Ryan Day is in his second season as head coach at Ohio State.
Day holds a 23-1 record that includes winning three contests during the 2018 season when he served as interim head coach for the Buckeyes in replace of Urban Meyer.
After spending time with Day on the evening of the 2020 College Football Playoff national championship game, the same day as the AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, Vols Wire has studied Ohio State’s head coach and his offense throughout the last year between playoff appearances.
One year later, Day is set to take on Alabama in the 2021 College Football Playoff national championship game.
“I think kind of the art of coaching college football is adjusting your scheme to utilize the personnel that you have at that moment,” Day told Vols Wire ahead of playing Alabama in the national championship game. “We recruit the best players and then adjust our scheme. That’s the coach’s job, to put them in the best position to be successful.
“We have certain philosophies that don’t change, but the way you get there sometimes does, whether you’re in one tight end, two tight ends, four wideouts. It changes year after year how you attack coming out of the gates, and you want to put guys in position to be successful. Also, with your offensive line, what style of offensive line do you have, what kind of backs do you have, what kind of quarterback do you have, and so then you have to evolve. We don’t just say, here’s our system and start plugging guys in. We try to adapt year after year.”
Going into spring practices, Day starts from scratch with his offense based on adapting to his roster.
At this time he identifies who the best players are and uses them. This process is also referred to as his Bucket organization. During the offseason he wants his player-personnel to go through base plays at minimum 100 times in preparation for the season.
His offense features a tight zone where the running back is ready to follow the center going downhill. In a tight zone, there can be up to six different variations. Raider is reading the backside defensive end, Cowboy is blocking the C-gap with a tight end, Buccaneer takes place by reading a defensive end when the tight end blocks a B-gap overhang.
Midzone is where the running back aims for the inside of the guard, providing a wide play. Day’s offense features up to six variations of midzone blocking. This is typically used based on matchups with the opponent each week.
Outside zone is also schemed to get the ball on the field-side.
All three zones have different landmarks, but with the same identifications.
In gap zone, Day stresses to have a power scheme, where a guard pulls and blocks downhill. A counter scheme is also present in a gap zone.
Day’s base offense also showcases a perimeter running game with plays such as a speed sweep.
In a weekly game plan, Day prepares with two tight zones, two mid zones, one outside zone, power, counter and up to two perimeter runs.
The base plays are practiced and worked on during the offseason, so that Day’s player personnel understands it thoroughly for the season. The plays are implemented into a specific game plan each week based on the opponent’s different looks and weaknesses.
This approach eliminates being within early stages of game week and inserting new plays that his player personnel has not practiced in detail.
Day does not feel that a student-athlete can execute at a high level only knowing a new play or concept based on practicing it for three days during game week.
Day’s preparation during the offseason also looks at what his offense can potentially see during the season. He prepares for various looks such as stunts and fronts his players could see during the fall.
His passing concepts are installed the same way.
Short plays are a base concept in Day’s offense. Shorts allow for the quarterback to get the ball out his hands in the quick game. Day stresses for an 80 percent completion percentage in the short game. Slants and hitches are executed a lot. Short plays are also consistent of the quarterback being able to get out of the pocket with naked or bootleg ability. RPO and screen plays fall under short plays, as well.
Mediums are routes that showcase five-step, high-low execution, such as outside triangles attacking the flat and a cornerback. Mirror routes provide one-on-one matchups on the outside with out-routes, comebacks and go-routes.
Crossers are used a lot when Ohio State plays a man coverage defense. Mesh plays are also seen throughout Day’s offense.
Isolation plays are when the X-receiver and the H-back are trying to become open or are in one-on-one matchups to have the ball in their hands. Floods and four verticals are used a lot, too.
Down-the-field passing attempts are also featured, and a priority in Day’s offense. Day’s importance of having a strong, physical running game can allow for the opposition to have a run fit close within the box and he will then attack downfield in the passing game.
Situational plays are also worked on during the offseason routinely with redzone and two-minute offense.
Before arriving at Ohio State, Day spent time coaching in the NFL (2015-16) under Chip Kelly. Kelly served as Day’s college offensive coordinator at New Hampshire.
Day coached at Boston College in two separate stints; as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2013-14 and as wide receivers coach between 2007-11.
Todd Fitch, Vanderbilt’s interim head coach and offensive coordinator in 2020, served as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator under Day from 2013-14 at Boston College.
Fitch mentioned he is not surprised Day is having success as Ohio State’s head coach.
“If you work with him, or have been around him for the time I was, it doesn’t shock me that he has handled this situation as well as he has over the last two years, and how it all happened for him with Coach Meyer resigning and all that,” Fitch said of Day on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days.” “He is a really smart man and understands what is going on around him, it’s just not football, it’s people and how you handle situations.
“He has branched out in the passing game a lot more than what we did there, just pure talent level they have there at Ohio State, especially with the skill players. The core of the run game and the style of the running game that they use, especially now that the Sermon kid is taking off for them, is very similar. The terminology and the way they are doing things, it looks like it is very similar. The roots of where he is from, and what he believes in are still the same, but they have been able to grow in the passing game, especially in the last two years — even when he was the coordinator three years ago. They have had such great receiver play there, it’s been able to really put the ball in the air and let those guys play on the perimeter, which has only added to the explosiveness of the offense.”
Villanova offensive line coach and running game coordinator Sean Devine coached alongside Day in two separate stints.
In 2002, he was offensive line coach while Day oversaw tight ends at New Hampshire. From 2009-12, Devine served as Boston College’s offensive line coach, while Day was the Golden Eagles’ wide receivers coach.
“At UNH, Chip (Kelly) took over and introduced the spread offense, the no-huddle, tempo-type deal, so Ryan quarterbacked in that offense — the verticals game, the shallow crossers and all the different type of beaters for different types of coverages that you could have,” Devine said on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days.” “Chip was certainly well schooled in that and he certainly shared his knowledge with Ryan, and Ryan has a great intuition of the game.
“Then we went to Boston College and it was a different style. It was a pro-style offense. We were huddled — 12-personnel, two tight ends, a fullback — so two different styles. The pass game was more of a play-action, down-the-field take a shot, combined with the power run game. Ryan has been around different styles of football and I think he is doing what his kids can do — he is schooled in a lot different types of football.”
Maine head coach Nick Charlton served as a graduate assistant at Boston College alongside Day and Fitch from 2013-14.
Charlton joined the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” and discussed his career and coaching at Boston College.
Charlton coaches similar principles to Day and Fitch, with means of attacking the middle and having shallow crossing routes. His offense also features a physical running game that allows for two tight end sets. The offense also has power and zone-gap run schemes.
Day’s first stint as an assistant at Boston College took place from 2007-11. Jeff Jagodzinski hired Day as his wide receivers coach. Jagodzinski also joined the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” to discuss Day.
“Tennessee Two-A-Days” shows can be listened to below with Fitch, Devine Charlton and Jagodzinski.
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