THE LANTERN
The independent student voice of the Ohio State University | Thursday, October 15, 2020
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Year 141, Issue No. 23
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PARENT’S EDITION
Student parents balance college, homeschooling BELLA CZAJKOWSKI Patricia B. Miller Special Projects Reporter czajkowski.8@osu.edu
COURTESY OF JAYDA JACKSON
Jayda Jackson, a fourth-year in chemical engineering, lives in housing through the ACCESS Collaborative after transferring to Ohio State.
WHAT’S INSIDE
FAMILY PHOTOS
ART & CRIME
DAY & FIELDS
See photos submitted by Buckeye families
McConnell Arts Center of Worthington presents new online art crime series
Day and Fields learn more about each other during extended offseason
ON PAGE 2
ON PAGE 6
ON PAGE 12
College students work hard, but student parents work harder. Ohio State’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion offers the ACCESS Collaborative, a program to support low-income undergraduate, graduate and professional student parents enrolled at Ohio State. Student parents can access housing assistance, child care, and scholarship and mentorship opportunities. “We want to accommodate any student that is coming to us saying, ‘I need support to be able to finish my degree so that I can provide better for my family,’” Traci Lewis, director of the ACCESS Collaborative, said. Lewis said there are three main barriers student parents face to education: affordable housing, child care and reliable transportation. Housing and child care are the most utilized services in ACCESS. The program also offers parenting classes, life skills workshops and professional development. Naomi Lindsay, a third-year in
social work, has a 6-year-old son and is part of the ACCESS Collaborative. She said one of the biggest benefits of the program is the sense of community she has developed with the other parents. She also utilizes the housing assistance program. Lindsay said although the demands of work and school make her feel she misses out on time spent with her son, he motivated her to apply to and finish college. “I had someone else who was looking up to me and who I want to set a good example for,” Lindsay said. Jayda Jackson, a fourth-year in chemical engineering, was one month into her first semester at Penn State when she found out she was pregnant. She said she moved closer to home for family support and attended Bowling Green State University-Firelands for two years before transferring to Ohio State. Once at Ohio State, Jackson lived in housing through the ACCESS Collaborative. She said that it’s challenging to raise her son two hours away from her family, and she struggled to adjust as a single parent in her first semester at Ohio State — earning lower grades than she’d hoped. STUDENT PARENTS CONTINUES ON 5
Campus
2 | Thursday, October 15, 2020
Buckeye Family Photos
GABRIELA OKHUYSEN Social Media & Engagement Editor okhuysen.1@osu.edu
MAX GARRISON Assistant Campus Editor garrison.237@osu.edu
COURTESY OF BRANDON JOHNSON
Parent and Family Weekend has long been a tradition at Ohio State for students to gain a small reprieve from the semesterly routine and spend quality time with those they left back home to join the Buckeye family. Unfortunately, this year’s Parent and Family Weekend was canceled due to COVID-19, making the already long wait between reunions even longer. To help reminisce about those memories of togetherness, The Lantern asked for photos of families together on campus. Here are just a few:
COURTESY OF GABRIELLA RINCÓN
COURTESY OF LEXI GORDON
COURTESY OF FAITH NIMELY
COURTESY OF BARBARA NEUTZLING
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
The Lantern is a student publication that is part of the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. It publishes special editions periodically, and online editions every day. The Lantern’s daily operations are funded through advertising and its academic pursuits are supported by the School of Communication. The School of Communication is committed to the highest professional standards for the newspaper in order to guarantee the fullest educational benefits from The Lantern experience.
Editor in Chief Sam Raudins Managing Editor for Content Jasmine Hilton John R. Oller ME for Design Richard Giang Managing Editor for Digital Content Jack Long Copy Chief Trevor Simpson John R. Oller Campus Editor Sarah Szilagy Assistant Campus Editor Max Garrison Campus Producer Owen Milnes John R. Oller Sports Editor Keaton Maisano Assistant Sports Editor Jack Emerson Sports Producer Curtis Grube
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COURTESY OF CLAIRE KOMAREK
COURTESY OF JULIE KIZLIK
COURTESY OF PAIGE TRENTMAN
9/19
9/25
7-Day Average Percent Positive as of 10/3
Thank you to all the incredible students, faculty, staff and community members who have done their part to drive COVID-19 positivity numbers down on and off-campus. Your commitment to keeping each other safe and healthy is having an amazing impact. We’ve got this! But there is still much work to be done in tackling COVID-19. Together As Buckeyes, let’s continue working to beat this virus. Go Buckeyes! safeandhealthy.osu.edu
0.8%
1.2%
9/14
2.2%
9/9
3.6%
4.8%
TOGETHER AS BUCKEYES, WE’RE TACKLING COVID-19.
