Desmond Howard attacks Ryan Day's coaching ability, highlights failure

Since losing a fourth consecutive game to Michigan – the longest streak since the early 1990s – the pressure has been ramping up around Ryan Day. Ohio State is getting ready to host a College Football Playoff game on Saturday, and the chatter remains about the job he’s done in Columbus.

ESPN College GameDay analyst Desmond Howard was the latest to weigh in. Despite Day’s 66-10 record as a head coach, the former Michigan star noted his performance in high-profile games as a reason he hasn’t necessarily “earned the benefit of the doubt.”

Rece Davis pointed out Day’s impressive record since taking over for Urban Meyer in 2019, including four trips to the College Football Playoff. Howard, however, said that doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. He notably pointed out last year’s bowl loss to Missouri – which saw a slew of Buckeyes opt out – to back up his point about Day’s ability in big games.

“Let me address that,” Howard said of Day’s 66-10 record. “That’s because the 10 are normally teams who are equal to him, as far as roster and talent. Now, you’re talking about other teams that he’s been able to beat, those teams normally don’t have four- or five-star guys when he’s went up against these other teams. No one’s even talking about Missouri. … They went up against Missouri and had three points. To me, you’re Ohio State, though. You out-recruit Missouri. You’re supposed to score more than three points against Missouri.

“I’m just saying, listen, I like the guy. I’m just saying this is what his record is. You guys look at somebody’s record and don’t believe who they are as a coach. … That’s why, when we were in Dublin, you asked me, Coach [Nick Saban], you said you can’t recognize X, Y and Z. I said, you guys are steady giving people the benefit of the doubt who’s only earned reasonable doubt. So far, his record – especially against Top-5 or Top-10 opponents – should only give you reasonable doubt. He hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt yet. Just because he’s Ohio State’s coach, you want to give him benefit of the doubt.”

Desmond Howard: Ohio State put Ryan Day in ‘bad situation’

Ohio State famously hit the transfer portal hard after last offseason – and a third straight loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes reportedly spent upward of $20 million on the roster and made a splash at offensive coordinator, bringing in Chip Kelly as Ryan Day ceded play-calling duties.

To Desmond Howard, that added a new level of pressure around Day as head coach. However, he also argued the coach knew what he was getting into when he accepted the job after serving as Urban Meyer’s OC.

“I thought during the offseason, when they spent $20 million to go hand-pick some players in the portal to bring them to Columbus [and] the primary reason was to beat Michigan, I thought they put him in a bad situation,” Howard said. “Not only that, but then, they went and got Chip Kelly, who was the head coach of UCLA and became his offensive coordinator. In my opinion, that was like the athletic director and the powers that be saying, ‘We’re pushing all of our chips in the middle of the table, Ryan. This is the year you have to get it done.’

“I thought that was too much pressure on him. I really did. … But, with that being said, Ryan Day was an assistant coach in Columbus. He understands the culture down there. When he accepted the head coaching job, he knew what was the expectations of him.”