The Natty is approaching quicker than Jeremiah Smith can run a route. Tensions are high, and so are the ancillary byproducts of reaching this juncture. Ryan Day and his Ohio State Buckeyes are staring at their final tryst with destiny, this time for all the marbles and more. Through 3 treacherous rounds that they made look easy, OSU have dealt with off-shoots that rise from a deep playoff run. Injuries were naturally going to be a problem. Especially to those in the trenches, protecting the line of scrimmage.
The Buckeyes’ offensive line has been a somewhat underappreciated component of their humming offense. Especially owing to its makeshift nature. You see Will Howard airing it out at a higher clip than normal, but this is afforded to him by the likes of Josh Fryar and co. Amidst scattered reporting around injuries ravaging this proverbial shield, Fryar has acknowledged it’s true after all. Potential crisis Ryan Day could do with avoiding. However, Fryar is not about to make excuses before the biggest game of his, and his comrades’, young careers. Just as they’ve refrained from doing so all year.
Josh Fryar on how Ohio State’s offensive line has managed to power through all their injuries this year:
We just look at adversity in the eye and say “F you, we’re gonna do it”
— Stefan Krajisnik (@skrajisnik3) January 15, 2025
In the leadup to the National Championship, right tackle Josh Fryar was asked how the Buckeyes’ offensive line has dealt with adversity all season. Multiple core starters have had season-ending injuries at different points this year. In reply to the question, Fryar said something that Ryan Day must be preaching to his troops all day. “We just look adversity in the eye and say “F**k you, we’re gonna do it,” he said. Talk about resounding confidence. This encompasses the change of mood in and around Columbus since that maize and blue horror descended upon it. Ryan Day needs his due respect for the turnaround, no matter your stance on him.
Ryan Day began the season with Josh Simmons at left tackle. Simmons’ season came to a premature end in October, virtue of a knee injury. Then, his replacement and second-string LT Zen Michalski also went down. Guard Donovan Jackson had to move to tackle instead in a reshuffle. When it rains, it pours, though. OSU then lost quite literally the centrepiece. C Seth McLaughlin suffered a season-ending injury while in training. As a result, Carson Hinzman, who was filling in for Jackson as a guard, was moved to centre. This convoluted ordeal only goes to show how much adversity Josh Fryar, Will Howard and, ultimately, Coach Day have been through.
Interestingly, the injured contingent isn’t going to be the only Buckeyes out of the National Championship. Ryan Day has sensationally let go of a player from his roster mere days away from the finish line. The timing of it all is rather peculiar, and the rationale is not much more ordinal either.
Ryan Day lets go of defensive lineman, right before the season climax
Defensive end Caden Davis may just have lost 2 jobs at once. The walk-on has been dismissed from Ohio State, that’s one. Also, Davis is a but of a star over on TikTok. Jeez…the fervor and intensity of College Football sometimes make you forget these are kids, after all. Caden Davis has amassed a following of over 275,000 on the platform. TikTok is reportedly on the verge of being banned, though. Talk about a double blow. The alleged reason for this sudden exit also revolves around TikTok.
Ohio State have not made an official statement on this matter, however the social media verse is doing what it does best. According to a faction of Buckeye fans, he was posting things detrimental to the program. It appears Davis posted videos that should ideally remain in-house. According to OSU news service “The Silver Bulletin” on X, Davis was “speculated to have posted 2024 Cotton Bowl footage passing it off as this year’s game, among other transgressions.” Whatever the reasoning, he wasn’t a feature of Ryan Day’s team and certainly not part of the plans for the Natty.
This episode is another small wrinkle in the build-up to Ohio State’s frustrations. The injuries, in tandem with this controversial dismissal, haven’t made for a smooth traversal leading up to the championship game. Ryan Day, though, will take positivity from Josh Fryar’s attitude. This is the final time they’ll have to conjure resistance on the front lines. The Ohio State Buckeyes are favoured by over a touchdown. They’ve got to see this story out, with the epilogue written in scarlet and gray.
Leave a Reply