COLUMBUS – Ohio State’s 28-point loss to Alabama in last season's College Football Playoff title game rarely comes up in conversation around the Woody Hayes Center. But the corrective actions to close that gap are still distinct, even if rarely spoken about.
OSU head coach Ryan Day is as likely to trot out the old “We Want Bama” fan trope as he is to dye his hair Quinn Ewers’ blond hue. But the signs are obvious that Ohio State is operating to catch college football’s premier program.
With the Buckeyes recruiting at historic levels, staffing changes swiped from the Nick Saban handbook and the program taking on more of Day's identity, the evolution is clear.