Ohio State HC Ryan Day wants the Tennessee Vols' offense to be illegal
If Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day had his way, the Tennessee Vols' style of offense would be illegal. Vols head coach Josh Heupel's up-tempo offense features wide splits with wide receivers often lining up outside of the numbers. Because the hash marks in college football are further apart than they are in the […]
If Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day had his way, the Tennessee Vols' style of offense would be illegal.
Vols head coach Josh Heupel's up-tempo offense features wide splits with wide receivers often lining up outside of the numbers. Because the hash marks in college football are further apart than they are in the NFL, the wide splits create a generous amount of space on the field.
Day was asked in 2023 by Fox Sports' Joel Klatt what one change he would make to college football.
And Day made it clear that he wants to see the hash marks changed.
"The hash marks," said Day. "I think those hash marks were built for football a long time ago. You know, I think like the NBA has made their adjustments. College (basketball) has made their adjustment — they moved the three-point line. They've made adjustments. We haven't. And I think now, today, you know, with the type of athletes that we have, they're faster, they're bigger, they're more powerful. You know, putting the ball on a hash mark is just putting everybody in the smaller area of the field. And we're not playing, you know, outside the numbers to the field. I think putting the ball in the middle of the field, more like in the NFL, opens up the entire game."
Heupel was asked a few days later at SEC media days by A to Z Sports' Austin Stanley about his thoughts on Day's comments.
The Tennessee head coach dismissed the idea that changing the hash marks would make a big impact on the Vols' offense, but he also pointed out that he thinks the game is "elite the way it is".
"I don't know that it necessarily affects what we do," said Heupel. "At the end of the day, we play some portion of the game, 10 percent of it, in the middle of the football field….at the end of the day, I'm not looking for any changes inside of college football on the playing field. We had the play clock one this year. [I] think the game is elite the way that it is as far as the on-field product. But I'm open to any changes, too."
Day and the Buckeyes aren't used to defending offenses like the one Tennessee runs. We'll find out on Saturday night in Columbus just how much of a thorn the Vols' offense will be in Day's side.
