The beard on Ryan Day’s face covered up the usually rosy cheeks of Ohio State’s coach.
As he led his team through Monday morning’s spring practice, the first of 2020, it fit the atmosphere.
Behind the facial hair was a second-year head coach no longer faced with questions of whether he belonged. Those got answered at some point during last season’s ride that featured a demolition of Michigan, undefeated regular season, Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff berth that led to an extension that’ll keep him under contract through 2026. Curiosity about how the Buckeyes would transition from the Urban Meyer era to whatever followed have long left the discourse surrounding their head coach.