The transfer portal is a stressful time for any college football coach, even one coming off a national championship like Ohio State's Ryan Day.
The spring transfer portal window opened on April 16 and ran through Friday, April 25, with numerous college football players taking the opportunity to change teams after spring practice.
Like any program, the Buckeyes saw some turnover during the winter portal, but were spared from any significant losses in April. But that doesn't mean Day wasn't sweating out the 10-day period like the rest of the sport.
“I woke up with a little bit of a headache, because it was a long night last night. That first beer went down cold after the portal finally closed at midnight, I can tell you that,” Day said during an ESPN radio appearance Saturday, per Eleven Warriors. “Holy smokes, what a world we're living in right now.”
Ohio State held together the returning core from last year's national championship roster, but will have to replace a load of talent lost to the NFL. This weekend's NFL draft saw 14 Buckeyes get selected, four of whom were first-round picks: wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, offensive guard Donovan Jackson, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and offensive tackle Josh Simmons. Among the other players drafted this weekend: running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, defensive ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, and quarterback Will Howard.
It's a familiar hurdle for Ohio State, however. Transfer portal losses after spring ball are far more difficult to overcome, and plenty of Day's rival coaches are now figuring out how to plug those sorts of holes within their programs.
Day's beer may be cold, but not everyone in college football has the same luxury in the transfer portal era.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ohio State's Ryan Day Had the Most Relatable Reaction to the Transfer Portal Closing.
