'They're hurting': Ryan Day, Ohio State football grieving the loss of Dwayne Haskins Jr.

Ryan Day didn’t mention on Monday the 50 touchdowns that Dwayne Haskins threw in that magical 2018 season.

Nor did the Ohio State coach dwell on the other 27 Buckeye records Haskins set. Those were numbers, and Haskins’ legacy on and off the field can’t be defined solely by numbers.

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Two days after Haskins’ death in Florida at the age of 24, Day and everyone in the Ohio State program were still trying to process the tragedy. The Buckeyes resumed spring practice deep in grief.

“Certainly, it was a very, very difficult weekend for all of us,” Day said. “We had a meeting with the team today. We talked about a lot of things. There’s a good group of our guys who played with Dwayne, and they’re hurting.”

Coach Ryan Day on tragic loss of Dwayne Haskins: 'It’s hard to wrap your mind around something like this'

Day expressed his condolences to the Haskins’ family, including his parents and sister, Tamia, with whom Dwayne was especially close.

“It’s hard to wrap your mind around something like this,” Day said, “especially when it happened so tragically to a young person, especially somebody who had such a big heart.”

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That’s the side of Haskins that Day emphasized. He repeatedly mentioned Haskins' smile. Day said Haskins was like a big brother to his son, RJ, and would take him to high school football and basketball games.

“He meant a lot to my family, meant a lot to this program, and he’s going to be sorely missed,” Day said.

'That smile he had was infectious': Dwayne Haskins 'uplifted others' at Ohio State, Ryan Day says

Day was hired as Ohio State’s quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator after the 2016 season. Haskins was a redshirt freshman competing with Joe Burrow to become J.T. Barrett’s backup and eventual successor.

Right away, Day saw how gifted a passer Haskins was, how the ball just exploded with a flick of the wrist. But his personality was also special.

“You just saw somebody who you enjoyed being around,” Day said. “Our guys really enjoyed being around him. He uplifted others. That smile he had was infectious.

“And he kind of had an old soul about him. Sometimes when you were talking with him, you felt like you were talking to a 45- or 50-year-old man, the way he approached life in general. He was a man of faith and really had great integrity and values about him.”

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Haskins’ breakthrough came in the 2017 Michigan game when he replaced the injured Barrett and led Ohio State to a comeback victory in Ann Arbor. That was a prelude to the 2018 season, which began with Day serving as acting coach for three games when Urban Meyer was suspended for the Zach Smith saga.

Day handled that difficult situation well, and Haskins’ brilliance would lead Ohio State to the Big Ten title and a 13-1 record. When Meyer decided to retire, Day was tabbed to take over.

If not for Haskins’ success, would Day have been hired? If not for Haskins’ success, would Ohio State’s program be the quarterback magnet it now is, attracting Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud?

“Probably not,” Day said. “Certain people are meant to spend time together, and God has a plan for us all. We end up with the same path together. I don't think any of us would be here, and the program would be where it is without Dwayne and the way that it all happened.”

Former Buckeye Dwayne Haskins played for Washington, Steelers in the NFL

Haskins turned pro after the 2018 season. When Washington took him with the 15th overall pick, he became the first Ohio State quarterback taken in the first round of the NFL draft since 1982.

Haskins’ professional career didn’t go as hoped. He was working to revitalize it with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I think he felt like this was a great opportunity for him and made some changes,” Day said. “Anytime you play one year of college football, really, and then go into that league, it’s a challenge, and that was going to be a journey. It takes time, especially at that position.”

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Day said he had conversations with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who believed Haskins could realize his potential.

“Coach Tomlin was unbelievable,” Day said. “He and I got together here and had some conversations, and he really wanted to help Dwayne. He felt he saw those special traits in Dwayne, and really poured into him. It says a lot about that organization and just what they tried to do for him.”

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A tribute to Haskins is being planned for Saturday’s spring game. Day, a longtime proponent of mental health care, said that help will be provided to those in the OSU program.

“The biggest thing is to lean on each other,” Day said. “When you're a part of a family, that's what you do. That's about all you can do. There’s nothing you can do to make it better at this point.”

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Day said he appreciates the support the program has received nationally, including from OSU’s opponents and rivals.

“It’s been unbelievable and I think that says so much about who he is. He left the legacy, even at 24 years old. I think that it says so much about who he was as a person because of that. The outpouring of support shows what type of special person he was.”

Bill Rabinowitz covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at brabinowitz@dispatch.com or on Twitter @brdispatch.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dwayne Haskins Jr. mourned by Ryan Day, Ohio State football