“It was hard for him”: Ryan Day shares WR Marvin Harrison Jr.’s feelings while leaving college to declare for the 2024 NFL draft

Marvin Harrison Jr. was one of the best weapons in Ryan Day’s offensive arsenal. While he had the choice of returning to play another year for Ohio State, he decided to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. But according to his former college head coach, it wasn't an easy decision for him.

On the Joel Klatt Show, Day shared the true feelings of Harrison Jr. about his decision to leave the Buckeyes for the 2024 NFL Draft.

“Marvin had to make a decision, he decided that he was gonna go take the next step. It was hard for him by the way. I mean, not to put this stuff out there but nobody has been in the building more than him in the last month,” Ryan Day told Klatt in the interview [8:39].

The Ohio State Buckeyes head coach also revealed that if asked, his former QB CJ Stroud would also say that the decision to leave was hard. Day also hoped that those who decided to return for another year despite being eligible for the draft did so for the common purpose of trying to win a national championship.

Marvin Harrison Jr. played under Coach Day for three seasons before declaring for the draft. He was a vital part of the Buckeyes team, which went 11-2 overall and 8-1 in conference. The star wide receiver went to the Arizona Cardinals as the fourth overall pick in the draft earlier this year.

Ryan Day shed light on Marvin Harrison Jr.’s recruitment

In a video shared by the Buckeyes back in May, Ryan Day shed light on the recruitment process of Marvin Harrison Jr. He revealed that he might be the first coach to recruit him during his freshman year of high school. According to Day, he was excited about recruiting the wide receiver as he saw the underlying talent.

“I think I might have been the first one to recruit him when he was first at La Salle. Day said. “I was recruiting Philly, and I went in and saw him even as a freshman because I knew that there was talent there. So, I was excited about recruiting,” Day was heard saying in the video.

Ryan Day is getting ready to mount another challenge for the conference championship after missing out on a whisker last time. But this time, he would have to do it without Marvin Harrison Jr. in his offense.