Ryan Day got a big contract extension from Ohio State today. Win a national championship and get paid. Ryan Day did. For his new contract as the head football coach of the Buckeyes, he will receive annual compensation of $9.5 million per year with a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season. That sum makes him Ohio State’s highest-paid coach and employee. It also ties him with Mel Tucker of Michigan State and LSU’s Brian Kelly for the third highest-paid coaches behind USC’s Lincoln Riley ($10 million). Do you think that Ryan Day’s salary is justified?
Ryan Day is a Great Comeback Story
Day is a great comeback story. His season was shaped like a W and was a roller coaster ride. Ohio State was undefeated and rolling over teams heading into its one-point road loss at Oregon. The Buckeyes recovered from that loss to win more games over highly ranked opponents, only to suffer one of the most shocking losses in program history.
He experienced the lows of losing to archrival Michigan for the fourth time. Immediately following that loss, some fans wanted him fired. He and his family received death threats, so the vitriol was real. His team then rattled off four consecutive wins to win a national championship. In the process, the Ohio State football team beat six of the top ten teams on the season and four of the top five teams en route to winning the college football national championship.
Coaching Record is Among the Greats
Day’s record is 70-10, good for an 87.5% winning percentage. All-time, he ranks second. Behind a guy named Knute Rockne. Not bad company. Interestingly, his friend and mentor, Urban Meyer, who hand-picked Day to succeed him, is third in the winning percentage in college football coaching. Day will likely improve his winning percentage in 2025, though the immediate future will be difficult.
The Future Will be Difficult
It usually happens following a national championship, but just a week after winning the inaugural twelve-team college football playoff, people have already started to leave the Ohio State football team. Star running back Quinshon Judkins, a junior with one year of eligibility remaining, declared for the NFL draft. He had to do so by the January 24 deadline. Then, arguably a bigger blow, although perhaps not unexpected, Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, the architect of the top defense in the nation, left Ohio State for Penn State. This departure may not have been too surprising as it was reported the Knowles had several reasons for leaving, including not getting along with the head football coach.
Will Ohio State Repeat as National Champions in 2025
Ohio State can win the championship again in 2025, though repeating as a national champion in anything is difficult. It is for this reason we celebrate dynasties. Talented players are entering the program via the transfer portal and in high school recruiting. Winning a national championship helps make a football program attractive. The Buckeyes will benefit from that, and coach Day should only improve his winning percentage in 2025.
Conclusion
Ryan Day deserves to be rewarded following perhaps the greatest comeback in sports history. That is why the Trustees of the Ohio State University opted to grant him a contract extension through the 2028 season. Day is now one of the highest-paid football coaches in the nation, which makes sense because he is one of the best college football coaches in the nation.