Ohio State coach Ryan Day will have one of the most difficult Big Ten schedules to contend with next season after the conference released the fixture list last week. After being dethroned as both Big Ten and national champions by the all-conquering Indiana Hoosiers, the Buckeyes face an uphill task to regain their titles next season.
What Concerns Did One Analyst Reveal for Ryan Day’s Ohio State?
Despite retaining a large portion of their talent from last season and recruiting well through the transfer portal, the Buckeyes also faced significant turnover among fringe players from the portal.
During Monday’s segment of the “Joel Klatt Show,” Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt revealed why he was concerned for Day’s Buckeyes with their tough schedule next season.
“That schedule is daunting. You’ve got Indiana, Oregon, those two teams could start the year at No. 1 & No. 2, maybe No. 3 in the country,” Klatt said. “USC is gonna be knocking on the door of the top ten. Michigan was in my top ten, Texas was in my top ten and Iowa certainly will be a top 25 team
“Ohio State, I’m concerned about depth for them. After the portal closed and the dust settled for Ohio State, there was a lot of movement. I know they didn’t lose a lot of their stars, but they lost a lot of depth pieces. If you don’t stay healthy, it is too difficult right now because the talent has dispersed. Not even Ohio State can stockpile the talent.”
The Big Ten expanded from a 14-team to an 18-team conference in 2024 after adding UCLA, USC, Washington and Oregon. Alongside a non-conference game against the Texas Longhorns, the Buckeyes will play marquee road games against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Indiana Hoosiers, and the USC Trojans.
Day Satisfied With Buckeyes’ Portal Recruitment
During an appearance on “97.1 The Fan” on Sunday, Day revealed his satisfaction with the Buckeyes’ portal recruitment and the roster in place in Columbia ahead of next season.
“One thing that is good about it is now that the portal is closed, we kind of know where our team is and we have almost all of them here for the spring season, which is great,” Day said. “So, we had a bunch of freshmen come in and now we’ve had a bunch of the portal guys come in. So, we know what our team is and we can go to work. That part is good.”
Most importantly for Day and the Buckeyes is the retention of the explosive duo, quarterback Julian Sayin and the talented Jeremiah Smith, for a second consecutive season, working together with the former as a starter.
