COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football coach Ryan Day should have led his second day of full-pads practice in preseason camp on Wednesday.
Instead, Day dealt with the fallout of the Big Ten Conference’s decision to cancel the 2020 fall sports season and potentially move football and other sports to spring 2021.
Rather than analyzing position battles, Day’s focus now turns to other, more hypothetical roster decisions. Which Buckeye players with immediate NFL opportunities would consider returning to play in that proposed spring season? Which Buckeye players, if any, might consider jumping to another program whose conference has not yet canceled fall football?
• Transfers: This would seemingly apply most to players who have only one remaining season of eligibility and want to prove something on the field to enhance their NFL evaluations. Anyone who has graduated could conceivably leave as a graduate transfer with immediate eligibility. Even without that mechanism, the NCAA has approved hardship waivers for transfers more liberally in recent years.
Still, Day says he is not concerned about being poached.
“I’m sure some schools have reached out to our players. We have great players,” Day said. “But I don’t see how that would be possible or even safe, for someone to go play now in a few weeks.”
Day did use the concept of transfers to push again for a quick decision on the spring format. He argues that players need to know those details to make an informed decision on their future.
The Atlantic Coast, Big XII and Southeastern Conferences are the Power 5 leagues that, as of Wednesday, still plan to move forward with football this fall. Many if not most of those programs would be at their scholarship limits already.
• NFL opportunities: Asked specifically about Justin Fields, Day said his understanding from initial conversations with the Heisman Trophy favorite were that Fields wanted to see a spring schedule before making any decisions.
Such cases are one reason Day is pushing for a quick Big Ten plan for a potential spring structure.
“It is our job now with these guys to put together a schedule, a plan, quickly here, so someone like Justin can plan on the next year, the next few months,” Day said.
“... We can start the first week in January and allow players like Justin to play in-season and get ready for the draft.”
Fields obviously is not the only Buckeye in that situation. Cornerback Shaun Wade and offensive lineman Wyatt Davis are both widely projected as first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. Wide receiver Chris Olave and offensive lineman Josh Myers could be in that conversation as well.
Day is not ready to give up on Ohio State still being a quality incubator of NFL-bound talent even if no games are played again until fall of 2021. He cited the “best strength coach in America” in Mickey Marotti, the meals and other resources the program can provide year-round, continued regular COVID-19 testing and access to the coaches for meetings and instructions.
“Regardless of what happens with the NFL Draft, that’s not until next spring,” Day said. “We have everything in place in Columbus to help those guys."
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