How Ohio State built a $20 million, ‘national championship or bust’ roster
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Jake Trotter, ESPN Senior Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two days after the Michigan Wolverines paraded through Ann Arbor with the national championship trophy in January, Ross Bjork met Ohio State coach Ryan Day for the first time.
Bjork was in Columbus, finalizing a deal to become Ohio State’s next athletic director. There and then, Day revealed a plan that ultimately produced one of the most prolific offseasons in college football history.
Since taking over as Ohio State’s head coach five years ago, Day has a sensational record of 53-8; among active FBS coaches, only Georgia‘s Kirby Smart owns a better winning percentage.
But for the Buckeyes, that hasn’t been nearly enough. Day has yet to win a national championship. Far worse, he’s suffered three straight defeats to That Team Up North, something that hadn’t happened this millennium. Stinging further, rival Michigan rolled to its first national title in 26 years. Only a week after maize and blue confetti showered the celebrating Wolverines inside Houston’s NRG Stadium, Day showed Bjork exactly how he planned to rebound.
“I was really just struck by his intensity, his thoroughness at the time,” Bjork recalled. “No one’s been happy with the last couple seasons and how they’ve ended. There’s a reset that had to take place. Coach Day was at the forefront of activating all of that. He had a methodical, intense, intentional plan. … To hear it directly from Ryan, I thought it was really exciting and encouraging.”
Day’s vision became a reality. Buoyed by a name, image and likeness war chest this year of $20 million, according to Bjork, the Buckeyes struck gold in the transfer portal, landing two of the SEC’s top players in safety Caleb Downs and running back Quinshon Judkins. Ohio State inked another star-laden recruiting class, featuring the country’s most hyped freshman wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith. Several key players from last year’s team, including preseason All-American wideout Emeka Egbuka, also put off the NFL to come back for a final season. Day even convinced sitting Power 5 head coach Chip Kelly to bolt UCLA and become his offensive playcaller.
One NFL scout called this the most talented team he’s ever evaluated at Ohio State, with more depth than the 2021 national champion Georgia team that set a draft record with 15 players selected in 2022.
“Pound for pound, player for player,” the scout said, “they have as many good players as any [college football] team that I can remember.”
Ohio State’s previous two head coaches, Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel, who each guided Ohio State to a national championship, agree on just how talented these Buckeyes appear to be. On his podcast last week, Meyer said it “might be the best roster in college football in the last decade, as far as NFL talent, as far as depth. … They are loaded.”
An offseason for the ages has only enhanced the pressure to deliver a team for the ages — pressure that a Columbus title parade alone can quash.
“We’ll find out what this foundation looks like as we get into the season and get some of those storms that are coming our way,” Day said. “They’re coming. We’ve got to be ready.
For Day, the storm has already arrived.
“To the masses of Buckeye nation, I would argue it’s national championship or bust,” said Cardale Jones, the last Ohio State quarterback to win a national championship in 2014, who later cofounded one of the school’s two primary collectives, The Foundation. “I don’t think beating Michigan, I don’t think winning the Big Ten championship game and just going to the playoffs is enough.”
ONLY TWO YEARS ago, Day told boosters it would cost $13 million in NIL money for the Buckeyes to put their team together.
Tyvis Powell, the director of player engagement for Ohio State’s other collective, the 1870 Society, said in the past the Buckeyes missed out on players they wanted because they didn’t have enough NIL money. Now, industry sources believe that Ohio State is among college football’s biggest spenders in NIL.
Both Powell and Jones, former teammates, said losing to the Wolverines again and then witnessing them win a national championship “lit a fire under more people’s butts” to get involved in giving to NIL.
“This was the first year that people were very generous donating money to collectives,” said Powell, the defensive MVP of the Buckeyes’ national title win over Oregon in 2014. “There’s something about watching your rival win it all that’s very inspiring to a lot of people. It was like, that can’t happen anymore.”
Together with longtime athletic director Gene Smith, who retired this summer, Day rallied prominent boosters to increase their commitments. Money began pouring in from small donors, as well. Suddenly, the Buckeyes had the means to execute Day’s offseason plans.
Out of the transfer portal, Ohio State snagged Kansas State quarterback Will Howard along with Downs and Judkins.
Howard, who started 28 games for the Wildcats and led K-State to the 2022 Big 12 title, was named Ohio State’s starter earlier this month. Judkins topped the SEC with 2,725 rushing yards for Ole Miss over the past two seasons. At Alabama, Downs was the SEC Freshman of the Year; the NFL scout called Downs the Crimson Tide’s “best player” last year.