10/3
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STUDENT PARENTS FROM 1
“My first two years of college, I always had my family nearby and I always had help,” Jackson said. “I could take my son somewhere when I needed to study or had big exams coming up.” The next semester, Jackson said she started bringing her son to campus to play on his tablet while she worked in computer labs. Before long, she said she adjusted to the role of being a single parent and started earning A’s once again. When Jackson originally applied to the chemical engineering major, she was not accepted. But then she reached out to the chair of the chemical and biomolecular engineering department to explain her circumstances. “I explained what my life is on a single-day basis as a single parent. I just explained my story, and they ended up accepting me into the program,” Jackson said. In addition to the resources offered by the ACCESS Collaborative, Ohio State hosts a mentorship
program called College and High School Aspiring Mothers Partnership for Success. The program aims to show high school mothers and expecting mothers what it’s like to raise a child while in college. Both Jackson and Lindsay have served as mentors to high school students in the CHAMPS program. “When I found out I was pregnant, I always knew from the start that it was just going to be a harder process, but that I was still going to accomplish my dreams,” Jackson said. “So now, not only do I have somebody to do it for, but I can be a voice for all the other struggling parents and people who find out that they’re pregnant and feel like it’s the end.” Day cares have opened since the original pandemic shutdown, albeit at a limited capacity. Lewis said some student parents still can’t access child care, meaning their children have to be home with them at all times. Parents
with school-aged children are also tasked with homeschooling on top of keeping up with their own coursework. “They’re becoming very Zoom fatigued,” Lewis said. “That’s just a typical student thing, being Zoom fatigued, so just imagine if you have to add on managing your child and making sure that they’re logging on and doing the things
they’re supposed to be doing for school.” Although the majority of students who participate in ACCESS are mothers, Lewis said the program is working to be more inclusive to student fathers as well. “We are working to do some rebranding and make sure that we’re addressing all families, no matter how the family is made
up,” Lewis said. “We’re looking at some different strategies to engage and support more dads in the program.” In 2018, the program received a $1.4 million grant to provide child care to student parents. The grant allots money per semester per child. Students can apply on the Office of Diversity and Inclusion website.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I always knew from the start that it was just going to be a harder process, but that I was still going to accomplish my dreams.” — Jayda Jackson, fourth-year in chemical engineering
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Arts&&Life Arts
6 | Thursday, October 15, 2020
BED & BREAKFAST
Community comes together to support local bed and breakfast amid pandemic
ON PAGE 7
Local bed and breakfast fights to survive COVID-19
F
SARAH TROMBETTI For the Lantern trombetti.16@osu.edu
or Lynn Varney, taking care of people has always been inherent, and in 2006, she made her hospitable nature into a career by taking over the Harrison House Bed & Breakfast.
