What do Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes fear the most? Rivals? Maybe a little. But nothing haunts them more than their fans. So much so that the Buckeye alum and the ESPN College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit landed in a deep soup by tagging the fandom as “lunatic fringe.” Day and his boys are coming with a clean 7-0 slate. But they know that one slip and they will be blacklisted by the fans. Here came Day’s close pal to keep on cheering the Buckeyes to give their 100% and keep trolls at bay.

On October 24, former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett came up with an IG post. The caption is enough to lift up the Buckeyes’ players’ mood. It read, “This might be your best work right here OG aka @timwalton18 … I look forward to these every week. I listen to your messages just as much as the young guys. These kids win because of the adults that are around them. Lots of coaches who care, are passionate and connected to these kids. I see it, live it and I’m around it weekly. This is culture. @ohiostatefb.”

The attached clip had Day’s co-defensive coordinator, secondary, and cornerbacks coach, Tim Walton, reading out the rap he had written by himself. The lyrics left Day’s squad go gaga. Holding a paper in his hand, Walton read out with players circled around him. The lyrics went like, “Life ain’t easy, but everything is a blessing. If you don’t make good decisions, you’ll learn the lesson.” Rhyming on point!

The most relatable part of it? “The number one job is to teach you what you may not be knowing. So let me get this great plan and start from the beginning. No matter what you go through in life, we gotta be winning.” And no better way to make their bye week more special. 

Right now, as Day and his boys catch their breath, they have too many things on their plates to fix. The Buckeyes haven’t trailed for a single second in the second half all season, an impressive feat few teams achieve. But there’s a potential downside. With a relatively inexperienced quarterback in Julian Sayin, Day’s program may face closer games as the schedule toughens. While their stout defense, allowing just 5.9 points per game, could keep them ahead, they might eventually find themselves in situations they’re not accustomed to.

On the other hand, the Buckeyes hold the third-worst yards per punt average in the conference with 41.3, only ahead of Washington (40) and Nebraska (39.3). As they fill the loopholes, what better way of motivation than a friend?

What made Ryan Day and Maurice Clarett bond over?

Day and Clarett’s times never matched in Columbus. But so what? The Buckeyes head coach accepted Clarett with open arms as the alum returned to the sideline for games at Ohio Stadium for the first time in 21 years in January this year. Day reached out to Clarett, knowing he had helped mentor UConn men’s basketball players as the Huskies won back-to-back NCAA championships.

But what made Day and Clarett bond? On the Jim Jackson Show, the former Buckeye player recalled a conversation he had with the Buckeyes’ head coach. “He said, ‘I really called you in here because I got so much criticism from Buckeye Nation after viewing your story. I started to realize why you had your feelings toward Ohio State and the fanbase. Seeing where you’re at in your life, I actually respect it and would like to form a relationship with you,’” said Clarett. 

So, both he and Day have walked on hot coal. Looks like Clarett’s hype and Walton’s rap have hit the right spots. So much so that Day’s boys are now a mission to beat each other within the Buckeyes squad. On October 23, Big Ten Football thought of doing a fun activity as Day’s boys are now enjoying their own sweet time in practice during the bye week. 

One by one, they were asked for the answer to the same question- “Who could you beat in a 40-yard dash?” Ryan Day’s wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, came up with a fiery reply, “Who can I beat on the team? I’m just gonna say everybody.” Then came defensive end Eddrick Houston’s reply, “Oh, Eric Mensah, Dominic Kirks. We’re gonna keep going Julian Goines-Jackson, Jeremiah Smith.” If the drive comes from within the squad, who needs a pep talk from the sidelines?