Ryan Day on relationship with Ross Bjork: 'It's been great to work with him'

Big Ten Football Media Days are here, and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is front and center for all the action happening in Indianapolis, IN. During the event, the Buckeyes head coach sat down with the Big Ten Network crew to volunteer some information about Ohio State as they prepare for the 2024 season.

While there was plenty of Q&A surrounding the Buckeyes football program, one question in particular was more about relationships. While talking to the Big Ten Network team, Day shared his thoughts on Ohio State athletics director Ross Bjork and their working relationship.

“Well, the great thing was that Gene (Smith) had in place that Ross was going to come in the spring, and they were gonna overlap for a while,” said Day. “So, I got a head start and spent some time with Ross in LA when we were at the Big Ten meetings. I’ve spent some time on campus with him. He’s come over; we’ve had plenty of meetings and had a lot of time to spend. [I] got a chance to meet him and his family.”

Before fully vacating his position, former Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith made it a point to help Bjork adjust to his new role and his new coaching staff in Columbus, Ohio. That idea appears to have paid dividends, as it allowed Day the opportunity to get some quality one-on-one time with his new AD before everyone got down to business.

“[I’m] really excited about his experience,” said Day. “He’s very aggressive and really feels great about where college football is going — his experience with that. Taking on Ohio State is something that he’s excited about. You can see it in his daily approach and his communication skills have been excellent. You know he knows how important football is at Ohio State. So it’s been great to work with him [and] get a chance to know who he is and how he works.”

Bjork is no stranger to working at highly competitive institutions. Prior to accepting the Ohio State job, he was the athletic director at Texas A&M from 2019 to 2024. Before that, he was the athletic director at another SEC program, Ole Miss, from 2012 to 2019.

Day and Bjork fully understand the challenge that is laid at their feet. Football is huge at Ohio State; the expectation year in and year out is essentially championship or bust. With the Buckeyes last competing for a national championship in 2020, suffering a crushing 52-24 loss at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the fan base has been champing at the bit for another opportunity to be crowned kings of the college football world. Still, it appears that Bjork and Day have started their relationship off on the right foot and are working diligently to return Ohio State to the top of the Big Ten and college football mountain top.