Ohio State's Ryan Day Compares College Football Changes to Dinosaurs Dying
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Ohio State is set to lose a considerable amount of its defensive talent from last season to the 2026 NFL Draft.
After reaching the College Football Playoff quarterfinal with a young offense, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day made an aggressive push in the transfer portal to reload the defense as the Buckeyes look to make a run to the CFP in 2026.
Per 247Sports, Ohio State ranked No. 5 in recruiting for the transfer portal in 2026, landing 17 players.
While Day understands the value of recruiting kids out of high school, he's faced with the certain reality that transfers can mean the difference between being a championship contender or going to a bowl in the postseason.
On Tuesday, Day told reporters that college football is sort of like dinosaurs. Programs have to adapt or they'll die.
“I watched that Netflix documentary on the dinosaurs,” Day said, via On3. “If you want to feel insignificant, watch that because it talks about how the dinosaurs were on Earth, like, 250 million years ago. Throughout time … the world changed, the climate changed, the Earth changed.
"Some dinosaurs figured out how to continue to adapt and some died. I guess that’s a little extreme, but I think it’s kind of the way it is in college football. The people who know how to adapt are going to continue to move on and the ones who don’t, they die."
Day wants transfer players to appreciate what it is to be a member of the Buckeyes. Ohio State is trying to build relationships with mercenaries for hire.
“Obviously, there’s been relationships built," Day said. "Doesn’t guarantee anything, but it’s not just random. I think that’s intentional, but there’s no question that these guys haven’t played for the Buckeyes before.
"I mentioned it out there, there’s guys in that group right there that have scars here, that have had success here, and there’s a lot of guys that haven’t played one snap here yet. All that comes in, into play this season."
The phenomenon has worked with assistant coaches. Day is on his third offensive coordinator in as many seasons. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is in his second season with Ohio State, coaching one of the best units in college football last season.
If coaches can adapt to Ohio State, there's no doubt athletes can too.
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