Downs entered the portal Jan. 17 after Alabama coach Nick Saban stunningly announced he was retiring. Powell claimed NIL played a role in Ohio State not getting Downs out of high school. Many believed Downs would return to his home state and play for Georgia, which had just hired Downs’ Alabama position coach, Travaris Robinson. But this time around, Ohio State sold Downs on coming to Columbus (the Buckeyes also added Julian Sayin, the top quarterback recruit in 2024, and center Seth McLaughlin from Alabama’s roster). Downs, a preseason All-American, said last week that Ohio State’s talented roster played a role in him joining the Buckeyes.
“I feel like that was a major piece of it,” said Downs, who called Ohio State’s talent level “above or right at the same level” of any SEC team, including the Crimson Tide. “That’s always a plus to know that you’re walking into a real brotherhood and a real team.”
OFF LAST YEAR’S team, only wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. left early for the NFL draft. Defensive end Jack Sawyer said he and the other draft-eligible prospects came back “for one last ride” after coming up short against Michigan and in the playoff hunt these past three years.
“I wanted to go to the NFL and chase my dream more than the next guy,” Sawyer said. “But I haven’t won a championship. I haven’t beat the team up north. And you walk around the Woody [Hayes Athletic Center] and all you see is championships and championship posters and banners. Having been here for three years and not helped our team win any of those, it’s something that wears on me and it’s something that motivates me every day.”
Day said Sawyer and the upperclassmen who returned have led the way in setting a tone, keeping one another accountable. Egbuka added that the “scars from the past” have generated a new collective focus.
“Nobody on this team has won a big game in their career at Ohio State. We just haven’t done it. It sucks to say, but that’s the reality. We don’t really have anything that counts, anything that matters,” Egbuka said. “But this has been the hardest working team that I’ve been a part of. And we’re also the most tight-knit group I’ve ever been a part of. … We’re really locked in on getting to our goals this year.”
Egbuka, Sawyer, guard Donovan Jackson, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, defensive end JT Tuimoloau and cornerback Denzel Burke are among those who could’ve been Day 1 or 2 picks in this year’s draft. ESPN Insider Field Yates projects Egbuka, Tuimoloau and Burke to be first rounds picks next year.
“No gold pants [handed out for beating Michigan], no natty, that was a big part … of why we came back,” Burke said. “We’ve got to win every single game — no ifs, ands or buts about it.”
DAY INITIALLY TARGETED former Penn State and Houston Texas head coach Bill O’Brien to be his offensive coordinator. But when O’Brien accepted the head job at Boston College, Day turned to Kelly, his longtime mentor. Day, a former quarterback, played for Kelly at New Hampshire, and later coached with him there.
Day surrendered playcalling duties to Kelly, who took a pay cut of around $4 million to leave the Bruins and join the Buckeyes. Before becoming an NFL head coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, Kelly elevated Oregon into an offensive juggernaut. With Kelly as head coach, the Ducks averaged 45 points per game from 2009 to 2012, leading the nation in scoring over that span.
Both Kelly and Day grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire. During Big Ten media days, Day said he didn’t just trust Kelly with Ohio State’s offense, he trusted Kelly with his life.
“I feel the same way,” Kelly said. “There’s a long history. We grew up in the same hometown, we’ve known each other for almost 40 years now. … The same coaches that coached him in youth sports coached me in youth sports. There’s always going to be that connection.”
Kelly will have plenty of playmakers to deploy.
In Judkins and returning leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson, Kelly will have arguably the top running back duo in college football at his disposal. Kelly might have the country’s top receiving duo to work with, as well. Jeremiah Smith dazzled in the spring and preseason.
“You’re like, all right, this team has four guys that can kill us with the ball in their hand — what do we do?” the NFL scout said. “You should destroy everybody when you have that many good players at every position.”
With what figures to be another elite defense with stars at every level, the Buckeyes show no apparent weaknesses, on either side of the ball.
“There’s a great energy around this team,” Day said. “They know what they want. There’s an urgency, there’s a purpose and they’ve come together. You can just see it. … You can just feel it when you’re around the guys. It’s real. So what does all that mean? We’ve got to earn everything we get next year. Nothing is going to be given to us.”
That plan Day laid out to Bjork has come together. All that’s left is to earn what matters most.
“We’ve got the best. Every position group is stacked, with depth. So we have no choice but to win the national championship,” Powell said. “A lot of people love Coach Day. I think he’s a really good coach. [He has] all the resources that he possibly needs to win it all. And if he doesn’t, then the writing’s on the wall. … Nobody’s really hearing any excuse.
“But if he does, then it was all worth it.”
