Not much has changed for Ohio State coaches Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day

“[Kevin] Wilson holds the exact same title heading into the 2018 season. However, Ryan Day now also holds the title of offensive coordinator (and is also the quarterbacks coach). Last season, which was also Day’s first on OSU’s staff, Day was the co-offensive coordinator/QB coach.”

-Dave Biddle, 247 Sports

The Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day dynamic has been an interesting one for Ohio State fans since Day joined the staff, but it took on more drama as the young coached turned down an opportunity to jump back to the NFL, and in return received a promotion and a raise.

Day now has the same title as Wilson— offensive coordinator— and makes more money than the more veteran coach does (Day is now at $1 million per year, while Wilson is at $800,000).

During his media session today, Wilson down-played any tension between the two and essentially said that titles don’t really mean anything in coaching, and that the goal has always been to work together as a staff to put the best product on the field.

“So, at the end it’s about how you work together as a group,” Wilson said according to Biddle’s article. “The two of us kind of work together with run thoughts and pass thoughts. And then I’m more with (offensive line coach Greg) Studrawa and the run game, and I know Ryan is with (wide receivers coach Zach) Smith and is more with the pass game, so we’re trying to blend the two together. It’s a bit of a blend.”

Wilson goes on to explain that very little has changed in terms of there responsibilities, although, he did have to convince his daughter otherwise.

Without the security blanket (for better or for worse) of J.T. Barrett at the quarterback position for Ohio State, how Wilson and Day are able to manage their respective aspects of the Buckeye offense will dictate just how successful the unit can be without the most accomplished QB in conference history.

“[Keita] Bates-Diop was too good, too productive to pass up on the chance to potentially be a first-round NBA Draft pick. So he’s gone, degree in hand, to chase that dream.”

-Bill Landis, cleveland.com

While all sane Buckeye fans would have loved for the Big Ten Player of the Year to come back to Columbus for his final season, there is no reason for Keita Bates-Diop to have done so. Now that he has declared for the draft, head coach Chris Holtmann will have to rebuild his team without his best player and a handful of other impact veterans.

Holtmann noted that with the departure of four players, the Buckeyes are losing 50 to 60 percent of their scoring, rebounding, and assists from this past, not to mention “90-100 percent of our leadership.”

Earlier this month I went through what the OSU starting lineup could look like come fall, but one of the things that Landis brings up (that we have learned more about since my original article) is the landscape for graduate transfers.

To the surprise of literally every human on the planet, Andrew Dakich become a solid contributor for the Buckeyes this season after transferring from Michigan. However, he was only asked to be a role player and provide some experienced leadership. Next year, if Holtmann and company want to maintain the level of talent that the team displayed in 2017-2018, they might need to rely on a grad-transfer for more than the scraps that Dakich was able to provide.

Earlier this week, Landis outlined some of the potential additions for the Buckeyes, featuring some that OSU has reportedly reached out to, and some that they should. Adding at least a pair of players would make the most sense for the Buckeyes; a ball-handling guard and a wing who can also play in the paint.

As I mentioned in the article above, Evansville’s Ryan Taylor would be a huge get for the Buckeyes, but nearly every other major program in the country has also reached out to the Missouri Valley Conference first-teamer. Taylor averaged 21.2 points per game this past season, and shot over 42 percent from beyond the arc.

Even if he didn’t become the OSU’s predominant point guard, Taylor would provide an offensive weapon that the Buckeyes don’t yet otherwise have; a player who can make his own opportunities in the lane and from downtown.

St. John’s 6’11 forward, Tariq Owens has Ohio State on his list of eight potential landing spots, and while his 8.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game aren’t anything to blow you away, with KBD and Jea’Sean Tate now gone, unless Micah Potter can somehow find the consistency that he’s lacked in his first two years in Columbus, the Buckeyes are stuck with a severe lack of experience— and size— down low, other than Kaleb Wesson.

However it works out for the Buckeyes with these two players, it is safe to assume that there will be at least one new veteran in the starting five for OSU when they kick off the season in just over seven months.

“[Karen] Dennis is one of the most respected women in the country’s track and field community and recently led the Ohio State men’s indoor track and field team to its first Big Ten championship in 25 years. She’s the first female collegiate coach to win a men’s championship.”

-Ohio State Athletics

When the OSU men’s indoor track and field team won the Big Ten championship last month, Karen Dennis cemented herself in Buckeye history. As the first female coach to win a men’s conference championship, Dennis has certainly broken through her fair share of glass ceilings. So, when Ohio State’s president and provost’s council included her among a group of six women in their list of 2018 Glass Breakers, it said a lot about how important her successes and accomplishments are to the university.

She joins the Associate Chair of the Department of Engineering Education, the Chief Information Officer for the Wexner Medical Center, the Assistant Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs, and more.

Dennis has been with the university since 2003, first as an assistant before taking over as the head women’s T&F coach in 2006. Then in 2014, she was named the director of track & field and cross country; the fancy title for the head coach for all of the collected programs.

Congratulations to Dennis, and all of OSU’s 2018 Glass Breakers.

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