Kirk Herbstreit takes shot at First Take over Ryan Day narrative: 'Tried to fire him'

Although Ohio State was preparing to face Tennessee in the College Football Playoff, a lot of the conversation surrounded the job security of Ryan Day. Fresh off another loss to Michigan, many wondered if a loss would end Day’s tenure in Columbus. Talk shows, such as ESPN’s First Take, were even discussing potential replacements.

Well, there is at least one more game for Ohio State to play this season. A blowout of Tennessee in the Shoe means they will travel out West to face Oregon in the Rose Bowl. And as minutes ticked away in the fourth quarter, Kirk Herbstreit called out First Take for their Day-related discussions.

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“First Take tried to fire him, they thought he was done,” Herbstreit said. “So, I’ll be excited to see what they talk about on Monday after this performance. They had him out, trying to find replacements. But here he is. Still got his hat on, still coaching.”

First Take‘s main voice is Stephen A. Smith, one of the highest-paid employees at ESPN. College football is usually discussed with Paul Finebaum and on occasion, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo. The sport’s biggest storylines are routinely discussed and for a while, Day was exactly that.

Finebaum made his usual guest appearance this past Wednesday, saying Tennessee was a “must-win” for Day. Even though the buyout was going to be a large one, the Mouth of the South believes losing in the CFP first-round would be a death sentence.

“There’s a lot of speculation about what’s going to happen to Ryan Day but remember a couple things should they lose,” Finebaum said. “There’s a $37 million price tag… That’s serious money for Ohio State. Ultimately, I think this is a must-win game for Ryan Day.”

In the same segment, Smith suggested Ohio State should pay the nearly $40 million buyout and hire Colorado‘s Deion Sanders.

“I understand that $37 million is a lot of money when it comes to Ryan Day,” Smith said. “If you can get your hands on Deion Sanders and bring him to the Ohio State, you pay the $37 million.”

Day will be the first to tell you there is still a lot of work to be done, needing three more wins before being satisfied. A national championship is always the goal for Ohio State and the pressure does intensify after losing to Michigan.

But after a dominating win against Tennessee, Herbstreit is interested to see how the narrative changes on First Take. He, along with plenty of others across the country, will be tuning in on Monday morning.