Ohio State's Ryan Day: Says 'Full Strength Is a Floating Target' Amid COVID-19

Ohio State coach Ryan Day told reporters he's unsure how ready players who were forced to quarantine after having or being in close contact with another person who had COVID-19 will be for Friday's semifinal matchup with Clemson. 

"Full strength is a floating target right now," Day said Thursday. "Those guys who come off quarantine and isolation, they have a protocol to get back on the field. You don't just play football after not doing anything for nine or 10 days. All those guys we were missing for the last month are working their way back. We are getting a lot of guys back, but to say 100 percent, it's different. The good news is they're working their way back and getting stronger every day."

The Buckeyes were without 22 players for the Big Ten Championship Game against Northwestern, most notably receiver Chris Olave and linebacker Baron Browning. 

Clemson will be without offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, who tested positive for the virus Wednesday. The team will also be without two undisclosed players because of COVID-19 protocols. Because of the ACC's rules on testing, the Tigers' roster is set for the semifinal.

"It's a unique situation that we don't have the same protocols going into the game, but I'm not going to spend time thinking about that," Day said. "I'm tired of that. As long as the guys are healthy playing the game, that's what matters. We'll have PCR before we get on the plane and go from there. At the end of the day, the goal is to have a clean field, so we'll follow the protocol that's been set forth."

Ohio State still has to undergo two more rounds of testing to satisfy Big Ten protocols.