Three Buckeyes coaches make list of top 25 coaches of last 25 years

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has had three head coaches who have been through their entire tenure during the 21st century: Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer and Ryan Day. All three have national championship rings.

All three are among the best coaches of the last 25 years.

So when The Athletic’s Chris Vannini released his list of the top 25 coaches of the first 25 years of this century, all three of them were easy inclusions — all in the top 11 of the rankings.

Here is how Vannini ranked the three Ohio State coaches:

No. 11: Ryan Day

Fresh off his national championship win back in January, Ryan Day has entered elite territory for head coaches from the last 25 years. No, he probably wouldn’t be nearly as high on this list if the Buckeyes didn’t win a national title in 2024, but they did — so he is. Day is among the very best of his era now, thanks to that big ring he just won. Day is the third-highest-ranked active coach, trailing Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (No. 5) and Georgia’s Kirby Smart (No. 4).

Here’s what Vannini said about Day:

It’s still fascinating to look back and think Day was on the hot seat, at least in the eyes of some observers and fans, before the run to the 2024 national championship. Day had taken the Buckeyes to the championship game following the 2020 season, and they were a last-second missed field goal away from reaching the 2022 title game. It’s just that dang Michigan game. Day is 49-5 against Big Ten opponents, but four of those losses have come to the Wolverines. His 87.5 winning percentage in Columbus is higher than Urban Meyer’s, and future national championship runs could be on the table. He took over an elite program near the top and kept it at the top, limiting his upside on this list, but his track record as a head coach is also shorter than everyone else, so there’s room to rise.

No. 7: Jim Tressel

Jim Tressel has a national title and was 9-1 against Michigan. Of course, he took over the Buckeyes program when it just couldn’t beat its rival, but he turned that around immediately and won his title in Year Two, coaching in two more national title games and also winning a Rose Bowl. For all of those accomplishments, Tressel was an easy inclusion into the top 10 coaches list from the last 25 years. It’s hard to tell the story of the modern Big Ten without The Senator.

Here’s what Vannini had to say about Tressel:

Tressel arrived at Ohio State all but guaranteeing a win over Michigan, and his tenure ended with a 9-1 record against the Wolverines, launching two decades of rivalry dominance. He won the 2002 national title, beating the heavily favored Miami Hurricanes for the first 14-0 season in the FBS since 1897, and he reached two more title games in 2006 and ’07, both lopsided losses. His Buckeyes ruled the Big Ten with an iron fist before he was forced to resign after lying to NCAA investigators about the infamous Tattoogate scandal. It’s ultimately a shorter tenure with an abrupt exit and NCAA concerns like Harbaugh, but one with no downswing.

No. 2: Urban Meyer

Trailing only Nick Saban, former Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer is the second-best coach from the last 25 years. With so much accomplished during his time in Gainesville and Columbus, Meyer retired from coaching to become a lead analyst on FOX’s college football coverage. His national title at Ohio State came with an underdog team that beat Saban’s Alabama in the semifinal and then an all-time great Oregon team in the title game.

Here’s what Vannini had to say about Meyer at No. 2:

Only two coaches have won a national championship at multiple schools, and they top this list. Meyer won two at Florida in 2006 and 2008 before stepping away due to health concerns. He returned at Ohio State a few years later and opened with an undefeated season in 2012, though the Buckeyes were banned from the postseason due to the Tattoogate scandal under Tressel, but then won it all in 2014. Meyer also went undefeated at Utah in 2004 with Alex Smith at quarterback, as the Utes became the first program from outside a power conference to reach a BCS bowl. His 187-39 record is good for a winning percentage of 85 percent. It’s one of the most impressive runs in history, behind only the guy who ended Florida’s run.