“I sold everything I had to buy this place,” Varney said. Following financial devastation in the wake of COVID-19, her guests are now returning the favor. The six-bedroom Harrison House was originally built in 1890 in Columbus’ Victorian Village, according to the bed and breakfast’s website. Surviving events such as world wars, the women’s suffrage
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movement and the Great Depression, the Harrison House has taken on many roles, including being converted into a bed and breakfast in 1990. Now, under the ownership of Varney and the loyalty of its guests, Harrison House is facing another momentous event: COVID-19. With the onset of the pandemic, from mid-March to the end of April of this year, Varney said she had no income. The bed and breakfast never shut down with the arrival of COVID-19, yet it still lost all its business because of the nationwide shutdown and travel restrictions, barring guests from visiting. Even though Varney experienced a trickle of income as conditions slightly improved in May, she said her expenses didn’t go away, and despite cutting back on everything she possibly could, it still wasn’t enough. Varney said she spent the summer applying for relief, grants, and other forms of city, state, and federal aid as business
continued to struggle. In June, Varney said she realized her efforts weren’t enough and was forced to call a realtor about selling the bed and breakfast. On Aug. 15, the house was on the market. “I called my realtor and said, ‘Ken, I gotta sell.’ And he said, ‘No, no, no, you can’t sell. You gotta make it go.’ And I’m like, ‘How can I make it go? There’s no way to get business,’” Varney said. All hope has not been lost, though. One evening in early September as Varney was getting ready for bed, she said the idea to start a GoFundMe fundraiser for her business popped in her head. Varney said she’d felt some guilt for the idea, so the next morning, she proposed it to her guests, who were nothing but supportive. She said her guests reassured her that not only was the idea unselfish, but also a very common thing for people to do in similar situations. Varney published her campaign online Sept. 6, and as of Tuesday, she has raised
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Throughout her ownership of the house, Varney said she has relied heavily on the reservations of business travelers. Now, she’s concerned with the possibility of a permanent change in the dynamics of business, as more people work at home and travel less. “I can’t make it on weekend reservations alone,” Varney said. Between donations and the money she’s received from aids, grants and lines of credit, Varney will not have to sell her home — for now. Although the money to make up for lost income has been invaluable to her, Varney said that only
reservations will save her business and others in her industry. For now, all she can do is hope that people can travel safely in the near future, especially to her home. “For the people who are concerned [about safety during the pandemic], I would say, ‘You know, go out. A bed and breakfast is a smaller venue. You’re not going to run into as many people as places like hotels, and you can rest assure everyone will be courteous to you.’” The Harrison House Bed and Breakfast is located at 313 W. Fifth Ave. Reservations can be made through the bed and breakfast’s website.
“I sold everything I had to buy this place.” SARAH TROMBETTI | FOR THE LANTERN
The dining room inside the Harrison House Bed & Breakfast sits empty because of the lack of travelers and visitors to the area due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
over $12,000 between the website and donations via cash and check. Donations of up to $1,000 have been made, while others have donated multiple times, which Varney said has given her a sense of validation from her guests and of her impact on them. “We’re trying to do what we can to keep her business afloat, and more importantly, to keep her in her home,” Ed Plunkett, a library associate for University Libraries, said. Varney said her realtor, amazed by the campaign’s success, asked her how she accomplished it. Varney’s response was true to the innate characteristic she possesses for all her guests: compassion. For Varney, her life has been changed by Harrison House guests as much as she’s impacted theirs. Between business travelers, family and friends of locals and the Ohio State community, Varney said she has hosted people from all over the globe. “They just enrich my life. No matter what you do or who you are, I learn something from everybody who’s here,” Varney said. Some guests have even said their vows at Harrison House, such as Plunkett, who tied the knot in the home’s backyard in 2009. Plunkett said his then-girlfriend became friends with Varney when his girlfriend visited Columbus for the first time and stayed at Harrison House. He said the couple eventually asked to use her
backyard for their wedding. “We filled up her place with [my wife’s] dad and sister, who arrived from Scotland, a few guests from all over, and one couple who had nothing to do with the wedding but hung out with us after the party,” Plunkett said. Members of the Ohio State community leave a particularly long-lasting impression on Varney as she said she’s been able to watch students and their families grow and change over their college days while they stay at Harrison House. “I get to know [parents and students], and I watch the children come in as children, and in four years mature and it’s amazing,” Varney said. Sitting atop the piano in the house’s foyer are art prints Varney said she received as a gift from an Ohio State student’s parents after their visit from Beijing. She said another guest — a professor visiting Ohio State from Italy — discussed his research creating surgical-grade diamonds in a microwave, a memory Varney is fond of. Each guest that visits Harrison House, from visiting professors to universityheld conference-goers, leaves a treasured memory, Varney said. “I have learned so much about so many different things through the professors that have lived here,” Varney said.
