Ryan Day doesn't run a loose program. Ohio State Buckeyes punter Joe McGuire just gave everyone the most detailed breakdown yet of what that actually looks like behind closed doors.

McGuire appeared on The Dos and D Show podcast and described what being one minute late to a 6 AM winter session actually means.

"If you're a minute late, it is a disaster. Like, I would rather crash my car than show up late. It is so bad," McGuire said in the interview.

Day wants players to understand that being late doesn't just affect them; it creates extra work for everyone around them. Making them do the unglamorous jobs that keep the facility running.

"Dawn patrol on Saturday, you got to be there at 6 AM, cleaning the weight room, you're restocking fridges," added McGuire in the same interview.

According to McGuire, when the team had no other tasks one day, they were instructed to collect the white pieces scattered across the indoor turf field.

Then comes community service. Then, on Monday, if a player was late, the consequences were not limited to that individual.

"Then you kick out of the locker room for three days," he said. "You're like Harry Potter. You go down the stairs. That's where you get changed and live for the three days."

On Monday of the punishment period, coaches drive players to and from class and personally monitor their homework until everything is done.

So, Day creates a culture where nobody can afford to be the person who lets everyone else down.

McGuire came to Ohio State in 2024 as an international recruit from Australia, and he's been the Buckeyes starter since 2024 and punted 29 times for 1,229 yards last season.

Meanwhile, what McGuire described in the weight room shows up in the classroom, too.

The disciplined culture also earned Ryan Day a $100,000 academic bonus

Every single player on the roster combined for a GPA of nearly 3.4 last year across both semesters. That number landed Day a $100,000 bonus straight from his contract.

Day's contract pays him $50,000 when the team clears a 3.0 GPA, $100,000 when it tops 3.3, and $150,000 if it reaches 3.5, per the Columbus Dispatch. This year's bonus doubled what he earned in each of the two previous academic cycles.

The team GPA is the combined average grade of every player on the Ohio State football roster across both the fall and spring semesters. Every player's academic performance counts toward it, which means the same guys picking grass off the turf at 6 AM are also being held accountable in the classroom.

Do you think Ohio State's strict culture is what separates them from other programs? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Michigan Football Community.

Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar