Ohio State had some uncharacteristic recruiting losses leading up to the start of the early signing period on Wednesday, and head coach Ryan Day feels that is simply a sign of the times.
The Buckeyes lost the top recruit in the 2024 class when quarterback Dylan Raiola decommitted. He had chosen Ohio State over Alabama and USC.
Then on Wednesday, 4-star cornerback Kayin Lee signed with Hugh Freeze and Auburn after previously committing to Ohio State. Matayo Uiagalelei, a 5-star edge rusher, also surprisingly chose Oregon after Ohio State and USC looked like the favorites to land him.
Day was asked at his press conference on Wednesday about losing out on a handful of top recruits. He complained about schools still recruiting players even after they are verbally committed to other programs.
On recent decommitments in the program, Day says there was a time when other schools stopped recruiting players after they committed, but that isn't the case anymore. "It's the way things are going … we just have to adapt."
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 21, 2022
When a reporter mentioned that Ohio State has had five decommitments since the summer, Day said that is “just the way of the world now” and that he would have been more concerned about that number 10 years ago. The 43-year-old coach was clearly referencing the new NIL rules. Day added that schools paying recruits is something that needs to be addressed.
Ryan Day said specifically calling out other schools for paying recruits isn’t a road he wants to go down, but says “There’s certainly a lot of things that need to be discussed.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) December 21, 2022
Of course, many fans immediately pointed out that Day sounded like a hypocrite. While NIL rules have certainly changed the recruiting landscape, schools have been recruiting players who are verbally committed to other programs for years. Ohio State is no exception.
