Ryan Day’s Ex Mentee Takes Nasty Shot at OSU After Changing Loyalty to Josh Heupel’s Tennessee

The truth stings! There’s always a different kind of emotion playing against a former team. The No. 8 Ohio State vs No. 9 Tennessee clash in the first college football playoff round has one particular player in that situation. And for better or worse, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are on the unfavored side for this matter. With them getting the upper seed to host their first playoff game against the Volunteers, their beloved homefield suffered criticism. 

Tennessee DB Andre Turrentine feels that the noise inside the largest poured concrete structure in the world isn’t loud enough. CBS Sports uploaded an Instagram post on the former Buckeyes player comparing the noise level of The Shoe versus the SEC teams. After gathering his thoughts, he replied, “The Shoe isn’t as loud as the SEC. It’s a different animal here… it’s deafening.” 

The December 21st showdown will see the return of Andre Turrentine to Columbus since he transferred to Josh Heupel’s program in 2022. Fresh out of Nashville Ensworth, he signed with Ohio State in 2020 as a four-star prospect, played four games in 2021, and went back to his native state in Tennessee the following year. This season, he racked up 35 total tackles, an interception, and three passes defended. 

For Andre Turrentine, Ohio Stadium is still a decent competitor in that crowd noise comparison. He added, “I wouldn’t say The Shoe is the same way. They have really die-hard fans prepared to make enough noise when they need to. I would say that the SEC is a little bit louder but The Shoe brings it as well.” The SEC may be generally considered louder than the Big Ten but Turrentine and the Vols can’t be too complacent because The Shoe is famous for its home win record. 

Ryan Day and OSU’s command over Ohio Stadium 

Both Ohio State and Tennessee are entering with a 10-2 record. The Buckeyes are 7-2 in the Big Ten while the Vols are 6-2 in the SEC. But the former is a 7-point favorite to win the playoff round one. Ohio State has the best home winning percentage of .914 in the FBS since 2005, per TruMedia. In the last seven seasons, they lost only three times inside Ohio Stadium to Michigan (2) and Oregon. 

As Ryan Day said of the upcoming playoff game, “We’re fired up to be at home. It’s gonna be a great atmosphere, and our guys are fired up to go finish the season with a win in Ohio Stadium.” We’ve already seen how OSU fans can cheer for their team inside The Shoe. Home-field advantage was a key factor in their win over Indiana. 

Whoever wins this game will advance to the quarterfinals on January 1 to face Oregon at the Rose Bowl. Who is your favorite team to win?