Ryan Day’s plans have misfired folks! The Ohio State Buckeyes HC might be counting on the National Championship title to ward off all his woes. Yes, his boys did bring home the title. But did the woes vanish? Unfortunately, no. For so long, Day was trying to save his sinking job. Now that he has saved his job, it’s his program that is sinking.

As of now, Ohio State has already lost 21 players to the transfer portal. It did not stop there. The suitors started to try their luck in poaching the players who were trying to stay loyal. Amidst this time of crisis, someone had to stay positive. In this case, Day’s WR Emeka Egbuka did his part. 

Emeka Egbuka’s confidence in his successors

Buckeyes star receiver Egbuka started the week as a national champion but ended it with a bombshell. Egbuka announced on social media that he is parting ways with Day’s program in order to enter this year’s draft pool. Now this has been a huge blow for the Buckeyes. After all, he has been the school’s all-time leader in catches and receiving yards, coming up with 81 catches for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Before stepping into the NFL, he left a message for those who will be filling his gap in the wide receiver room.

It comprises Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Brandon Inniss. Ryan Day’s wide receiver room has been considered as the top wide receiver unit in all of college football. Based on this faith, Egbuka shared how he counts highly on his successors: “I think there’s a standard to uphold when it comes to zone six, the wide receiver room specifically, and you know that standard is never going to change. It’s a standard of excellence.”

The opening of the 2025 year counts as a challenging time. When players like backup quarterback Devin Brown, wide receiver Kojo Antwi, and offensive tackle George Fitzpatrick have already swapped wagons, the present ones need some reason to hold back tight. On that note, Egbuka sounded all confident, “So no worries there when it comes to Jeremiah, Carnell, and Brandon. They’re going to live up to every ounce of height that there is.” Maybe this would distract the players from the poaching tactics.

Top Comment by abhudd47

Absolutely not. The Buckeyes had a huge roster this year, of course a lot of guys are gonna be...more

Share your take

Debate

Ryan Day’s fight to protect his program continues  

The Ohio State football program is fresh off its National Championship win in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Sadly, Day couldn’t take some time to enjoy the win. That’s because his players are falling like dominoes here and there. And for the ones who try to stay loyal, poachers are trying to lure them away. Right now Day’s WR Smith is at the center of college football’s transfer portal drama.

Surprisingly, Tate too joins his fellow mate in this poaching hoopla. As On3 posted on X, “Ohio State is working to retain its top talent after winning the National Championship… Jeremiah Smith has a $4.5M+ offer and Carnell Tate has a $1M+ offer to enter the Transfer Portal, Pete Nakos reports.” Smith’s current NIL valuation stands at $4 million, bolstered by his deal with Red Bull.

So, he might have opted to boost his valuation. However, Jeremiah Smith has broken his silence. He responded to Jay Wimbrow’s tweet by quote-tweeting him, where Wimbrow wrote that Smith’s family “is too loyal” for him to leave the Buckeyes.

On January 24, Friday night, Carnell Tate decided to return to Columbus. Together for another year in Ryan Day’s squad, Tate and Jeremiah Smith are primed to embody and extend Egbuka’s offensive legacy.