One thing college football fans can agree: The Ohio State’s 2024 national championship has to be the best natty of all time. Well, at least in the modern era of college football. After losing to Michigan in rivalry week, Ryan Day’s Buckeyes turned into perfectionists and decided to roll anybody and everybody on their way to the natty; beating the Big Ten champions, the independent Irish, and two SEC giants. According to Will Howard, the former Buckeyes QB, it’s never enough for Ryan Day.

On November 9th, Ohio State super-fan page ‘TMB237’ hopped on X and shared a small preview from ‘Buckeye Brotherhood’: “From ‘Buckeye Brotherhood’ William Howard talking about early in spring after he arrived. Day is a mad man🤣”. The narration goes like this: when Will Howard transferred from Kansas State to Ohio State, he knew he had to get a lot better if he wanted to lead the Buckeyes to a championship and boost his NFL Draft chances.

Early on, he had a hard-time with deep throws and adjusting to the speed of Ohio State’s wideouts. As a big 6’4 and 225lb quarterback, his footwork wasn’t always clean. And the timing he used at K-State didn’t fit the Buckeyes’ fast-paced offense. Howard explained, “I was taking three steps and two hitches at K-State to throw the go ball. I did that the first time during spring ball with Jeremiah, and I threw it like 10 yards behind him.” Coach Ryan Day didn’t hold back, asking, “What the fuck are you doing?” Howard laughed it off later, saying, “That’s what I was taught [at Kansas State],” but Day made it clear as day: “You can’t get away with that here.”

Ryan Day is known as a perfectionist when it comes to coaching quarterbacks, and he expected nothing less than excellence from Howard or any other Buckeyes signal-caller. Ryan Day is known as a perfectionist when it comes to coaching quarterbacks, and he expected nothing less than excellence from Howard or any other Buckeyes signal-caller. This explains why Buckeye QBs always put up 40-ish tuddies a season under Ryan Day.

Day believes that by making practices harder than games, the players become tougher and more resilient. He constantly pushed Howard to be faster and more precise, yelling “Ball!” right behind his head to make sure the timing was perfect. Howard said, “He is never satisfied. Even if you throw a touchdown, if it’s not the right read. Or you used the wrong footwork, he’s going to get on your a-s, and that’s just how it is.”

Howard admitted that at times he doubted himself, saying, “There were times in the spring where I was like, ‘Man, do I even know how to freaking read coverage? Do I know how to throw a football?’” But the tough coaching paid off by the time the playoffs came calling. The Steelers QB became more confident and let it rip all the way to natty. That ‘never satisfied’ mentality didn’t stop there; it followed to their 2025 campaign.

Ryan Day and Ohio State flips a 4-star from Deion Sanders’ backyard

The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes continued their perfect season by beating the Purdue 34-10 on the road. Purdue scored first with a field goal. Ohio State responded with 34 unanswered points before Purdue scored a late touchdown. With the win, Ohio State improved to 9-0. Now, only three regular season games remain as they chase an undefeated record. They are moving closer to another Big Ten Conference championship opportunity.

While the team continues dominating on the field, Ohio State is also winning in recruiting for the future. The program got another major boost when four-star defensive lineman Emanuel Ruffin. A top player in the class of 2026, committed to Ohio State. Ruffin, who plays at Bessemer City High School in Alabama, had previously committed to Colorado back in September. However, he backed out of that commitment on November 4.

Ruffin is a highly sought-after prospect, with offers from heavyweights like Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Missouri. Instead, he decided to join the defending national champions in Columbus. This commitment adds to Ohio State’s already strong recruiting momentum. They also recently landed class of 2027 four-star lineman Kellen Wymer. Ruffin’s addition makes the future even stronger for the Buckeyes. And shows Ryan Day’s program continues attracting elite talent while they chase another natty.