Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day and his Buckeyes are currently trying to pull off the difficult balancing act between preparing for the upcoming 2024-25 college football season while simultaneously laying the framework for future iterations of the team. Day's squad is coming off of a relatively successful year that saw Ohio State football begin the season at a perfect 11-0 and then play as competitively as anyone vs the Michigan Wolverines in The Game, before finally bowing out toward the end of that contest and then missing the College Football playoff altogether due to just how talented and crowded the field was.
Of course, a large part of the responsibility for any college football head coach is to hit the recruiting trail both during the regular and the offseason, and if the latest reports are any indication, Day and his staff have been doing just that, as it was recently revealed that cornerback Deshawn Stewart, who is from Wayne, New Jersey, had chosen to take his talents to Columbus (per Hayes Fawcett of On 3 Sports).
“Beyond blessed to be in this position , can’t imagine how proud my father is up there looking down upon me this is for you let’s keep working,” wrote Stewart in a post to his account on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter.
In their pursuit of Stewart, the Buckeyes had competition from Michigan State, Penn State, Cincinnati, and other schools. Stewart is a member of the class of 2025, meaning he has one more season of college football left to go before he will arrive in Columbus and get acclimated to the program.
A transitional period for Ohio State
Ohio State football is currently in the midst of a highly important offseason for the future direction of their program. As previously mentioned, the Buckeyes have had some near misses in recent years in terms of returning to their championship glory. Back during the 2022-23 season, Ohio State came extremely close to returning to the College football playoff National Championship game, but ultimately fell just a bit short when a last second field goal vs the Georgia Bulldogs missed wide left in that season's Peach Bowl.
Meanwhile, Ohio State has also encountered a rough patch in their rivalry with Michigan, as the Buckeyes haven't defeated Michigan in three years now after previously seeming to have their number under head coach Urban Meyer. Instead, Ohio State football fans could only watch as Michigan summited the mountain they've been trying for so long to climb, winning the National Championship this past year in a blowout vs the Washington Huskies.
Ohio State football hasn't brought home championship glory in almost a full decade now, as the last time the Buckeyes won the whole thing was in the playoff system's inaugural season, knocking off the Oregon Ducks back in the 2014-15 season. Now, the playoff system will be heavily altered, allowing many more teams in and perhaps playing into the hands of the Buckeyes moving forward as they look to break out of their current rough patch.
Follow Us
Subscribe
