On May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and climbing companion Tenzing Norgay became the first to scale the summit of Mount Everest. It took the two men 15 hours to reach the top. They got to enjoy the view for only 15 minutes before heading back down.
Ryan Day knows the feeling. For Day and Ohio State, the view from the mountaintop of college football was spectacular. No team had ever ascended to a national title having won four playoff games against top-10 opponents. Standing atop the world, the Buckeyes could see in every direction. Below was South Bend, Indiana. Texas to the south. Oregon to the west. Further off, the foothills of Tennessee. At its peak, Georgia rose in the distance, but like Alabama no longer could lay claim to No. 1. Somewhere, Michigan was attempting to scale the summit by helicopter, naturally.
Ohio State stood tallest. But even as the rarified air filled their lungs, the Buckeyes knew that staying on top would be more challenging than getting there in the first place. As with Sir Edmund and his sherpa sidekick, there was nowhere to go but down.
The test was, and is, to delay the descent for as long as possible. And it is possible, if improbable. Only 12 teams have won-back-to-back titles since 1936. Georgia won consecutive national championships in 2021-22. Bama did it in 2011-12. Georgia returned its starting quarterback, Stetson Bennett, when it repeated, as did Alabama with A.J. McCarron. Ohio State does not enjoy the same luxury. Last season’s starter, Will Howard, is off to the NFL, leaving Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and freshman Tavien St. Clair to compete for the starting job.
So how do the Buckeyes do it again? It would make sense if they retrace the steps that led them to the summit last season, but just as mountain climbers cannot take the same exact step-for-step path to the top, so OSU must find a similar if not identical route.
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As the Buckeyes complete their 15 spring practices this week, culminating in Saturday’s spring game in Ohio Stadium, coaches continue to tweak the blueprint used to win it all last year. Day is confident they have found the sweet spot in what he calls “the process,” but that does not mean OSU will rely on rinse and repeat to defend its title.
Long 2024 season cut into 2025 Ohio State offseason workouts
For one thing, playing late into January condensed the offseason, necessitating OSU starting spring practice later than usual. So much for maintaining normal.
“About a week and a half into spring and realized that the guys who left played a lot of football, but the majority of these guys haven’t,” Day said.
“We need about five more weeks of spring football. We’re going to petition the NCAA to see if they can give us five more weeks. I don’t think they’re going to pass that one,” he quipped.
Was Day kidding? Yes, but his wisecrack contained a tinge of wishful thinking. The Buckeyes got a late start this spring, which means they already are off schedule from last year’s championship climb.
To help counter the contracted practice time, Day has amplified the aggression.
“It’s actually become one of the most physical spring balls we’ve ever had,” he said, adding that the spring game will begin with “thud” tackling – i.e. hitting without bringing players to the ground – before switching to actual tackling.
Already, then, 2025 has a different vibe than a year ago, which is not necessarily bad, but makes it impossible to replicate an exact copy overlay of 2024.
Ohio State players want to focus on future, not past
Might that be good? Trying to imitate success can backfire if the focus becomes too much on what “they” did instead of what “we” need to do. That may explain why some Buckeyes want all evidence of the 2024 national championship removed from the workout facility.
“It’s a really mature approach by them,” defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said of the players. “One of the great things about football, whatever level you’re at, is it’s different than other sports. It’s different than boxing. When you win the championship in boxing, the next time you step in the ring you step in as the champ and have to defend your title. When you win a championship in football, the next time you step on the field it’s a new season, a new team. You have to start over. What you won can’t be taken away from you, but that was last season.”
Knowing that, the message in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center this spring has been to focus on the present and work toward the future without forgetting the past. That translates into remembering what worked in 2024 without assuming it will happen the same way this season. Because it won’t. Each step on the climb back toward the top will be different, beginning with a new and mostly inexperienced quarterback.
The Buckeyes are back at base camp. The summit beckons. Best not to look down. Or back.
Sports columnist Rob Oller can be reached at roller@dispatch.com and on X.com at @rollerCD
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