Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day challenges his players as he ups he ante on the famous Ohio State grading system
A challenge was made by Ohio State Buckeyes' head coach Ryan Day on Tuesday inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
When speaking with the media, Day revealed that he has upped the ante for his players. The threshold for his players to be graded as a "Champion" increased from 80 percent to 83 percent.
The rationale? Day says, "we feel like we need to up the ante and execution."
To me, that is coach language for, "my players are consistently grading out as a Champion because they are playing such good football.
Looking at the program's roster, there are at least five guys on either side of the football that you would be hard-pressed to find a missed assignment anywhere.
Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) on X
Ryan Day said Ohio State has increased the standard for grading out as a champion from 80% to 83%, because “we feel like we need to up the ante and the execution.”
Quarterback Julian Sayin has made one legitimate mistake in the past seven weeks, and star wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate have yet to miss an assignment. Transfer portal addition Max Klare is playing great football, and Austin Seriveld is doing his job up front next to Luke Montgomery.
On defense, pick your poison. All four positions up front and their depth have acted like brick walls against the run this season. Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese are both playing like first-round draft picks, with Reese looking like a top-5 pick.
Behind both of those groups is likely the best player in the entire sport, Caleb Downs. The highly-touted safety commands the back of the defense with veteran cornerback Davison Igbinosun, who is playing at an elite level.
I have a feeling that Day had to up the ante for his championship grade because he has a bunch of champions running around in the field for him.
While this is slightly in jest, the reality is that it is time for the Buckeyes to turn up the urgency. The month of November is when the pretenders are separated from the contenders. The momentum from the start of the year has worn off, the air is colder, and the attention starts to shift.
Ohio State Buckeyes Turn the Corner to Finish The Season | Bucks Dominate NFL | UCLA Defense Prep
The Ohio State Buckeyes turn the corner to the homestretch of the season as they welcome the UCLA Bruins into the Horseshoe on Saturday Night. The Bruins com...
The real teams buckle down and turn up the urgency, the fake ones fade into the background.
If anyone knows what it takes at this time of year, it is these Buckeyes. All of the main contributors had their hands in the 2024 trophy, and they went through a tough journey last year.
Now, the Buckeyes gave their attention squarely to their next opponent, the UCLA Bruins. However, the program will keep a peripheral on the Michigan Wolverines. The Buckeyes know that they need to take care of business against UCLA and Rutgers, but the players understand that they need to take down the Wolverines on Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The Buckeyes won't overlook their opponents because their coach won't let them. Day has upped the urgency inside this building; we'll see how the players respond.