Ryan Day, Ohio State University’s head coach
In four seasons (2019–22), Ryan Day has led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a 45–6 record. This includes a 31-2 record versus Big Ten Conference opponents, back-to-back Big Ten titles in 2019 and 2020, and victories in the Sugar Bowl in 2020 and the Rose Bowl in 2021. Ohio State has won 16 straight games under his leadership, including 23 straight Big Ten victories. His Buckeyes are the only programme in the country to have qualified for the College Football Playoffs three times since 2019.
In all four of his seasons as head coach, Day’s teams have finished in the top 10 in total offence and three times in the top three nationally in scoring. These teams are among the strongest offensive teams in the country. In terms of both scoring offence and overall offence in 2021, Ohio State led the country. Furthermore, Ohio State led the country in both passing and total defence in 2019.
In addition to coaching five Heisman Trophy finalists, Day has coached six Big Ten Quarterback of the Year winners, five Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year winners, and eighteen first-team All-Americans. In addition, he has coached nine first-round selections in the NFL Draft and sixteen NFL Draft selections, which includes all three of his starting quarterbacks at Ohio State (Dwayne Haskins, 2019; Justin Fields, 2021; and C.J. Stroud, 2023).
In the classroom, his Buckeyes have achieved programme records for the quantity of Academic All-Big Ten Conference honours (46 in 2021) and OSU Scholar-Athletes (61 in 2020–21). Additionally, Ohio State football achieved its highest-ever rate of 993 for the 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, and 2021–22 academic years in the most current Academic Progress Rate ratings, which take into consideration academic eligibility, retention, and graduation.
When Day won the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year award in 2019, he became the first Ohio State coach to do it in forty years.
Day broke a first by guiding Ohio State into the College Football Playoffs for two straight years, in 2019 and 2020. He is the first Ohio State coach to win Big Ten titles in his first two seasons as coach, in 2019 and again in 2020.
Day and Ohio State have consistently landed in the Top 5 recruiting classes thanks to their excellent relationships with prospects and their families. This includes four straight years in the Top 5 rankings on 247Sports (#5 in 2023, #4 in 2022, #2 in 2021, and #5 in 2020).
On December 4, 2018, Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation Endowed Athletics Director Gene Smith appointed Day as Ohio State’s head coach.
45-6 Total Score
After finishing 11-2 overall, the 2022 Ohio State Buckeyes fell 42-1 to the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Peach Bowl. Quarterback C.J. Stroud won the Big Ten’s offensive player and quarterback of the year again, and he was a contender for the Heisman Trophy for a second year in a row. Furthermore, OT Paris Johnson and WR Marvin Harrison were both unanimously selected as All-Americans.
In 2021, Day guided the Buckeyes to an 11-2 record and their eighth straight Big Ten East Division title, or shared championship. Even as a rookie, Stroud was a contender for the Heisman Trophy, becoming just the third quarterback under Day’s coaching in the previous four years. Along with winning the Big Ten quarterback and offensive player of the year titles, Stroud became the seventh consecutive Buckeye under Day to win the titles. WRs Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, OL Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere, and K Noah Ruggles were the five Buckeyes that made the first team All-American roster.
Day guided his club through months of separation, the dread of a cancelled season followed by a curtailed one, and finally the real start/stop season in 2020, a season that was cut short by the pandemic. It was an excellent coaching effort. In an eight-game regular season that was scheduled, Ohio State finished 5-0 despite the cancellation of games against Maryland and Michigan and Ohio State’s game at Illinois due to the pandemic. The squad finished 7-1 overall, with Justin Fields winning the Big Ten offensive player and quarterback of the year awards, and DT Haskell Garrett, CB Shaun Wade, and OG Wyatt Davis being named to the first team of All-America.
Ohio State’s perfect regular season record in 2020 secured them a fourth trip to Indianapolis and the Big Ten title game, where they defeated Northwestern 22–10 to position themselves up for a program-first second straight invitation to the College Football Playoffs. In the CFP Semifinals in the Sugar Bowl, Ohio State upset No. 2 Clemson, 49-28, to advance to the CFP Championship Game.
Coach of the Year Day led and developed one of the greatest teams in school history to win the 2019 Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year award, making him the first Ohio State coach to win the award in forty years. His Buckeyes had an incredible 2019 season, finishing in the top 5 of 12 major NCAA statistical categories and won 13 straight games by an average of more than 36 points per game.
The Buckeyes under his leadership made history in 2019 by becoming the first Big Ten team to win three straight Big Ten crowns. They also qualified for the College Football Playoffs for the third time in the six-year existence of the playoffs. Day is the first FBS head coach to win 13 games without the advantage of a bowl victory, and his 13 victories in 2019 tie for the most by a first-year head coach. For 14 of the 16 weeks, the Buckeyes were among the top 5 in the country.
In terms of individual accomplishments, Day coached Justin Fields to Big Ten Quarterback of the Year for three straight years. His programme also produced J.K. Dobbins, the first running back to reach 2,000 yards in school history, two Heisman Trophy finalists (Fields and Chase Young), only the sixth time this feat has been made, and four first-team All-Americans (Wyatt Davis, Dobbins, Jeff Okudah, and Young). The Football Writers Association of America awarded him first-year Coach of the Year, and he was a strong candidate for almost every national coach of the year award.