— Lynn Varney, owner of Harrison House Bed & Breakfast
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We, the undersigned students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are just a a few of the open and proud lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals and allies at The Ohio State University. Individual Donors Lori Abshire Adam Adams-Grooms Julia M. Applegate Marc Arenberg Doug Aschenbach Wajihah Baig Amy Barnes Rachel & Mike Barnes Audrey & Frank Begun Christian Bellman Mike Bierschenk JR Blackburn & Tom Schmitz Jackie Blount Eric Bode and Annie Murray Joshua J. Bodnar Eric Bond Elysabeth Bonar Bouton Natasha Bowen Michael Bower and David Morris Eva Bradshaw David Brakke and Bert Harrill Mary Jo Burkhard Steve Burson & Daniel Riquino Maureen Cahill Will Cangialosi Cindy Clouner Malcolm Cochran Cathy Cole Eleni Connors Marc Conte, BA ‘93, MPA ‘96 J. Briggs Cormier Mark Cortez Jen Cottrell Holly Dabelko-Schoeny Dr. Alan K Davis Ramona Denby-Brinson Denise Deschenes and Helene Roussi, alumni Stacy L. Drake
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QPOC Full Scholarship Donors Special thanks to the College of Social Work’s LGBTQ+ Committee for its coordinated effort to sponsor two QPOC scholarships ($5,000 total) - representing 34 of all campaign donations. Contributions were made by CSW faculty, staff and students, all named as individual donors.
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Scarlet and Gay: The OSU LGBTQ Alumni Society, has published the National Coming Out Day (NCOD) advertisement since 1990. Visit www.scarletandgay.com for more information or to get involved. For our 30th anniversary, in recognition of the need to address structural racism and promote social justice, we are donating the proceeds from this year's NCOD advertisement fundraiser to support our Scarlet and Gay Scholarship for Queer People of Color (QPOC). We are proud to announce that we are able to offer an additional 8 QPOC scholarships at $2,500 each ($20,000 total) to undergraduate students this year. Thanks to all our supporters! Adam Adams-Grooms Karin Anderson Jennifer L. Anderson & Lisa Van Dyke Julia M. Applegate, MA Marc Arenberg Artz, Dewhirst & Wheeler, LLP Amy Barnes Rachel & Mike Barnes
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In support of Ohio State’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community
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ART EDUCATION
McConnell Arts Center presents art crimes through time
n 2010, a burglar entered the Paris Museum of Modern Art and left with five paintings in the middle of the night without tripping a single alarm, and although he was caught, the paintings remain unfound. The mystery behind the missing paintings was the subject of the first of three online lectures given by artist and Columbus College of Art and Design art instructor Brian Williams. The lecture series “Art Crimes” started Wednesday and will focus on three different kinds of art crime: art theft — Wednesday’s topic — art forgery and art smuggling. The series is presented by the McConnell Arts Center of Worthington and the two remaining lectures will take place Oct. 21 and Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. Williams said he hopes this lecture series will bring up questions about the true worth of art. “Why is art valuable? Is art valuable because there’s a monetary amount attached to it, or is it valuable because it provides some kind of benefit for a community?” Williams said. The series’ second lecture topic — art forgery — follows a more historical story of art crimes, Williams said. In 1930s and ’40s Europe, a man created and sold fake paintings of famous Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. Williams said the man was mostly able to get away with it by having a few experts sign off on his work being real despite it not resembling Vermeer’s art particularly well.
MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR
Starting Oct. 14, the McConnell Arts Center of Worthington will be presenting an online lecture series featuring art crime.
In the end, the forger was only caught because he sold a fake painting to a Nazi officer, and, at the time, selling any piece of Dutch heritage was considered a treasonous crime. Preferring to be arrested for forgery instead of treason, the man confessed, Williams said. The third and final lecture covers art smuggling and goes even further back in time. Williams said he will be focusing on the removal of statues from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, in the 1800s. He said the statues were sold to the British Museum, and to this day, there is still fervent debate between the Greek and British governments on whether the statues will be returned to the Parthenon. Erin Blue, executive director of the McConnell Arts Center, said the lecture series will be engaging and offer something different with its focus on storytelling about art. She said the lectures will each last less than an hour, with a Q&A session at the end. “The storytelling of something that happened to art, as opposed to what happens to us when we see art, is kind of a nice, a different lens to talk about art and to
think about art as having a life of its own, and what is the story that this piece tells us when we’re looking at it?” Blue said. The Art Crimes lecture series is the first part of a larger series of online lectures — called MAC Connects — being put on by the McConnell Arts Center, Blue said. She said the plan is to have programming to put on even if more shutdowns are brought on by the pandemic. The lectures are exciting because they offer information on such a wide variety of interesting topics, Willliams said. “You are learning a little bit about art history, you’re learning a little bit about criminology, you’re learning a little bit about world history and politics, colonialism. Discussions about ancient civilizations and non-western civilizations are brought into the mix,” Williams said. The two remaining “Art Crimes” lectures will take place Oct. 21 and Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. online. Tickets can be purchased through the McConnell Arts Center website and cost $15 per adult, $25 per household and $10 per student with a valid school ID, according to the website.
