8/6/2026 6:36:00 PM | Football
Eighth-year head coach Ryan Day welcomed 119 players to practice No. 1
COLUMBUS, Ohio – It's the most wonderful time of the year. The start of the 2026 college football season is upon us as Ryan Day, in his eighth season as head coach, and his staff of assistants kicked off the first day of fall camp practices Thursday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in front of a crowd of over 500 fans and media.Â
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The team, numbering 119 players, practiced in shorts and helmets in perfect 70-degree weather under partly cloudy skies for just over two hours.Â
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Included among the attendees were three shows from flagship radio station 97.1 The Fan originating on site: T-Bone & Tyvis, Bishop & Friends and Morning Juice. All three shows will broadcast from the Woody again Friday. ESPN, CBS, NBC all sent national representatives while On3 broadcasted their national podcast Andy & Ari On3 from outside of the Woody. Approximately 65 additional media members were on site watching the entire practice and will be able to watch Friday and Saturday as well. Â
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Ryan Day Quotes from TodayÂ
On the start of camp: "Anytime you put the helmets on, anytime you start going against each other, it's completely different. And we got a chance yesterday to get together, talk about our goals, talk about the vision for the team, talk about our identity, talk about where we want to go. It kind of gives us a focus on football."Â
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On Isaiah West: "When he was in there last year, he showed some real good things. So we want him to take the next step, just as we do Bo. But just Isaiah, one year in the program; by the way, when you have the injury like he had, sometimes it takes a year or two to get back into it, and we're seeing him look the best physically he's looked. So that's exciting."Â
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Devin McCuin: "He was consistent in the spring, but now he's going to take a huge step here, because that position, as we know, is going be critical," Day said. "That position is really going to be an important part of our offense. And Devin certainly has put himself in a position to be that guy that was going to compete for it and win the job."Â
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Offensive line:Â "When you look at Josh Padilla, when you look at Ian Moore, when you look at Phil Daniels, finding the best five is what we're going to do," Day said. "But part of that five is knowing that Austin can play both guard and tackle."Â
Player QuotesÂ
Linebacker Payton PierceÂ
On the versatility of the LB room: "Guys are going from Sam to Mike to Will. We're cross trained and all the guys are athletic enough to do it here. It shows the type of guys Coach James Laurinaitis recruited and everyone's super athletic. So, it's fun seeing all the different talents everyone has."Â
Cornerback Devin SanchezÂ
On the first day of fall camp: "It feels great, I feel like we had a long summer of not playing ball. So, first day out, a lot of things we need to correct, but it feels great being out there playing ball, putting the cleats on, getting to touch the ball with my guys and getting ready for a long season ahead."Â
Offensive lineman Luke MontgomeryÂ
On Ohio State's tough schedule: "Coach Day told us yesterday, we have the opportunity to play 11 top-20 matchup games, and we're going to have six or seven of those in the regular season. And that's going to help us get calloused up for when the playoffs come around. So I enjoy it, week in, week out, you have to be on your A-game. That's how it's going to be at the next level, so I'm excited for it. It's going to be a lot of fun."Â
Â
The team, numbering 119 players, practiced in shorts and helmets in perfect 70-degree weather under partly cloudy skies for just over two hours.Â
Â
Included among the attendees were three shows from flagship radio station 97.1 The Fan originating on site: T-Bone & Tyvis, Bishop & Friends and Morning Juice. All three shows will broadcast from the Woody again Friday. ESPN, CBS, NBC all sent national representatives while On3 broadcasted their national podcast Andy & Ari On3 from outside of the Woody. Approximately 65 additional media members were on site watching the entire practice and will be able to watch Friday and Saturday as well. Â
Â
Ryan Day Quotes from TodayÂ
On the start of camp: "Anytime you put the helmets on, anytime you start going against each other, it's completely different. And we got a chance yesterday to get together, talk about our goals, talk about the vision for the team, talk about our identity, talk about where we want to go. It kind of gives us a focus on football."Â
Â
On Isaiah West: "When he was in there last year, he showed some real good things. So we want him to take the next step, just as we do Bo. But just Isaiah, one year in the program; by the way, when you have the injury like he had, sometimes it takes a year or two to get back into it, and we're seeing him look the best physically he's looked. So that's exciting."Â
Â
Devin McCuin: "He was consistent in the spring, but now he's going to take a huge step here, because that position, as we know, is going be critical," Day said. "That position is really going to be an important part of our offense. And Devin certainly has put himself in a position to be that guy that was going to compete for it and win the job."Â
Â
Offensive line:Â "When you look at Josh Padilla, when you look at Ian Moore, when you look at Phil Daniels, finding the best five is what we're going to do," Day said. "But part of that five is knowing that Austin can play both guard and tackle."Â
Player QuotesÂ
Linebacker Payton PierceÂ
On the versatility of the LB room: "Guys are going from Sam to Mike to Will. We're cross trained and all the guys are athletic enough to do it here. It shows the type of guys Coach James Laurinaitis recruited and everyone's super athletic. So, it's fun seeing all the different talents everyone has."Â
Cornerback Devin SanchezÂ
On the first day of fall camp: "It feels great, I feel like we had a long summer of not playing ball. So, first day out, a lot of things we need to correct, but it feels great being out there playing ball, putting the cleats on, getting to touch the ball with my guys and getting ready for a long season ahead."Â
Offensive lineman Luke MontgomeryÂ
On Ohio State's tough schedule: "Coach Day told us yesterday, we have the opportunity to play 11 top-20 matchup games, and we're going to have six or seven of those in the regular season. And that's going to help us get calloused up for when the playoffs come around. So I enjoy it, week in, week out, you have to be on your A-game. That's how it's going to be at the next level, so I'm excited for it. It's going to be a lot of fun."Â
Players Mentioned
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