COLUMBUS, Ohio - If you ask Ohio State’s new head coach Ryan Day where else he could make an impact as a head coach, he would say he can only do it in Columbus. Not at Notre Dame, not at Alabama, but in Columbus.

Day knows that Ohio State is one of (if not the) premier coaching jobs in college football. The loyal fans, the history that comes with the program, the facilities, what else could a coach ask for? He’s seen the historic coaches that have run out of the tunnel on game day, from Woody Hayes to Urban Meyer, and simply asked, why not him?

“There's a lot to that question right there. But I would say that, yeah, I mean from early on, I wanted -- I dreamed big,” Day said. “I was always taught to dream big at a young age and I saw a lot of guys who moved up in the profession said why can't that be me.”

In previous years, the only thing Day has had to worry about is how the offense is performing, but now that he has moved up the ladder to head coach, his responsibilities include much more than what the next play call is.

“As a head coach, there's a lot going on,” Day said. “You have the special teams. You have game management, things that you have to take into consideration -- injuries that may happen in game, things going on the defensive side of the ball, timeouts, all those things to be on top of.”

Having to balance where to place his priorities - offense, defense, special teams, coaching intangibles - will be something big to look at during his first official game as Ohio State’s head coach against Florida Atlantic. As the leader of the program, Day has said the biggest priority is recruiting, but seeing his priorities on the field will be a good indication of where Day plans to take this program.

“So, spread a little more thin that way, but I think as a quarterback guy, as an offensive coordinator, you've always looked at the game that way, from a macro approach,” Day said. “And game management's always right in the forefront of things, and so we did it those first three games, and go with it from there.”

Athletic director Gene Smith and Meyer felt comfortable handing the program off to Day, and the balancing act and the various responsibilities being added to his workload this season is all part of the plan Day is trying to put in place for this season and for the future.

“I think there's two things there,” Day said. “I think, one, there's the plan of once you're here implementing the plan that you believe in your philosophies which that's really a combination of every place you've been and making it your own and then kind of making decisions based on where you're at, the people you're at, the personnel and going from there and making sure you hire really good staff.”

Day had a perfect 3-0 record last season against Oregon State, Rutgers and TCU. The offense averaged 56.3 points per game and only allowed 20.6 points per game. Additionally, in a prime time appearance against TCU under the lights, Day and the Buckeyes had a strong showing against the then-No. 15 ranked Horned Frogs.

Despite the early success and experience that he gained last year, he acknowledged that the nerves that come with being the head coach at Ohio State probably won’t be going away any time soon. That healthy amount of anxiety is what helps keep him on his toes for game days.

“The nerves and anxiety, that's not going to go away,” Day said. “Yeah. Understanding what's at stake every time you step on that field, that's part of it. Doesn't matter if I'm game one or game 300, it's always going to be that way because there's an expectation here.”