There’s all the time strain at Ohio State. The Buckeyes boast one of many solely applications in all of school soccer which have a year-to-year expectation of successful championships.
That is simply a part of the gig whenever you’re Ohio State’s head coach, however sadly for Ryan Day, his final six years in Columbus have not produced a championship.
To his credit score, the Buckeyes did make the nationwide championship in 2020 however they ended up dropping to Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. They made the Faculty Soccer Playoff once more in 2022 however misplaced to the Georgia Bulldogs within the semifinal.
Ohio State has been nice however not nice sufficient within the Day space, which should be means the most recent “strain examine rankings” from On3 consider he is underneath excessive strain heading into 2024.
“Excessive? For a coach who’s 56-8? Yup. That’s the distinctive strain cooker Day faces after dropping to Michigan thrice in a row and seeing their rival crew up north win the championship in 2023,” Jesse Simonton wrote. “Ohio State has pushed its chips all-in on this season, loading up on a few of the prime transfers within the portal and bringing again near a dozen starters with NFL futures. If Day, who’s stepping away from play-calling duties and is taking a extra CEO strategy to his position as head coach, can’t ship a Massive Ten title — and extra — with this roster then he’ll face a fever-pitch of criticism and warmth.”
The 2024 season actually does really feel like Day’s Hail Mary to lastly win all of it.
He received star security Caleb Downs from Alabama within the switch portal. Additionally, he introduced in former Ole Miss operating again Quinshon Judkins (1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns final season) and former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard (2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 2023).
Freshman vast receiver Jeremiah Smith, a former five-star and No. 1 overall recruit, has famous person potential and do not forget about TreVeyon Henderson, who rushed for 926 yards and 11 touchdowns final season in simply 10 video games.
In the end, the Buckeyes are stacked. Throw in some uncertainty over in Ann Arbor the place Michigan — albeit the defending nationwide champion — is breaking in a brand new head coach within the post-Jim Harbaugh period, and there isn’t any cause to consider that OSU should not be a championship contender but once more.
Can Day get the Buckeyes over the hump, although? That is the large query in Columbus heading into 2024, and thus the rationale for the intense strain on the pinnacle coach.