bjork has said it cost around $20 million from donor collectives and brand affiliates to assemble this collection of players.
The way the pieces have fallen into place, including an experienced starting quarterback in Kansas State transfer Will Howard, coach Ryan Day couldn't have it much better. AP Top 25 voters recognize it, too, ranking the Buckeyes No. 2 in the preseason poll.
With TreVeyon Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State will boast one of the most formidable running back tandems in college football.
Emeka Egbuka is ready to be the No. 1 receiver after playing the shadow of Marvin Harrison Jr. the past two seasons. He had 1,151 receiving yards in 2022, but an ankle injury that required surgery limited his production in 2023.
“They're the same expectations people throw out every year when it comes to Ohio State,” Egbuka said. “It’s just more of the same. We try not to let it get into our heads. We try to stay down and keep working and recognize that you have to put everything together on the field.”
With the second-best scoring defense in the nation last season, the unit could be even better this time as seven starters return, and the addition of Alabama transfer safety Caleb Downs bolsters an experienced secondary.
The Schedule
With the addition of USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon to the Big Ten this season, schedules had to be rejiggered.
The Buckeyes open Aug. 31 against Akron and get a couple more tune-up games after that, against Western Michigan and Marshall. Big games include Iowa (Oct. 5), at Oregon (Oct. 12), at Penn State (Nov. 2) and Michigan (Nov. 30). They'll play Northwestern at Wrigley Field on Nov. 16.