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Ryan S. Clark
Add Rick Tocchet to the list of available coaching options on the open market with the Vancouver Canucks announcing Tuesday that Tocchet left the team.
There had been a belief that Tocchet’s time with the Canucks could be coming to an end. Last week saw the discussion of Tocchet’s future with the franchise come under greater focus, with Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford saying they weren’t exercising their option on Tocchet’s contract before adding that they offered him a new, more lucrative deal to remain in Vancouver.
But now? Tocchet joins the list of sought-after coaching candidates and the Canucks become the eighth NHL team that will use this offseason to go through a coaching search.
“After a very long and thorough process, unfortunately Rick has decided to leave the Vancouver Canucks,” Rutherford said in a statement. “This is very disappointing news, but we respect Rick’s decision to move to a new chapter in his hockey career. We did everything in our power to keep him but at the end of the day, Rick felt he needed a change.”
In the same news conference in which Rutherford said the team offered Tocchet a new deal, he also said that Tocchet “may have his mind somewhere else” before adding that he felt Tocchet and his staff did “a good job coaching this team this year” as they did in their first full campaign.
Tocchet was a midseason hire during the 2022-23 season. His first full year in charge saw the Canucks win 50 games, finish with 109 points and win the Pacific Division. He led the Canucks to their first postseason appearance since the 2019-20 season and was a win away from advancing to the Western Conference finals.
Entering this season, the Canucks had most of their players from their playoff team. They started strong with a 15-8-5 record but encountered numerous on-ice and off-ice problems that would prove too large.
Among them was the friction between star forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. The tension between Miller and Pettersson reached a stage in which Canucks captain Quinn Hughes publicly acknowledged there was an issue with Miller and Pettersson denying such issues.
Miller would be traded to the New York Rangers before the trade deadline, and the Canucks struggled to find someone who could replace his production. They would finish six points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final Western Conference wild-card spot.
Still, Tocchet had the support of Hughes, along with others within the organization who wanted him to stay.
As for what it all means going forward for both parties? Tocchet is among those who will join Mike Sullivan, who parted ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday after winning two Stanley Cups in 10 seasons, as one of the most attractive names for teams seeking a new bench boss.
Then there are the teams that need a coach. It’s a list that includes the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Seattle Kraken, plus the Penguins and now the Canucks.
“I’m choosing to move on from the Vancouver Canucks,” Tocchet said. “Family is a priority, and with my contract lapsing, this becomes an opportune time. While I don’t know where I’m headed, or exactly how this will play out for me over the near term, I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities around hockey.”
It seems such a short time ago that all 16 teams began the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs with a clean slate. On Tuesday night, two teams could have their postseason runs ended.
Can both teams stave off elimination to get another home game out of the 2025 postseason?
Meanwhile in the Western Conference, both series involving Pacific Division teams are tied 2-2 heading back to the higher seed’s domain. Which teams will take pivotal Games 5 in Vegas Golden Knights–Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings–Edmonton Oilers?
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, recaps of what went down in Monday’s games, and the Three Stars of Monday Night from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs
Game 5 (TOR leads 3-1) | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Games 2-4 marked the 11th time in the past 20 years that teams have gone to overtime three straight times in a playoff series.
Jake Sanderson‘s game-winning overtime goal was the first of his career, and he became the ninth defenseman age 22 or younger with an OT goal in the playoffs (and the first for the Senators).
Veteran David Perron scored his first playoff goal with the Senators, the fourth team with which he has scored a postseason goal (Blues, Golden Knights, Ducks).
Matthew Knies scored his sixth career playoff goal, which is tied for the fourth most by a Maple Leafs player age 22 or younger since 1976-77, behind Auston Matthews (12), Wendel Clark (11) and Russ Courtnall (8).
Toronto defensemen have scored five goals this postseason, the most by any team, a surprising outcome given that the Leafs had the fewest goals by defensemen in the regular season (21).
New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes
Game 5 (CAR leads 3-1) | 7:30 p.m. ET | TBS
The Devils have outscored the Hurricanes at 5-on-5 in the series (7-5), but trail on their own power plays (0-1), the Canes’ power plays (0-4) and when the net is empty (0-2).
Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen was knocked out of Game 4 following a collision with Devils forward Timo Meier. Meier has not scored on Andersen during this series, but scored on his first shot on goal against backup goalie Pyotr Kochetkov.
Andersen’s status is up in the air for Game 5, but he is the current leader among playoff goaltenders in goals-against average (1.59) this postseason, and is second among qualified goalies in save percentage (.936).
