When Ohio State began spring practice on March 17, Ryan Day was worried about the toll 15 practices might take on his players’ bodies after a 16-game season. When Ohio State concluded spring practice on Saturday, Day found himself wishing the Buckeyes had 15 more spring practices.
Day’s shift in mindset from wanting to dial things back this spring to wanting as many practice reps as possible occurred rapidly and steadily over the last four weeks. While Day went into the spring saying the Buckeyes would hold fewer padded practices than past springs in the interest of prioritizing players’ health with hopes of making another national championship run this fall, he said during the final week of practices that it ended up being “one of the most physical spring balls we’ve ever had.