After a long wait, Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day finally won the coveted national championship. The 2024 season showcased a team that played beautiful football and made every second on the field count. However, assembling the roster we saw that year wasn’t an easy task. Ryan Day had to resist significant attrition. The cost of maintaining the team was estimated to be around $20 million. This, unfortunately, attracted some negative headlines following the program’s final victory. Nevertheless, behind this $20 million figure lies a different reality—one that Ryan Day has never compromised on and remains determined to uphold.

It all began in June 2022 when an exhausted yet determined Ryan Day addressed over 100 major business owners in Columbus, Ohio. The introduction of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) had just occurred, and Day understood that without significant financial support from local businesses, his players would leave for other opportunities. At that time, the cost to retain his team was estimated at $13 million. During his speech, the head coach famously remarked, “If the speed limit is 45 miles per hour and you drive at that speed, many people will pass you by. If you go too fast, you’ll get pulled over.“

The statement showcased the mentality and the vision that Day had envisioned two years prior to winning the championship. Day gradually established deals with the help of major NIL collectives like The Foundation and The 1870 Society and finally created a winning roster that would feature players like Quinshon Judkins and Will Howard. But even amid this aggressive and meticulous NIL journey, Day never forgot what OSU stood for.

Most of the players in Ohio State’s 2024 roster were homegrown, except Howard and Judkins, as Ryan Day pointed out in a recent interview. Ryan Day dismissed the negative media portrayal of the $20 million tag and said “The value of being an Ohio State football player is because of the brand, because of the market, and because of our fan base.” But at last, Ryan Day declared the exclusivity that comes with being a player of Ohio State and summarized it in 5 apt words: “Ohio State is not for everybody.”

The verdict was Ryan Dayesque, blunt but real. Even after spending extensively on NIL deals, the head coach has never compromised on the exclusivity that comes with being an Ohio State player. The head coach reiterated the principles after their national win, being “loyalty,” “resilience,” and “hard work.” Moreover, the head coach is roping in the players with the same mindset, too.

Ohio State’s recruitment of players like Caleb Downs from Alabama and Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss is proof of that. These are the players who, in Ryan Day’s words, had “something to prove,” and the head coach’s echo of the same came in handy in recruiting them, even when the players had better offers on the table. Furthermore, team culture is something that still reigns paramount for Day and anyone, as even Chip Kelly last year reiterated, building relationships was important for Day rather than chasing talent blindly.

No love lost for Julian Sayin at Ohio State?

Everyone acknowledges how Will Howard exceeded expectations as a quarterback, amassing over 4,000 yards with an impressive 73% completion rate. He played a crucial role in the strategies of both Ryan Day and Chip Kelly last year, alongside Jeremiah Smith and Quinshon Judkins. Now, Howard has made the leap to the NFL after being drafted by the Steelers. In his absence, the Buckeyes are staring at a QB dilemma featuring three players. Julian Sayin, Lincoln Keinholz, and true freshman QB Tavien St. Clair.

However, in a recent statement, Ryan Day has clarified his stance on his QB1. “I feel like Julian and Lincoln are ahead of Tavien right now. Tavien’s got a lot of upsides but is just a little bit behind, only having 15 practices. Julian has a year in the system; Lincoln, too. You know, I said it the other day in the press conference: I feel like Lincoln was ahead of Julian going into the spring game, and I thought Julian had a better spring game than Lincoln. So it’s back and forth.”

Julian Sayin undoubtedly exceeded expectations this spring, completing 17 out of 24 passes for 175 yards in the final spring game. However, Kienholz was right behind him, finishing with 12 completions out of 18 attempts for 158 yards. On the other hand, Tavien St. Clair, who arrived as a five-star prospect, faces a challenging year ahead. The freshman quarterback completed 11 of 15 passes for 116 yards but may need to wait for more playing time, as dividing reps among three quarterbacks will be a difficult task.