Ryan Day lists down why unselfish players are needed for Ohio State roster

Head coach Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes won the national championship in January by defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Several things played into the success of the Buckeyes, but Ryan Day appreciates how unselfish his players are.

On Friday, Ryan Day appeared on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." He was asked how he balances playing physical and fast football when different teams demand different styles. Day spoke about the importance of having unselfish players to make that balance work (starts at 6:30).

"When you're in the Big Ten, you've got to play smash mouth football. But then you also got to be able to go to the Rose Bowl or down to the Cotton Bowl and play Texas and Oregon in a track meet. So, that's the combination of things we're constantly trying to make sure we balance out. The only way you can do that is if you have unselfish guys."

"So, like, to have TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins together in the backfield and let young players see that their unselfishness and willing to sacrifice being the guy or a number of carries so that they could play really fast and really physical down the stretch made a big difference I think. The only way that happens is if guys are unselfish."

Ryan Day discusses the risks of having selfish players

After discussing the benefits of having unselfish players, Ryan Day went on to talk about the risks of having selfish players (starts at 7:05).

"You know, if you have selfish guys who just want the ball and don't understand how important it is to establish the run, it's not gonna work, and vice versa. You know if you have running backs who want a certain number of carries when the ball needs to be thrown out to some of our receivers, it isn't gonna work. Buying into the team is critical."

This policy worked effectively for the Ohio State Buckeyes this season. The most obvious example this season is one Day mentioned with the running game. The Buckeyes had two running backs who exceeded 1000 rushing yards this season, Quinshon Judkins (1,060 yards) and TreVeyon Henderson (1,016 yards).

However, Day will not be able to rely on them next season as both declared for the NFL draft. He will need to teach the young players coming in, like James Peoples, to be unselfish.