Ryan Day earned his sense of vindication when he guided Ohio State to a national championship, just a couple of months after it seemed his job might be at risk.
However, that relief didn’t last long. When asked on Tuesday if his 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the national championship game would reduce the pressure on him for the 2025 season, Day made it clear he still felt the weight of expectations.
“Try losing the first game and see how that goes at Ohio State,” Day replied.
The Buckeyes’ national title was redemption for Day, who faced significant criticism after Ohio State’s fourth straight loss to Michigan in November. That defeat had led to doubts about his ability to win big games. Day acknowledged the achievement and credited his players for making history. He called them one of the greatest teams in Ohio State history.
Quarterback Will Howard, who wore a “National Champs” cap, and linebacker Cody Simon joined Day for Tuesday’s College Football Playoff champions news conference.
“I’m proud of these guys,” Day said. “And again, we’ll go down in history and cement themselves as champions.”
Though Day didn’t claim he deserved to be listed among the great Ohio State coaches who won national championships, such as Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel, Woody Hayes, and Paul Brown, he did say it was an honor to be the head coach at the university.
“It’s an honor,” Day remarked when asked about joining that group of legendary coaches. “It’s an honor to be the head coach at Ohio State. I’d probably say that this job is not for everybody.”
Day’s victory earned him his place in Ohio State history, despite some unexpected moments, like when the golf cart transporting him to Monday night’s postgame news conference collided with a wall. The driver misjudged the cart’s turning radius, causing Day to jolt forward in his seat, much to the amusement of Howard, who was in the back row.
“Obviously, the golf cart incident was pretty funny,” Howard said. “Coach Day, I hope you’re all right. He got jolted a little bit.”
Day jokingly replied, “Send the medical bills to the CFP.”
But Day’s financial reward was much more than a medical bill. His $500,000 bonus for winning the national championship was added to the $500,000 bonuses he had already earned, bringing his total compensation, including his $10 million base salary, to a generous sum.
Day’s success came after a season full of challenges, including the College Football Playoff’s first-ever 12-team format. Ohio State was ranked No. 1 in the final AP Top 25, ahead of Notre Dame.
Day’s record of 68-10 in six seasons at Ohio State is impressive, but his impressive win rate seemed to be overshadowed by his team’s loss to Michigan and their failure to reach the Big Ten championship game.
“None of us ever doubted for a second that he was the right guy to lead this team,” Howard said. “We stuck together and we said we want to do it for each other, we want to do it for our coach, and let’s do this thing, man. I’m really glad that we were able to finish it the right way.”
Simon echoed that sentiment, adding, “No one ever on our team lost any type of faith.”
He explained that after the loss to Michigan, he realized there was “noise all over the world” doubting the team. But Simon said he trusted Day because he saw how hard the coach worked every day.
“You think you’re getting work done and you go and walk past the head coach’s office and he’s already there,” Simon said. “He’s been watching film. His eyes are bloodshot. He puts that extra time in that no one in the world is really putting in.”
When the final seconds ticked off the clock Monday night, Day threw his headset into the air. When asked if he felt happiness or relief, Day admitted he felt both.
“I don’t know if it’s a spectrum. All of the above. Yeah, all of the above,” he said. “There’s a mix of emotions there. It’s hard to really put into words.”
