The Ohio State head coach, Ryan Day, has a big day this weekend as the Buckeyes’ spring game is happening this Saturday, April 18. With the running back room decimated, Ohio State’s spring game will become a pass-heavy showcase. This puts a massive spotlight directly on quarterback Julian Sayin, who now faces a crucial test without a reliable ground game to lean on.

On April 14, Ryan Day held his last press conference before the Buckeyes’ spring game. Since it was the best time to ask about key player injury updates, one of the reporters asked Day to drop a word or two about the return of former QB-turned-RB, Legend Bey. The head honcho delivered not-so-good news:

“[Legend Bey] is getting back. I don’t know if he’ll be able to be ready by Saturday, but it’s been a hamstring injury that’s been bothering him for a couple weeks now,” Ryan Day said. “And you know, he’s been rehabbing. He’s not quite there, ready to go yet, but our guys are working.”

Day noted that Bey is getting back but isn’t quite ready for full contact yet. So it’s very unlikely he would suit up and get multiple reps in this weekend’s spring game because hamstrings can be tricky and linger; a little tweak here or there would massacre his entire season. So, the staff is a bit cautious, and their priority is to ensure that he is healthy for the fall.

The interviewer doubled down and asked what a healthy Bey would bring to the table for him.

“Well, we’ll see, you know, but he certainly has talent. You know, his talent is his explosiveness, his quickness, he has vision,” Ryan Day said. “So, you know, that’s exciting. You can see that on his film. But then, once he’s out here, you can see that as well. You know, as always, the areas that we focus on are discipline and skill. You know, the skill to play the position and the discipline. We consider discipline as everything that you weren’t born with. And so that’s, you know, effort, focus, work ethic, like all those things, and then the skill.”

Legend Bey is a bit behind where they’d like him to be, mostly because making the jump from high school quarterback to a Big Ten running back or a receiver is a big ask. The transition takes a lot of reps to learn the footwork and blocking needed for the position. However, the hamstring injury has robbed him of those valuable practice snaps.

Because of that, the coaches are taking their time to determine where he fits best. Bey’s injury adds more bad luck to the running back group. Other backs like Bo Jackson, Isaiah West, and Turbo Rogers are also hurt, so the Buckeyes are very short of running back going into the scrimmage. Instead of spiraling down with headaches, Ryan Day plans to use this chaos for the evaluation of QBs and the front seven.

Ryan Day’s masterclass

“Point of evaluation on all the guys is really what it would be. You know, listen, the running backs probably won’t have three of those guys out there. They probably know four of them. You know, Turbo is probably not going to make it. Legend’s probably not going to make it, so backs,” Ryan Day said. “So you have to throw the ball some, which is good for the quarterbacks to get the ball out of their hands and see how they handle the environment.”

Normally, a team tries to keep a balance between running and passing, but in this case, they will probably throw the ball more often. This gives the quarterbacks, like Julian Sayin, a really good chance to show what they can do.

Julian Sayin needs a strong performance to gain ground in the ongoing quarterback battle. With key rushers sidelined, the defense will dial in exclusively on the passing attack. How Saying handles this concentrated pressure could make or break his case for the starting job this fall.

It’s also become easier for Day and his staff to see who’s actually legit in the pass-catching department. At the same time, the offensive line also gets tested because they have to protect the quarterback for longer. They need it more than any other unit because of their postseason struggles. Overall, Ryan Day just wants to see how all the players react and perform in this state of environment.