IVAN KOSTOVSKI | INFOGRAPHICS EDITOR
I
LAURA SMITH Lantern Reporter smith.11136@osu.edu
Football:
Baron Browning to flash versatility in the second level KEATON MAISANO John R. Oller Sports Editor maisano.2@osu.edu
B
BIOLOGY
HUMAN ANATOMY H & PSYCHOLOGY
aron Browning may be four years removed from high school, but he will lean on his Kennedale High roots in his final season with the Buckeyes. Although the most experienced unit in the defense, the Ohio State linebacking corps will see familiar players lining up at new spots. The graduate Browning is no exception to the shift as he will be playing outside as a strong side linebacker, a spot he referred to as his “more natural position” having played it in high school. Senior linebacker Pete Werner filled the position a year ago, but his move inside to weak side linebacker has created a vacancy in the second level for Browning to fill. “It’s more just looking at what we’re trying to do on defense — playing to each guys’ strength and how we can be more creative,” linebackers coach Al Washington said. “Baron’s still a linebacker for us. He’ll be outside. He’ll still be inside too.” Playing on the inside a year ago, Browning said the initial move inside was different but he ultimately adapted. Washington said that Browning will still play on the inside at times this year — an opportunity that will ask Browning to be multi-faceted.
“I’ve been playing on the outside and I’ve been still playing on the inside here and there in certain packages, so I feel like it’s just allowed me to show my versatility that I can rush, that I can cover, I can play inside the box and I can play outside, so I’m excited,” Browning said. The position movement that has impacted his career and may define his season has prevented Browning from carving a niche in a specific spot in the second level. Despite changes, the linebacker is only focused on things he can control. “I feel like it would be normal to have that frustration, but that frustration, I can’t let it get in the way of my development as a player to get better every day,” Browning said. “You have to put your emotions aside and control your emotions, so I think I’ve done a great job at getting better at and focusing on getting better every day to help the team anyway they need me to.” Frustration is something that Browning said he felt back when he was a freshman coming into a new position at the middle linebacker spot. Through experience, however, Browning said he has matured during his time at Ohio State. “I adapted and I grew in that role over the last three years, and
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But with the depth in the linebackers room, a rotation throughout the game may result in lost snaps for Browning and the other starters, but the Texas native is not concerned with this possibility. “You’ve got to understand there are a lot of great other players on this team, so everybody’s got to get their time,” Browning said. “I feel like that’s what being a teammate is — you can’t hog it all. I don’t have a problem with that. I know the other guys don’t have a problem with that.”
“I feel like, now, making the switch to outside is a lot easier on me, because I know how the guys around me work.” Baron Browning
COLIN HASS-HILL | LANTERN FILE PHOTO
Ohio State then-freshman linebacker Baron Browning warms up prior to the Buckeyes’ season-opening 49-21 win over Indiana Aug. 31 in Bloomington, Indiana.
it has helped me a lot to see the bigger picture of the defense,” Browning said. “I feel like, now, making the switch to outside is a lot easier on me, because I know how the guys around me work.” In filling the position Werner dominated a year ago, Browning will be asked to play to a different skill set than he did a year ago. Browning said he will do similar things to what Werner, who recorded 64 tackles and three pass deflections in 2019, did at the position. “I think it just shows that I’m versatile and that I have range and — especially with me being able to run sideline to sideline — that I’m a pure athlete,” Browning said. “There’s not one position you can just label me as. I can fit in anywhere — whether that’s outside linebacker, standup rusher or middle linebacker.” Browning will likely see graduate Justin Hilliard, who played the position behind Werner last year, take snaps at the
strong side spot throughout the season as well. Werner, who felt he could have improved if he had stayed at the strong side, said the switch allows for more versatility in the defense. In terms of the communication with his two successors at strong side linebacker, Werner said that he has offered a bit of advice, but Hilliard’s experience and Browning’s aptitude has allowed him to be less involved. “Baron, he’s an athletic kid. He’s a smart football player. He’s picked up on it very well,” Werner said. “I don’t have to communicate to them as much because I know that coach (Greg) Mattison’s a great coach and he’s going to get them in the right spot and the right position.” Browning recorded careerhighs with 43 tackles and five sacks in 2019. In terms of sacks, Browning said he feels he will have more pass rush opportunities than he did last year.
