Ryan Day on Buckeyes' Transfer Portal Approach This Offseason
The Ohio State Buckeyes lose significant pieces after every season, and this year is no exception. Justin Fields will be the most important player to replace, given that Ohio State now has three quarterbacks on the roster that have never thrown a collegiate pass.
But while roster attrition is a natural part of college football, the Buckeyes got some great news last week about the players that are returning to the team. Chris Olave, Thayer Munford, Haskell Garrett and Jeremy Ruckert in particular are going to make the transition from 2020 to 2021 a heck of a lot easier.
That said, there are always places where the staff is looking to upgrade. And while they've got an extremely talented freshman class coming in this year, the Buckeyes have also historically found great success in the transfer portal.
Look no further than Justin Fields and Trey Sermon.
Ryan Day was asked this morning (video above) about what his intentions are in using the portal this year and which positions he might be looking for in particular.
"I think when you look at our team right now, first off, we have a great culture," Day said. "And the first thing is when you bring anybody in, whether it's a coach or a player, they have to fit our culture. And when you go through and you look at where we've recruited in the position groups, we're pretty healthy, in most positions. So, we're always looking at that, and now more than ever Mark Pantoni and his staff are always looking to see who's out there.
"But it has to be the right fit. And we feel like there's a lot of guys in our program right now that can play for us. We just came off a very successful season and it didn't finish off the way we wanted it to, but I think there's a lot of good players in the program, and so I think we're pretty healthy.
"But that being said, we're always going to be looking to see if we can upgrade in different areas if need be. So, it's not like there's an area where we're like, 'Oh my god, we've got to get somebody there.' That's not the case, but we're always looking."
While he didn't specify the position, I have to imagine cornerback could be one of the spots the Buckeyes are looking hardest at this offseason. After the pass defense ranked No. 122 out of 127 last year, shoring up the secondary has to be a priority this offseason - either by changing personnel, scheme or coaching.
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Eleven Future Buckeyes Earn SI All-American Honors
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