DAY’S IMPACTFUL “FAMILY ATMOSPHERE”
The tight bond of Ohio State’s 2021 class has been talked about ad nauseam by us, but according to many of the Buckeyes’ soon-to-be-senior commits, it’s not really blown out of proportion. They really are that close.
The massive group chat on Twitter with all the commits is well known, and it stays busy every day with the 19 players they have involved.
“We talk all the time,” defensive back commit Jantzen Dunn told Eleven Warriors. “It’s just the main thing is we have a really good group here, and we all have a really good relationship with each other.”
Outside of the commits themselves, there’s one guy running the operation and serving as the glue who has been keeping them all bonded.
“Coach (Ryan) Day makes sure of that because we get on Zoom calls sometimes, and it’s like the whole 2021 class. And sometimes it’s the parents, too,” Dunn says when asked how the class has been able to remain close despite the recruiting dead period keeping them away from each other. “We talk about certain football stuff, and sometimes we play games. Questions about your parents type of games. We’re a tight group, and we have a really good relationship with each other.
“And we’re all close. I’m more than happy. Especially because I’ve talked to all of them before, so when I go in there, it’s not gonna be awkward or anything. We’re just gonna all click and go to work.”
When Dunn says they play games, an example is a trivia night sort of deal in which questions such as “Which parents are most likely to be late to pick you up?”
And, of course, when Dunn’s father, Mitchell Dunn, asks Jantzen “Well, what was your answer?!” the young safety replies, “Definitely you!”
After that interaction, there’s a lot of laughter and some playful banter back and forth, not unlike what occurs on those Zoom calls Jantzen talked about. The fact that Day and his recruiting team have put in the effort to put those types of virtual meetups together during the spring and summer have gone a long way.
“That’s why we love him. He’s just different, and he tries to keep us as tight as possible,” said Dunn, adding that he FaceTimes with Day a couple times a month just to talk for a minute or two when they can.
Adds Mitchell: “A lot of people talk about the family atmosphere (at Ohio State), but Coach Day really brings that home. Their recruiting, you can definitely tell this is not their first rodeo. He always keeps the kids tight and is always talking to them. Out of one day, he took a whole block out of his schedule just to call recruits to see how they’re doing. It was awesome. J loves it.”
When Day took over for Urban Meyer, many people had questions about whether recruiting would take a slide, but it’s only gotten stronger – or, at the worst, stayed the same – under Day so far. After meeting Day in person, Mitchell says it’s clear to see why there’s been no downturn.
“When you meet this guy, he is intense because he’s all football,” Mitchell said. “But you can tell that he’s that coach where he cares more about the kid, and at the end of the day, the kid feels that. And he’s gonna run through a wall for him. He’s just a great guy. But like I told J, it’s all love and roses right now, but when you get in that practice…”
Dunn shakes his head and smirks, knowing fully well that actually being in the program will be different than the recruiting part in terms of the intensity being put on the players in the weight room, in practice and in games. However…
“But we got to see him during a practice, and he’s not a putdown type of guy,” Mitchell said. “He’s not that old school kind of coach. He’s really trying to get the best out of you in a positive way. J looks forward to it.”