The pressure is on this season for the Ohio State football team. The Buckeyes have one of the most talented rosters in the country heading into the 2024 season, and they need to end their three-game losing skid over rival Michigan. The Wolverines have a new head coach and will have almost all new starters next year. Ryan Day knows that this has to be the year, and so does new Ohio State Athletic Director Ross Bjork.
Ross Bjork is the new athletic director for Ohio State after longtime AD Gene Smith retired. Bjork has been learning a lot about the athletic programs that the Buckeyes have, and he has specifically put a lot of effort into learning about the Ohio State football team.
“I’ve been reading a book, ‘Ohio State Athletics: 1879-1959,’” Bjork recently said in an interview with Big Ten Network. “It was written in 1959, and it’s amazing all of these conversations around football, about the funding model, about academics and athletics coexisting, this conversation has been going on a long time.”
Bjork hasn't been in Columbus for long, but he understands the importance of the football team to Buckeyes fans. It is not just a game. Ohio State has to be successful, and he knows that. He is also confident that Ryan Day understands as well.
“Just like college athletics is evolving and that conversation exists, the conversation around Ohio State football remains the same,” Bjork said. “This is what we signed up for. Coach Day knows that. I know that. That’s the exciting thing is every year Ohio State is expected to contend, and that’s not going away. So when you sign up for that, you embrace that.”
So far, Ross Bjork has been happy with what he has seen from Day. The future is looking bright for the Buckeyes, and Bjork wants to be there for Day to support him with whatever he needs.
“My conversations with Coach Day have been, ‘Hey, what are the resources that we need going forward? What is this new economic reality going to look like? How do we maintain position as an elite program and really as a championship brand?’” Bjork said. “Right now we have the No. 1 recruiting class in the class of 2025. Our roster is packed. We’ve seen that. We know that. Other people are talking about it just like we are internally. So I’ve been really impressed with how Coach Day has really attacked the leaderships pieces, the culture pieces, the players being on the same page and the cohesion that needs to exist in order for teams to really have success.”
Ohio State has the talent to compete with the best of the best. There's no question about it. However, that has been the case the past three years, and they haven't been able to get it done. In fact, when looking at roster comparisons, they have had more talent than Michigan, the team that has spoiled things for them in these recent years. Something does have to change, and Bjork sounds confident that Day has made those changes.
“It’s one thing to have all the talent in the world, but unless you have the culture right and the leadership characteristics right and everybody is dialed in and on the same page and there’s trust, that’s what Coach Day has built in this offseason,” Bjork said. “So I’ve been really, really impressed with how he’s led and how he’s developed his staff and all those things.”
Bjork has liked what he has seen from Ryan Day since taking over as the Ohio State AD, and he is excited to see how this stacked team performs come fall.
“So now that we get ready to go into fall camp, we get to see all that come to fruition,” Bjork added. “It’s exciting around Columbus to see this team, so those are the things I’ve really been impressed with Coach Day and how he’s led this program since I’ve been on the ground since March 2.”
Ryan Day knows that the pressure is on
Ryan Day is aware that Ohio State football fans haven't been pleased with how the past three seasons have gone. The Buckeyes have had three great teams, but if you don't beat Michigan, it's a problem. Day knows that he needs to get it done.
“At my opening press conference, they said you’ve got to beat The Team Up North (Michigan) and win every game after that,” Day recently said, according to an article from the Dayton Daily News. “That’s just the expectations. When you come up short, you’ve got to figure out a way to get those things fixed. I think we have done that, but the expectations are the same every year. Pressure is the same every year. I just like the pressure when you’ve got a really good team behind you.”
Ohio State will have Michigan at home this year. They have more talent on the roster. They are already big favorites for the game. If Ryan Day can't get it done with all of this in his favor, he will be in trouble.
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