Andrei Svechnikov scored his second career playoff hat trick in Game 4. He has two for his career and is the only player in Hurricanes/Whalers franchise history to score a playoff hat trick.
Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights
Game 5 (series tied 2-2) | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 4 broke one streak and continued another. Ivan Barbashev‘s OT winner snapped a three-game losing streak for Vegas in playoff OT games, while the loss for Minnesota makes it five straight defeats in home playoff games that go to the extra session.
Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson made 42 saves in the loss, his second career playoff game with 40 or more. He is the only goaltender in franchise history with multiple 40-save games in the playoffs.
Kirill Kaprizov registered an assist in the Game 4 loss, giving him eight points in four games this postseason, one behind the leaders.
Vegas forward Tomas Hertl is on a heater. His goal in Game 4 is his third this postseason, and he has eight goals in his past nine games going back to March 22.
The Wild have been mostly effective at keeping Jack Eichel off the score sheet. He had one assist in Game 4, his first point of the series after a team-leading 94 points in the regular season.
Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings
Game 5 (series tied 2-2) | 10 p.m. ET | TBS
With his two-goal outing in Game 4, Evan Bouchard became the fourth defenseman in Stanley Cup playoff history to have back-to-back multigoal games, joining Rob Blake (2002), Al Iafrate (1993) and Denis Potvin (1981).
Leon Draisaitl — who scored the OT game winner in Game 4 — now has eight four-point games in his playoff career. That’s the fourth most in Oilers history, behind Wayne Gretzky (20), Mark Messier (10) and Jari Kurri (10).
Tied with Draisaitl for the playoff scoring lead is Kings winger Adrian Kempe, who is also tied for the goals lead with four. Kempe had 19 total points in 22 previous playoff games, all with the Kings.
Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been busy, facing 134 shots, which is the second most among postseason goaltenders (Gustavsson is first with 136). Kuemper’s current .881 save percentage is the second worst of his playoff career, narrowly ahead of the .879 he generated while backstopping the Wild for two games in the 2013 playoffs.
Arda’s three stars from Monday night
Johnston scored his first goal of the 2025 postseason nine seconds in, which is tied for the fifth fastest goal to start a game in Stanley Cup playoff history. He had himself a night, with two goals and an assist in the Stars’ win.
Rantanen scored his first postseason goal with the Stars against his old team. Rantanen became the seventh different player in NHL history to score a playoff goal against a team with which he previously tallied 100-plus postseason points. The others: Jaromir Jagr (2012 and 2008 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins), Brett Hull (2002, 2001, and 1999 vs. St. Louis Blues), Wayne Gretzky (1992, 1990, 1989 vs. Edmonton Oilers), Jari Kurri (1992 vs. Oilers), Paul Coffey (1992 vs. Oilers) and Bernie Geoffrion (1967 vs. Montreal Canadiens).
His postgame quotes keep getting better and better, to the point where he deserves a star for saying, “I’m sick of talking about hits” — then asking the media for their thoughts. Love it.
Monday’s scores
Florida Panthers 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 2
FLA leads 3-1 | Game 5 Wednesday
After an exciting, but scoreless, first period, the game heated up even more in the second. Anton Lundell opened the scoring for the Panthers, and Aaron Ekblad delivered a vicious hit to Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel; the call was not penalized on the ice, and Hagel would have to leave the game. Thereafter, the Lightning scored two goals within 11 seconds from Mitchell Chaffee and Erik Cernak to take the lead well into the third period. But then in another span of 11 seconds, the Panthers pulled off the same feat, with goals by Ekblad and Seth Jones, sending the building into a frenzy. Carter Verhaeghe added an empty-netter for insurance. Full recap.
1:21
Panthers match Lightning with 2 goals in 11 seconds to take lead
Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones score within 11 seconds of each other as the Panthers grab a late lead in the third period.
Dallas Stars 6, Colorado Avalanche 2
DAL leads 3-2 | Game 6 Thursday
As wild as the opening game was Monday night, this one looked to be going down the same road early. Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston scored nine seconds into the game, which is the fastest goal ever to start a playoff game in Stars franchise history. Fellow young Star Thomas Harley joined him on the scoresheet with 45 seconds left in the first. From there on, Dallas kept Colorado at arm’s length, with a second-period goal from Mikko Rantanen, another from Johnston and one from Mason Marchment, followed by an empty-netter from Roope Hintz to put an exclamation point on the proceedings. Artturi Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon scored in the second period, but that was not nearly enough on this night. Full recap.
0:34
Stars score in first 9 seconds of the game
Wyatt Johnston wastes no time as he finds the net within nine seconds of play for a Stars goal against the Avalanche.
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