Former Ohio State football coach and current Youngstown State president Jim Tressel speaks to the Mansfield City Schools employees in 2019. Former Ohio State football coach and current Youngstown State president Jim Tressel speaks to the Mansfield City Schools employees in 2019. Jim

Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel knows what it takes to win in Columbus. The legendary coach cemented his legacy by defeating a dominant Miami squad for the 2002 BCS National Championship.

Tressel, who exited Ohio State under a cloud of an NCAA investigation into then-quarterback Terrelle Pryor and four other former players, currently works as the president of Youngstown State University in northeast Ohio. The very location he won multiple D-1AA champions as they were then known in the 1990s.

Speaking at the Hall of Fame Luncheon Club this past weekend in Canton, Ohio, Tressel delivered a clear message to current Buckeyes coach Ryan Day. Day is struggling in Columbus after losing to the Michigan Wolverines for the second season in a row. Made worse after OSU suffered a brutal loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl.

“I’m a Ryan Day fan,” Tressel said, according to cantonrep.com. “I think he’s got something about him.”

Tressel said he trusts Day to weather the current storm and defended Day’s infrequent use of the transfer portal.

“I think Ryan Day is going to navigate this. Sure, he’s going to lose some players, and, sure, there’s going to be a player or two who comes to him.

“He’s never going to be a guy who runs all over the place and has 19 roster changes. He’s going to recruit well and build within.”

Only time will tell if Tressel’s faith is well placed in Day.

[Canton Repository]