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Ryan Day honored to cement legacy with Ohio State coaching greats

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•about 22 hours•

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Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ryan Day is an exclusive club at Ohio State: the national championship winning coaches. Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer and Day are the elite five.

It’s like Mount Rushmore, but with an additional head put on for Day. Some questioned if he would get there following the fourth straight loss to Michigan earlier this year.

But, Day and Ohio State silenced the doubters and his name will live on forever.

“I don’t know. I just know that Ohio State’s a special place,” Day said. “It’s an honor to be here, an honor to be around some of those names that you just said. Because you know, when you hear some of those names like that, they’re some of the best coaches in the history of the game. But the only way you do that is with great players, great people. And obviously this is a great place.”

Day faced all kinds of pressure even before the season started in 2024. Ohio State was coming off falling short in the playoff, the Big Ten and to Michigan in the last three seasons.

Plus, they saw their arch rival win it all just last season. This job isn’t for everyone, as Day said. But in the end, he was the right coach for this program.

“Well, it’s an honor. It’s an honor to be the coach at Ohio State,” Day said. “And you know, I’d probably say that this job is not for everybody, and every year, I learned more about myself, and I thought going into the season, and a big part of it is are these players, and I shared that with the guys this season, and I felt like we were knocking on the door several times leading up to this game. 

“You know, you think about the ‘19 team, you think about the ‘20 team, I mean every year, I felt like we were close, but we just couldn’t get through. And this team was different. This team was special. And the message was to leave no doubt. Don’t leave it to one play. Don’t leave it to one call. Don’t leave it in the hands of somebody else. Don’t do that. And, you know, I felt like the throw and catch there to Jeremiah at the end, kind of like, was like, alright, we’re leaving no doubt with this thing.”