As an assistant at Ohio State
When Day was Ohio State’s quarterbacks coach in 2018, the team finished eighth in scoring and second in the country in both passing yards and overall offence. In terms of offensive yards per game (535.6), passing yards (5,100), passing yards per game (373.0), touchdown passes (51), completions (396), and total plays (1,131), it set new marks for the Big Ten Conference.
As an individual, quarterback Dwayne Haskins became just the sixth player in history to throw 50 touchdown passes in a season and was a contender for the Heisman Trophy. In addition to being voted the Big Ten’s offensive player of the year and quarterback of the year, he was selected the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football Award, which honours the greatest player in the conference.
Additionally in 2018, running back J.K. Dobbins became the first Buckeye to surpass 1,000 yards rushing in both his freshman and sophomore seasons, while wide receiver Parris Campbell became only the sixth Ohio State receiver to do it.
Day was Ohio State’s nomination for the 2018 Broyles Award, which is given to the nation’s best assistant coach each year.
Day’s first season in Columbus was 2017; it was likewise a success. His starting quarterback, J.T. Barrett, broke the Big Ten Conference career record for touchdowns responsible with 147 and set seven school single-season records. Barrett was also named the Big Ten quarterback of the year and was a finalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Year Award.
In addition, Ohio State’s offence in 2017 was seventh in overall offence, sixth in scoring, and fifth nationally in passing efficiency.
Whistle passing
Ryan Day was given a whistle by departing head coach Urban Meyer somewhere about 6:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on January 1, 2019, in front of the squad following their 28-23 victory over Washington in the Rose Bowl Game. Day’s time as Ohio State University’s head coach has officially begun.
Although technically Day’s first day on the job was January 2, the moment in front of 124 players in the Rose Bowl locker room—among them over 100 who would be on his first team—will always be remembered as the starting point for the 41-year-old from Manchester, New Hampshire. Day became just the 25th head coach for a legendary programme that is second in all-time wins and has played 130 football seasons.
Day said in the locker room that evening, “It’s a fantastic feeling.” “It is an honour to be the head of Buckeye Nation—a particular programme, a great group of guys, and a special place.”
Day had a 3-0 record as a head coach when he took over. As Ohio State’s interim head coach for around eight weeks in August and September of the 2018 season, he is credited with the team’s victories over Oregon State, Rutgers, and 15th-ranked TCU.
In February 2020, Day signed a three-year contract extension that will prevent him from coaching the Buckeyes until at least the 2026 football season. He’s been a college or NFL coach for twenty-one seasons now.
December 4, 2018
Day was chosen to succeed renowned coach Urban Meyer on December 4, 2018, the day he announced his retirement.
At a crowded news conference held at the Fawcett Centre on the Ohio State campus, Day remarked, “I am very honoured to be here today and am so thankful to President Drake and Gene Smith for their trust in me to lead this team.” “I want Buckeye Nation to know how hard we will work to guarantee that this programme stays the greatest in the nation because I love this programme and its student-athletes.
“I would also like to express my gratitude to Coach Meyer. Everyone on this staff not only respects but also learns from and brings forward his coaching experience and exceptional ability to inspire and prepare a squad. I am appreciative of the two seasons I worked with him.
As an NFL quarterbacks coach, Day worked with 49ers quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick in 2016. Day also coached Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford to a record-setting single-season record of 3,725 yards and 65 percent completion percentage in 2015. For Bradford, these numbers represented career highs at the time.
Day has 15 years of collegiate coaching experience in addition to his two NFL seasons as a quarterbacks coach. He has held jobs as offensive coordinator at Temple and Boston College, as well as graduate assistantships under Meyer at Florida and his own school, New Hampshire.
Under Al Golden, he oversaw receivers for a year at Temple University in 2006 and then spent five seasons coaching them at Boston College (2007–11). Day served as Steve Addazio’s offensive coordinator for three years. From 2012 to 2014, he oversaw the offence and taught receivers at Temple. In 2013 and 2014, he was Boston College’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
With 254.4 rushing yards per game in 2014, Day’s Boston College offence ranked second in the ACC and 21st nationally. In 2013, Eagle running back Andre Williams amassed over 2,000 yards of rushing yardage en route to unanimous All-America recognition and a Heisman Trophy finalist designation.
Having served as an assistant coach at Boston College on three different times, Day’s highlights include the 2007 season, in which quarterback Matt Ryan passed for over 4,500 yards before being selected third overall in the 2008 draft.
Day is from Manchester, New Hampshire. During Chip Kelly’s tenure as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at New Hampshire, he started three seasons as the starting quarterback. In 2002, he graduated with a degree in business administration and served as team captain for his final year. Boston College awarded him a master’s degree in administrative studies in 2004.
Ryan Jr., also known as “RJ,” Grace, and Ourania, also known as “Nia,” are the three children that Day and his wife Christina, also known as “Nina,” have.
