Ryan Day

Ohio State will honor former quarterback Dwayne Haskins at Saturday's spring game, head coach Ryan Day told reporters Monday.

Haskins died last Saturday at age 24.

The 2018 first-round NFL draft pick spent three seasons with Ohio State from 2016 to 2018. He became a starter in 2018 and set school and Big Ten records with 4,831 passing yards and 50 touchdown passes, finishing third in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

"Buckeye nation meant a lot to Dwayne," Day said. "Having everybody there on Saturday is significant. And we'll make sure we do things the right way and then moving forward, we just want to make sure we do it the right way and think it through."

There will be plans to additionally honor Haskins at a later date.

The quarterback was signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was training with teammates in Florida prior to his death. 

Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day had been rumored to be drawing interest from the Chicago Bears for their head coach opening, but Day plans on staying put.

During an interview with the Big Ten Network on Wednesday, Day reiterated that he's not interested in jumping to the NFL and plans on remaining the coach of the Buckeyes for the foreseeable future.

"I love Ohio State. I love this place," Day said, per Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors. "My family loves it here. I tell recruits all the time, if I was to go take another job, I'd be going by myself because my family's not leaving Columbus. And that's the truth. They love it here."

Day is the second Big Ten head coach to decide to stay in the college ranks on Wednesday. Jim Harbaugh reportedly told Michigan that he will be returning for the 2022 season after he had interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Buckeyes went 11-2 last season. They ended the year with a victory in the Rose Bowl over Utah.

In three-plus seasons, Day has coached Ohio State to a 34-4 record. Day acknowledged that the rumors of his NFL prospects were not unexpected after his success at Ohio State.

"In this profession, in this world right now, if you're not winning, they're going to talk about replacing you," he said. "If you do well, they're going to talk about maybe you going somewhere else."

Day reiterated that he is fully committed to continuing to build the football program at Ohio State and that won't change anytime soon.

"We're very proud of our culture. And guys like to be here. And we think that we've recruited really well," Day said. "We have some really good talent, so the future is extremely bright here. We’ve brought in great people. So this is the best place in the country to be the head football coach. I love it here."

Oklahoma State's Jim Knowles will join Ohio State as a defensive coordinator on Ryan Day's staff, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

Knowles will replace Kerry Coombs and become Day's third defensive coordinator in three seasons.

"What is most important at this time is that we put our players in the best position possible to finish the season with a win in the Rose Bowl," Day told reporters. "To that end, we will continue our planning and preparation for the game with our current staff of 10 assistant coaches."

Knowles has served as Oklahoma State's defensive coordinator for the past four seasons and was a 2021 finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to college football's top assistant coach.

Oklahoma State's defense is ranked third in the nation in yards per game. In addition, it ranks fourth in yards per play and seventh in scoring. According to The Athletic's Bill Landis, Oklahoma State also ranks second in third-down defense, a category in which it led in 2020.

The Cowboys allowed 273.6 yards per game in 2021: 89.2 yards on the ground and 184.4 in the air.

Ohio State, meanwhile, finished the 2021 season allowing 366.6 yards per game, which ranked 52nd in FBS. The Buckeyes defense allowed 119.7 rush yards per game, in addition to 246.9 passing yards per game. This comes after the team's defense gave up 401.9 yards per game in 2020, the second-highest mark in the school's history.

Knowles began his coaching career at Cornell in 1988 and served in various roles until he was hired as the defensive line coach at Western Michigan in 1997. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2001 and remained in that position until 2002.

Knowles then joined Ole Miss in 2003 as a linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator before joining Duke as a defensive coordinator from 2010 to 2017.

With Knowles' hiring, at least one member of the Buckeyes' coaching staff will need to leave the program so the school remains under the allowed limit for assistant coaches.

Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers, who 247Sports ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the high school class of 2021, will enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, Ewers has informed OSU of his intentions.

The former Southlake Carroll (Texas) High School star is considering a return home for his next college stop, with Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M among the options, per Thamel.

Ewers reclassified from the class of 2022 to 2021 and arrived at OSU in August with training camp well underway. He only took two snaps for the Buckeyes as redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud took the offense's reins and starred with 38 touchdowns and 3,862 passing yards.

The 6'2", 200-pound Ewers shouldn't have a shortage of suitors. Ewers was highly touted coming out of college, with 247Sports' Gabe Brooks comparing him to ex-NFL quarterback Philip Rivers and offering this scouting report.

Good height with a plus frame. Pro-style QB with athleticism and mobility that qualify for a dual-threat label. Elite improvisational QB who can extend plays and remain accurate on the move. Throws with a smooth, easy delivery and varies arm angles as needed. Impressive velocity and spin rate really show on routes over the middle and down the seams. Field-stretching vertical arm strength to consistently hit big plays over the top. Also shows encouraging touch on timing patterns and downfield routes that require it.

Good runner by design or scramble. Understands how to protect himself as a runner and minimize shots. Shows encouraging pocket presence and awareness. Senses pressure and knows how to react to it. Also willing to stand and deliver under duress and will take a big shot if it means hanging in there to make the necessary throw. Occasionally will take risks, but that also is part of what makes him so good. Release quickness is good in general but could still quicken a bit at times. Elite QB prospect at the top of the 2022 cycle, at his position and across the board. Future impact high-major starter with long-term potential to be taken high in the NFL Draft.

Ewers had 29 offers, per 247Sports, including ones from Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and USC. In the end, Ewers chose Ohio State, although he appears to be one-and-done there.

Ewers wouldn't be the first college quarterback to transfer and find great success elsewhere if he does end up blossoming at his next location. Other examples in recent memory include Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield, who both transferred to Oklahoma and became No. 1 picks in the NFL draft.

A potential pro career is still a ways off for Ewers, but the talented signal-caller should have plenty of options to choose his next destination as he searches for a new home.

Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day expressed disappointment after the No. 2 Buckeyes fell 42-27 to the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

Day told reporters, "I feel awful. ... It's a failure." He also added he would have to "take a real hard look" at why Michigan had so much success running the ball against the Buckeyes.

Michigan ended an eight-game losing streak against Ohio State with the win and also clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, while the Buckeyes fell to 10-2 on the season and likely saw their College Football Playoff chances evaporate.

Michigan dominated Ohio State from a physicality perspective, as the Wolverines rushed for 297 yards and averaged 7.2 yards per carry.

Running back Hassan Haskins led the way with 169 yards on 28 carries to go along with five rushing touchdowns. Michigan also got a sixth rushing score out of wide receiver A.J. Henning on an end-around.

Ohio State quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate C.J. Stroud played relatively well with 394 yards and two touchdowns in the air, but it didn't matter because of OSU's inability to get the Michigan offense off the field for long stretches.

There was a great deal of pressure on the Wolverines to prevail Saturday since they were previously 0-5 against Ohio State during Jim Harbaugh's time as Michigan's head coach.

Saturday also presented a golden opportunity to both teams, as a win meant playing for the Big Ten title and a spot in the CFP.

Ohio State has been part of the CFP in four of the seven times it has been held, which is the most of any Big Ten team by far. The only other Big Ten team to reach the playoff was Michigan State in 2015.

Now, Michigan can become the third if it beats either Wisconsin or Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game next Saturday.

Meanwhile, OSU will be left out of the CFP for the first time since 2018 barring a shocking turn of events.