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.

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

On Tuesday morning, On3 national college football writer Ari Wasserman put Ryan Day at No. 2 in his list of the top 25 college football head coaches in 2025. Wasserman cited Day’s run to the College Football Playoff national title as the reason for moving him into the second spot — behind only Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

Day is 17-5 against other coaches in Wasserman’s top 25 coaches list.

“If this list were done a year ago, Day may not have even made the top 10,” Wasserman wrote. “But when you win a national title — beating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame along the way — it puts to bed any discussion about whether the coach can “win the big one.”” Of course, the Michigan thing will linger over his head until he can lead Ohio State to a win in the rivalry game, but there is no question Day leads the way in roster building and program development. He has a ring to prove it now.””

Of course Wasserman 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 Wasserman’s No. 10 coach (Josh Heupel at Tennessee), Wasserman’s No. 3 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. Wasserman still wants to see Day get on the winning side of the rivalry again — despite the high ranking.

“Of course, the Michigan thing will linger over his head until he can lead Ohio State to a win in the rivalry game,” Wasserman said. “But there is no question Day leads the way in roster building and program development. He has a ring to prove it now.”

A ring changes everything for head coaches. Smart has two of them; he’s the best coach in the sport entering 2025. Day is alone among active coaches with one national championship, while Dabo Swinney, Wasserman’s sixth-best coach, has two titles from the last decade as well.

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).

Ari Wasserman’s top 25 college football head coaches in 2025

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