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Son of Ryan Day Breaks Ohio High School Football Team's Passing Record

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby:Lawrence Fernandez•11/25/24•

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R.J. and Ryan Day - Ohio High School Football
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day celebrates with his son RJ Day (left) following the win against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium. (© Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images)

As Ryan Day continues to lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to become a college football powerhouse, his son has made Ohio high school football history by establishing his school’s passing record.

In only his second playing year, R.J. Day is St. Francis De Sales High School’s all-time leading passer after collecting 1,425 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. Those numbers earned him Second-Team All-District honors, while his yards total is the fifth-best single-season output in school history.

St. Francis head coach Ryan Wiggins confirmed that the younger Day’s 2,993 passing yards over two seasons is already a school record. The previous record holder, Brian Emmerling, had 2,752 yards from 1990 to 1992. Third on the list is Dino Razzano, who had 2,580 yards from 2000 to 2002. Day is only one of three quarterbacks with multiple 1,000-yard seasons for the Stallions, joining Razzano and Jack Elgin.

Meanwhile, Day officially broke Emmerling’s record when he completed a 24-yard pass to Jordan Karhoff in their Nov. 1 game against New Albany. His success as a sophomore validates that his rookie season numbers of 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns were not a fluke.

In fact, those numbers earned him First-Team All-Central Catholic League honors. Likewise, the younger Day has a knack for extending plays, as proven by his 336 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

More importantly, Day led the Stallions to a 9-3 record this season, significantly improving from their 5-6 record in 2023. Winning that many games earned them a spot in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II, Region 7 playoffs. However, they lost to Ashland in the regional quarterfinals after beating New Albany the week before.

R.J. Day Got His Athletic Genes From Ryan Day

It isn’t a mystery where Day got his playing talent because his father was the 1996 New Hampshire Gatorade Football Player of the Year. Ryan Day also led Manchester Central to a state championship out of two tries.

The older Day continued his playing career for the University of New Hampshire. By the time he was through, he was the Wildcats’ record holder for completions (653) and total yards (8,492). Meanwhile, his mother played basketball for Vermont’s Saint Michael’s College.

While R.J. Day has just completed his second year of Ohio high school football, his innate talent has earned him scholarship offers from Toledo, Marshall, and Boston College. Day also took trips to South Carolina and Clemson last March. If he maintains his production level during his junior year, more schools will take notice and potentially extend offers.

He could also play for his father after his Ohio high school football days. However, as he shared with Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope, Ryan Day guides his son’s decision-making without forcing anything. The head coach of the second-best college football team in the nation even accompanied R.J. during his visits to South Carolina.

In addition to his father’s support, R.J Day has picked up Ryan Day’s football mind through mentoring sessions and studying film up to four times a week.