Ryan Day, Ohio State Seeking Improvement In Margins By Turning To Army Principles

CHICAGO — The college football world, according to Ohio State, is volatile. The schedule it plays this season, including road games at Texas, Indiana and Iowa, makes winning uncertain. The fixes required in-game and, especially, at the end of the season grow more complex. There are already clear examples of ambiguity that demand clarity.

At Big Ten Media Days at the Hilton Chicago, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said he’s coaching his team and organizing his staff to affect an outcome based around those four challenges: volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity — VUCA.

VUCA is a framework adopted by the U.S. Army War College to help the United States navigate the world at-large in the post-Cold War era and develop foresight in moments of great stress. VUCA — sounds like a mind trick rather than a paradigm shift. But that's what it means, as Day is chasing details in hopes of winning another national title.

"In order to attack those times, you have to make decisions quickly," Day said Wednesday. "You have to be decisive, you have to then identify what's gone right, what's gone wrong, then continue to adapt over time, not throw up your hands and get frustrated."

The Buckeyes and their fans were frustrated at the end of 2025. After defeating Texas in Week 1, Ohio State played the next 12 weeks as the No. 1-ranked team in the country, finishing the regular season undefeated only to lose back-to-back games to the two teams that played for the national championship.

No one spends three months as the No. 1 team in the sport by accident, and after a 12-win season, to ask for a massive change in philosophy or personnel would be too harsh. But it does put the Buckeyes in an unenviable situation: hunting for small margins of success as opponents continue to strengthen.

"I think when you're chasing small margins like you are, you have to identify the things that need to get fixed and fix them," Day said. "The easy thing is to do nothing or overreact. Where the real work is identifying what needs to get fixed and then make that change. I won't get into all those things."

No sweat, Ryan, I will.

Against ranked opponents last season, the Buckeyes rushed for more than 100 yards in a game just once in five opportunities. In its only losses of the season, to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship and to Miami in the College Football Playoff, Ohio State was held to 58 rushing yards and 45 rushing yards, respectively. And until the postseason, the Buckeyes did not allow a single sack of quarterback Julian Sayin — only for him to get sacked five times in each game against IU and Miami.

Sayin threw just five interceptions in the regular season, before throwing a combined three against the Hoosiers and Hurricanes.

In part, Sayin's at fault for the increase in sacks, but much of it falls on pedestrian offensive line play in December after appearing powerful throughout the regular season. Sacks are one thing. The rushing attack against good teams is another.

Ohio State depended on running back Bo Jackson, a true freshman who was so unexpected to play a pivotal role in the 2025 season he didn’t even touch the ball against Texas. But had he not emerged, the Buckeyes' ground attack would have been even worse. So, going into the 2026 season, Day identified running back as a paramount position.

"To me," Day said during a breakout session on Tuesday, "a position group that's got to have a great preseason is the running back room. I know we have Isaiah [West] coming back, we have Bo [Jackson] coming back. We've added Ja’Kobi [Jackson]. We have Legend [Bey]. We have Turbo [Rogers]. OK, we have these pieces. But like, if we're gonna get to where we need to go, we need a high level of play to run in that game. So this is critical. And both those guys did practice in the spring. So that's one that I got my eye on big time."

Day and the Buckeyes are also still tinkering with their offensive line alignment. Maximizing the experience of Carson Hinzman, Josh Padilla and Austin Siereveld will depend mostly on how Ian Moore and Phillip Daniels develop in preseason.

"It's all those guys, because if all of a sudden, Phil or Ian give us some high-level of play that we're seeing in practice, that gives us the opportunity to have some flexibility," Day said. "If Josh is playing at a high, high level at guard, let's say, well then we can keep Austin over here at left tackle. We're going to play the best five."

He hopes to have that lineup set by preseason practice No. 10. But improving the rushing attack and protecting the quarterback are priorities for the Buckeyes. What remains is how Day and Ohio State approach teams with a ranking next to their names?

Can they recognize when a game is volatile?

Can they remain calm when the defense is wavering, when their opponent is in the midst of a 10-play drive creating uncertainty?

Will the complexity of an opposing scheme unravel Ohio State?

Will doubt follow when ambiguity forces Day to call a defensive timeout?

Is VUCA really going to serve the 2026 Ohio State Buckeyes or serve as a punchline to the folly of coaches and their affinity for acronyms? At the margins, it just might.