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Sports
12 | Thursday, October 15, 2020
FOOTBALL
Baron Browning moves to a familiar spot ON PAGE 10
Football:
Day and Fields develop deeper relationship ahead of highly anticipated season
A
JACK EMERSON Assistant Sports Editor emerson.131@osu.edu
fter a strong first season together, Ryan Day and Justin Fields’ strengthened relationship could pay dividends on the field come Oct. 24. During an extended offseason, the Buckeye head coach and junior quarterback used the time to develop their relationship with one another. Day said the increased time they’ve had together has given him a better understanding of Fields’ tendencies. “This time has allowed us to spend a little more time together. I have the chance to learn more about what makes him tick,” Day said. “He’s a special young man that I’ve really grown very close to. I think the world of him and I’m just so happy he has the opportunity to play this season.” The Buckeye passing attack had a strong outing in the first season of the Day and Fields connection as Fields threw for 3,273 yards and 41 touchdowns while completing 67.2 percent of his passes. Fields is the first quarterback that Day will get a second year to develop since arriving at Ohio State in 2017 as the quarterbacks coach. Day said that Fields has become much
more involved in the offense and he has begun to understand why Day makes specific play calls. “When you have somebody here multiple years, the first year they’re trying to learn the offense. They’re trying to figure out how to make it work, the ins and the outs. Then, when they become fluent in the language, they start to learn the ‘whys,’” Day said. “We’re getting to the point now when he hears a call, he knows what I’m thinking, he knows what (offensive coordinator) Kevin Wilson is thinking and that’s really important and that’s when you can take it to the next level.” Fields said the need to gain a better grasp of the offense stems from his desire to be one of the nation’s top players this season. Having already been in the system for a season, Fields said that having a second year to develop under Day has made him more confident and more in control of the offense. “I think the amount of confidence I have now and the control I have over the offense and just our players and our coaches, the tools around me. I feel more confident now,” Fields said. “This
CASEY CASCALDO | LANTERN FILE PHOTO
Ohio State then-sophomore quarterback Justin Fields (1) eyes the end zone as he makes a run in the first half of the Ohio State-Maryland game Nov. 9. Ohio State won 73-14. year, this offseason, I’m definitely more comfortable.” During the extended offseason, Fields said he and Day worked with one another extensively by watching film and putting in work on the field. “Instead of practicing, I would go in and lift and then I would meet with coach Day,” Fields said. “I think that helped me a lot and it helped me just pick his brain, kinda seeing what he wants and seeing what he thinks is more efficient.” Prior to his arrival at Ohio State, Day worked as the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers under his mentor Chip Kelly, who served as head coach. Looking ahead to his professional career, which could potentially follow this season, Fields said he has relied on Day’s NFL experience and expertise to point him in the right direction in terms of the
NFL process. “Having coach Day’s experience in the NFL, he’s a guy that’s been there before so he knows what they’re looking for and how that system works,” Fields said. “I think me just being by him and me learning from him daily, I think that’ll prepare me enough to make me the best football player I need to be at the end of the day.” Day also played quarterback in college, starting three seasons for New Hampshire. Quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis said that Day’s quarterback playing and coaching background has helped in developing the quarterback friendly system at Ohio State. “Coach Day is arguably one of the best quarterbacks coaches in the United States of America, what he does with his offense is unbelievable,” Dennis said. “When you have a play caller who is also the head
coach and who also has a quarterback background, that is unbelievably valuable for a quarterback.” Fields echoed Dennis’ sentiment on Day’s standing as a quarterback mentor, calling him the “best quarterback coach in the country.” In an offseason that began following a devastating interception and a 29-23 loss at the hands of the Clemson Tigers at the Fiesta Bowl Dec. 28, Day said that Fields has used the loss as motivation ahead of the upcoming season. “One thing about Justin is he doesn’t get rattled, he’s very composed. He doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low but he’s driven and his fire runs really hot inside,” Day said. “I know leaving that field last year just fueled his fire and that’s really what’s motivated him this whole offseason.”