Ryan Day named a top-five head coach in college football

COLUMBUS — Ohio State coach Ryan Day proved he’s one of the best coaches in all of college football this postseason when he guided the Buckeyes to their first national championship in a decade. That happened less than a month ago

He’s getting the attention nationwide for his coaching job on the way to that national title, too.

On3 national college football writer and talking head Andy Staples put Ryan Day at No. 2 in his list of the top 25 college football head coaches in 2025. Staples has Day just behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart on his list of the top college football coaches.

Staples joined his On3 colleague Ari Wasserman in listing Day at No. 2. Wasserman cited Day’s run to the College Football Playoff national title as the reason for moving him into the second spot just like Staples — behind only Smart.

Here’s why Staples has Day at No. 2:

Now that Day has won a national title, can we weigh the Michigan thing a little less? Smart has an Alabama thing, but that seems far less important now that he has two national titles (one did come by beating Alabama). Day is 70-10, and he consistently reloads his roster to keep it one of the most talented in the country. He has to replace both coordinators this offseason, but he has made coordinator changes before. He still needs to get over the Michigan hump, but if he keeps his team competing for national titles most seasons, he’ll stay this high on the list.

-Andy Staples, On3

Of course Staples took note of the CFP run. The Buckeyes beat Tennessee 42-17 before beating No. 1 Oregon, which was previously undefeated, 41-21 in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal before beating Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl semifinal and then winning the title game over Notre Dame, 34-23. That’s four straight wins over top-10 opponents, all by double digits.

Of those wins, Day beat Staples’ No. 11 coach (Josh Heupel at Tennessee), Staples’ No. 6 coach (Dan Lanning at Oregon), his No. 4 coach (Steve Sarkisian at Texas) and his No. 5 coach (Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame).

Day doesn’t land on this perch without faults, though. He’s just 1-4 against Michigan — and he’s on a four-game rivalry losing streak, including an ugly, puzzling 13-10 loss to the rival this season at home. Staples — like everyone else — still wants to see Day get on the winning side of the rivalry again despite the high ranking.

Ryan Day is clearly working his way into the conversation to be among the best coaches in the sport. The lists from around the country are proving that after Day led Ohio State to the national championship victory.

Other Big Ten coaches on the list include Oregon’s Dan Lanning (3rd), Curt Cignetti of Indiana (12th), James Franklin from Penn State (15th), Bret Bielema of Illinois (18th), Michigan’s Sherrone Moore (19th), Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (20th) and USC’s Lincoln Riley (22nd).

Andy Staples’ top 25 college football head coaches in 2025

1. Kirby Smart (Georgia)
2. Ryan Day (Ohio State)
3. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)
4. Steve Sarkesian (Texas)
5. Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame)
6. Dan Lanning (Oregon)
7. James Franklin (Penn State)
8. Brian Kelly (LSU)
9. Kalen DeBoer (Alabama)
10. Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss)
11. Josh Heupel (Tennessee)
12. Curt Cignetti (Indiana)
13. Bret Bielema (Illinois)
14. Kyle Wittingham (Utah)
15. Matt Campbell (Iowa State)
16. Lance Leipold (Kansas)
17. Sherrone Moore (Michigan)
18. Lincoln Riley (USC)
19. Chris Klieman (Kansas State)
20. Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State)
21. Deion Sanders (Colorado)
22. Mario Cristobal (Miami)
23. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
24. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)
25. Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri)