Jeremiah Smith cuts toward the sideline as Brian Hartline prepares to fire a pass during Thursday’s opening drills. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Ryan Day liked the tone his team set on the last day of July. A tone the Buckeys will need on the 30th day of August when Texas comes to town.
Columbus, OH – The first day of preseason practice felt like more than that. It felt like Texas week is already here.
Urgency was in the air.
If you’ve been on football sabbatical or just undone by the Great Ohio Heat Wave and Thunderstorm Phenomenon of 2025, Ohio State’s first game will be the nation’s game of the week.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
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At noon on August 30, the Buckeyes welcome Texas to the Horseshoe. When you were last into football, the Buckeyes beat the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl in the playoff semifinals on their way to head coach Ryan Day’s first national championship.
“There was good energy,” Day said after practice. “We talk a lot about the first play of a game, the first drive of a game, the first play of a drill sets the tone. And we wanted to set the tone as the first practice of the year.”
Coaches wouldn’t choose a game like Texas for an opener. But, perhaps, coming off a championship, a challenge of that magnitude might be the best way to get the most out of camp. All offseason Day has routinely mentioned how many days until Texas. He didn’t name that number Thursday to the media. But he probably said it to the team.
The players were focused at every step from stretching to drills to lining up in 11 on 11. And the coaches were energetic.
New offensive line coach Tyler Bowen worked his unit hard through drills. After he blew the whistle to stop each rep, he gave instructions, corrections and encouragement. Then quickly on to the next rep.
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Brian Hartline will be calling plays this year as the offensive coordinator, but he still spent ample time with his receivers, slinging sidearm throws as they ran a series of routes. Hartline never lacks for energy.
And just in case a player lost focus, there was a price to pay. False start – jog a lap. Even wide receiver extraordinaire Jeremiah Smith got a turn around the field.
New offensive line coach Tyler Bowen kept his guys moving on the first day of practice.
The national championship moved Day’s career out of the pressure cooker. But, it seems, it didn’t allow him to relax. As he stood in the middle of the field at the end of practice, with the team huddled around, Day’s emphatic voice could be heard.
“When you spend your career on a vision of what you want and the goal, once you accomplish it, there is certainly a feeling of accomplishment,” he said. “But soon after that, it’s on to the next thing. And that’s what the case was. It was great to see our players, our coaches turn the page.”
Turning the page means lots of new faces in new places this August. The returning starters are led by multiple stars – Smith, Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles. But the attention this month will be on the new kids, the ones expected to keep pace with the tempo set by last year’s experienced champions.
The most watched position, of course, is quarterback. The Buckeyes will play a new starter for the third straight year. The competition to start against Texas is between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz. Day also often mentions true freshman Tavien St. Clair when he discusses the position.
“All three of them look a little bit stronger, a little bit more explosive, moving better, little bit more command of the huddle, but we’ll watch the film and kind of go from there,” Day said. “Day one without the pads is kind of hard, so we’ll have a better feel giving it about four or five days.”
The offensive line depth is expected to be better this year at least from a perception standpoint. Last year’s depth proved to be good after the season-ending injuries to Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin.
This year the interior line is clearly set with Luke Montgomery and Tegra Tshabola at guards and Carson Hinzman at center. Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa should be the left tackle. He’s impressed by coming in at a slimmed down 335 pounds. And Austin Siereveld, who played a utility role last year, should be the right tackle.
The defense is stacked with experience in the back seven. The front four, however, is untested by comparison and took a potential big hit Thursday. Eddrick Houston, a sophomore from Atlanta, was injured late in practice. He was eventually assisted off the field with a trainer under each arm, favoring his right leg. No news yet on the severity.
This August sets up as a normal August only in defining roles. Internal expectations and outside hype are different. This is a team that wants to define and declare its own identity, one that includes pursuing the same goal last year’s team reached.
“They want to be the first team ever going back to back national championships at Ohio State,” Day said. “And that’s going to start with the first game against Texas.”
Early evidence suggests the Buckeyes are truly and irrevocably focused. And, if it matters at all, their best player dresses for success.
When practice moved to the indoor field a couple minutes before heavy rain hit, Smith changed his shoes. He tossed aside black cleats meant for grass in exchange for ones meant for artificial turf.
And not just any set of kicks. These were brand new. After the manager handed them to him, he pulled out the wad of tissue paper in each shoe, slipped them on and threaded the laces.
Cornerback Davison Igbinosun noticed the new kicks.
“Where’d you get those?”
“eBay.”
And Smith jogged to the offensive side of the field in his stylish red and black Nikes, ready to run faster – or at least look good trying.
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