COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ever since former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer put his coaching whistle around the neck of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Day in the locker room of the 2019 Rose Bowl against Washington, expectations for the offense were immediately raised.

Day showed what he could do in two years as a coordinator, leading an offense that finished at the top of the Big Ten in both 2017 and 2018, averaging more than 500 yards and more than 40 points per game.

Day was the quarterback whisperer, coming from the coaching tree of current UCLA head coach Chip Kelly and having experience coaching signal callers at the next level. The perception was that with Day at the helm, Ohio State could have any quarterback it wanted.

That perception became reality in 2019, picking up five-star Georgia transfer Justin Fields, who led the Buckeyes to two College Football Playoff appearances and one national championship before being drafted No. 11 by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Day’s resume is one of a leader of a quarterback factory. It’s the reason why he had so many choices to work with, getting a room heading into 2021 that has four four-star options and a five-star freshman phenom.

When announcing that redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Stroud was likely going to be held out of Saturday night’s game against Akron due to a shoulder injury that’s been lingering over his first three starts, Day said he always knew that this Ohio State team was not going to be a one-quarterback team.

To him, Stroud, freshman Kyle McCord and redshirt freshman Jack Miller III are Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones in 2014.

“This year, it’s maybe similar to that. I don’t know,” Day said. “But this is a great opportunity to get some guys some reps.”

But this seems different. It doesn't seem to be a one-week filler until Stroud gets healthy.

There's more weight. There's more pressure.

For Day, it’s really the first time he’s putting someone out there he’s developed from the start.

After a quarterback battle that lasted from April until fall camp in August, Day picked Stroud: a four-star signal caller from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. who was recruited by former Ohio State quarterbacks coach and current Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich — the No. 3 quarterback in the 2020 class — to be his starter. He beat out Miller: a four-star quarterback from Scottsdale, Ariz. — the No. 16 quarterback in the 2020 class — and McCord: a four-star from Philadelphia — the No. 4 quarterback in the 2021 class: both of which Day recruited in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

In three games, despite a clear lack of comfort in his shoulder, Stroud threw eight touchdowns and three interceptions. But each game showed slow starts, throwing only 247 passing yards combined in the first halves of each of his first three games with one touchdown and two interceptions.

And his game against Tulsa didn't garner confidence either, completing 15-of-25 passes for 185 yards, a touchdown, an interception and two sacks.

“When you see it from our point of view, when you dig deep into actual football, it’s been a tough three games for him and our team,” Ohio State senior wide receiver Chris Olave said Wednesday. “He has to get more experience throughout the season, and I feel he’s going to get a lot better.”

Day knew Stroud was a work in progress. Coming off a season with FIelds behind center, Day knew whoever he had starting would have a lot of expectation and big shoes to fill.

“I think in certain ways he's done that and in other ways he's trying to figure that out. That's just real. He'll tell you that as well,” Day said Tuesday. “That's part of the position.

“We knew, when we went down the road of having young quarterbacks in this program that it would be like this. But if you get through this part of it, you get through the growing pains, the expectations of walking into The Shoe playing in front of millions, that's something that sets him up for a long time.”

But there’s a reason Stroud, Miller, McCord and freshman Quinn Ewers are all in that same quarterback room: simply, they want to be the quarterback at Ohio State. They want the chance. They want the path that Fields had: that stepping stool for what could come next.

And for a fanbase that's used to having a player like Fields to rally around, there doesn't seem to be a lot of patience to be had.

“It doesn't make it easy, but it's something you have to embrace and you have to understand and have a plan for it when he goes through it, plan for it when it goes bad,” Day said Tuesday. “It goes for the position and it's something you have to learn. It's hard to prepare for though.”

Stroud has shown that his starting quarterback spot is not secure. Day echoed as much, saying that if McCord and Miller start Saturday night, it will be an evaluation tool. There were no givens for this starting spot. Once the decision was made for the season opener against Minnesota, that didn’t mean it was permanent, the head coach said.

That’s what makes it so hard for Stroud, which Day made clear.

“If he’s not able to play, that will be very, very hard for him. He’s competitive, he wants it very, very badly,” Day said. “No competitor wants to sit and watch his teammates play. But we have to be smart. We can’t be reckless.”

If Stroud does not play, Day doesn’t know which quarterback he’s going to pick to get the majority of the touches against Akron: Miller or McCord.

“I have faith in both of them,” he said.

But there's more to it. Day's reputation is on the line.

He’s watched Stroud, Miller and McCord grow from being recruits to being potential starters at the position that has defined the head coach’s offensive success since his arrival in Columbus in 2017.

Day is a quarterback whisperer. He’s the leader of a quarterback factory.

And it seems like in 2021, he’s still trying to find that quarterback to rest that reputation on fully.