3 Ohio State stars who should jump ship with Ryan Day in freefall

After a fourth straight loss to Michigan had more and more of the fan base calling for his job, Ryan Day really needed a win to reassure everyone that he deserved to be Ohio State's head coach both now and into the future. The early national signing day on Wednesday afternoon provided a perfect chance to do just that; locking in a class full of impact talent is the surest way to convince everyone that you've still got the arrow pointed in the right direction, and that the players the Buckeyes would lose without Day in the fold isn't worth what it would gain by getting rid of him.

Unfortunately, Day has done the exact opposite of that so far. The early signing day has been nothing short of a disaster for the Buckeyes, capped off by losing No. 1 cornerback commit Na'eem Offord to Oregon — and falling behind the Ducks in the recruiting rankings, from No. 2 down to No. 5. At this point, it wouldn't be a surprise if Ohio State wound up third in the conference when all is said and done, behind both Oregon and fast-charging Michigan.

Day has squandered the most talented roster he's had in Columbus, and seems to have no good answers as to how to fix what's gone wrong. Even if AD Ross Bjork decides to hold onto him for at least one more year, it won't inspire any confidence — especially not in current Buckeye players, who might start looking around and wondering whether they'd be better off with more competent leadership.

3. Julian Sayin should be a hot commodity for QB-needy teams

One of the very best quarterbacks in the 2024 class, Sayin only wound up a Buckeye this fall through a fluky set of circumstances. The Southern California native had been committed to Alabama, but backed out after Nick Saban's abrupt retirement last winter. At the time, Bill O'Brien — who originally recruited Sayin to Tuscaloosa — had just been hired as Day's offensive coordinator at Ohio State, and convinced the QB to follow him to Columbus. Of course, O'Brien didn't even coach a game with the Buckeyes, leaving after less than three weeks to take the head coach job at Boston College.

At that point, it was too late for Sayin to find himself a new home. The former five-star rode out the season with Ohio State, buried on the depth chart behind Will Howard and fellow blue-chipper Air Noland. Now, though, he has a whole offseason to find the best fit for his development, and there's no particular reason why that would be in Columbus — especially not with Noland still around and 2025 five-star QB Tavien St. Clair coming in.

2. Jeremiah Smith may already be thinking about the portal

For all we know, Smith might already have his sights set on transferring, at least if his Instagram activity after the Michigan loss is any indication. It was touch and go for Ohio State to land Smith in the first place, with the No. 1 overall player in the 2024 class nearly opting to stay home at Miami at the last moment rather than head north to Columbus. But Smith held true to his initial pledge, and he's more than lived up to the considerable hype en route to nearly 1,000 yards through his first 12 collegiate games.

Can the Buckeyes convince him to come back for year two? It's clear that he doesn't think too highly of Day right about now, and while his relationship with wide receivers coach Brian Hartline is likely the most important reason he signed with Ohio State in the first place, he might look at the current state of the program and wonder whether the grass is greener back in South Florida. Cam Ward will be off to the NFL Draft next spring, but if Mario Cristobal can hit another portal home run for the 'Canes, they could make a real run here.

1. Caleb Downs can rectify his Georgia-sized mistake

Speaking of impact underclassmen that Day had to scratch and claw to sign, it seemed like Downs — who established himself as one of the best safeties in the country as a true freshman at Alabama — was headed to Georgia right up until he signed with the Buckeyes. Downs has been as-advertised in Columbus this season, but based on how this year has played out, do you think he might be regretting his decision right about now?

Downs is a Georgia native, and narrowly spurned the Dawgs both as a high-school senior and in the transfer portal. You better believe that Kirby Smart is hoping that the third time is the charm, especially given how much talent Ohio State is set to lose ahead of 2025 (and how poor a job Day is doing reloading the chamber). If Day can't come up with some good answers between now and the end of the team's playoff run, Downs might be as good as gone.