Ryan Day

To the victors go the spoils, and Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day is reportedly benefiting greatly from the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff national championship.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Thursday that Day and Ohio State agreed to a new seven-year contract to keep him with the team through the 2031 campaign. The agreement added three years onto his contract that was already in place and will pay him an average of $12.5 million per season.

Landing a contract extension like this is the latest step in an incredible turnaround for Day over the course of the last two months.

After all, November's shocking home loss to a Michigan team that was so mediocre it went to the ReliaQuest Bowl felt like a possible breaking point for Day's tenure at Ohio State. It was his fourth straight loss to the school's hated archrival, and this one was particularly concerning since the offense managed 10 points against a team it was expected to blow out.

Criticism from the Buckeye fanbase reached an all-time high, and some national media members even said it was time for Ohio State to move on from its head coach.

While Day's overall record wasn't in question, the fact that Ohio State hadn't beaten Michigan since 2019 or won the Big Ten since 2020 just wasn't good enough for the high standards in place. It also fell short of a national title during CFP appearances in the 2019, 2020 and 2022 seasons.

And then everything changed.

Perhaps the Michigan loss woke the Buckeyes up because they steamrolled their way through the inaugural 12-team CFP.

First came a 42-17 destruction of the SEC's Tennessee in a game where Day may have realistically been coaching for his job since it was the first one after the loss to the Wolverines. Then came a 41-21 win over No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl in a game that was 34-0 in the second quarter and not even as close as the final score indicated.

The Scarlet and Gray then went into Dallas and defeated the SEC's Texas Longhorns by 14 before an 11-point win over Notre Dame in the title game. All four wins came by double digits, and the champions trailed for fewer than seven total minutes during the course of the entire playoff.

While Ohio State fans undoubtedly want him to turn things around against Michigan, Day has now earned the benefit of the doubt after leading the program to the sport's mountaintop.

He also said during an appearance on The Steam Room podcast with Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley, "Woody Hayes is the last (coach) to win multiple national championships at Ohio State. That's something I've now set for myself. To be the next head coach to win multiple national championships at Ohio State. There's still a lot more to be done."

It's quite the goal, but he now has the long-term stability to pursue it following this contract extension.

Ohio State reportedly didn't have to look far for its next offensive coordinator.

Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports and 247Sports reported Wednesday that the reigning national champions plan to promote co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline to the full-time O.C. position.

This comes after former O.C. Chip Kelly departed to fill the same role with the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL.

That the Buckeyes would promote Hartline comes as no surprise and further guarantees he will remain with his alma mater after he previously interviewed for head-coaching jobs elsewhere.

After all, he is widely considered one of—if not the—best wide receivers coaches and recruiters in the sport who has helped maintain the program's powerhouse status during his eight seasons on the staff.

Hartline has recruited and worked with a long list of star wide receivers, including Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, among others.

He also played at Ohio State before an NFL career that included back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 receiving yards with the Miami Dolphins in 2012 and 2013.

Ohio State certainly didn't want to risk losing Hartline without a promotion after Kelly left, and now he will have the opportunity to further prove himself in a different role.

However, it remains to be seen if Hartline is given full play-calling capabilities in the offense even after this promotion.

After all, head coach Ryan Day has an offensive background and, as Pete Nakos of On3 pointed out, took over play-calling in 2023 after O.C. Kevin Wilson left for Tulsa. Day called plays that season even though Hartline held the official O.C. role.

Day then took a different approach in 2024 and went out and hired Kelly as a high-profile outside addition. In doing so, the head coach took more of a step back from consistent play-calling and played the CEO and game-management role that many head coaches do.

It was hard to argue with the results, as the Buckeyes went on to win the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff national championship. They were barely even threatened in their four CFP games, winning each of them by double digits and trailing for a grand total of fewer than seven minutes across the four contests.

Perhaps Day will give Hartline more play-calling responsibilities this time around, especially after such a strategy with Kelly resulted in Ohio State winning the national title.

If he does, the new O.C. will immediately be put to the test seeing how the Scarlet and Gray open the 2025 campaign with a home game against Texas.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day's victory tour following the team's victory in the College Football Playoff Championship took him to late night television.

Appearing on Monday's episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (starts at 2:14 mark), Day joked that he came "right back down to earth" immediately after the game as a result of the viral moment when a golf cart carrying him and two players crashed into a wall in the tunnel at Mercedes-Benz Stadium following the Buckeyes' 34-23 win over Notre Dame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=134&v=_vh3zw1tmoA&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fcontenttools.bleacherreport.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE

Some lady just crashed the golf cart carrying Ryan Day and Will Howard in the Mercedes-Benz tunnel after they won the National Championship pic.twitter.com/o3UqM5ZhrO

— Patrick Greenfield (@PCGreenfield) January 21, 2025

Another topic that Fallon asked about was an old social media post from LeBron James when he asked about college eligibility in a sport besides basketball.

Do I have college eligibility if I went to play another sport besides basketball? How does that rule work?

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 24, 2022

Day joked that he would give James a spot on the Ohio State football team, but he would be "right in line with the freshman" and "have to work his way up" to get snaps on Saturdays.

James accepted the coach's terms with his response on social media:

I don’t mind it one bit Coach Day! Earned Not Given! 🙏🏾 https://t.co/ymM3bpcauc

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 28, 2025

James has often talked about the possibility of being a football player, including saying in 2011 that he had an offer to tryout for the Dallas Cowboys:

"I would have made the team. I would have tried out, but I would have made the team. One thing about it, I don't mind working for something, so if I would have had to try out for the Cowboys or the Seahawks, or if I'd have stayed home and went back home to Cleveland, I'd have tried (out), but I would have made the team. I just know what I'm capable of doing on the football field. Especially at that age."

Despite James' confidence about being able to have played in the NFL if he really gave it his best effort, it's safe to say he made the right career choice given how things are still going for him in the NBA.

Plus, depending on which position James played, it would have been tough to get snaps for the Buckeyes this season. Their receiver room featured freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka.

Carnell Tate was the No. 3 wideout and he had 733 receiving yards this season.

James gets the best of both worlds because he's still one of the best basketball players and he got to celebrate Ohio State's fifth national title by attending the College Football Playoff Championship Game in Atlanta.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day's victory tour following the team's victory in the College Football Playoff Championship took him to late night television.

Appearing on Monday's episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (starts at 2:14 mark), Day joked that he came "right back down to earth" immediately after the game as a result of the viral moment when a golf cart carrying him and two players crashed into a wall in the tunnel at Mercedes-Benz Stadium following the Buckeyes' 34-23 win over Notre Dame.

Some lady just crashed the golf cart carrying Ryan Day and Will Howard in the Mercedes-Benz tunnel after they won the National Championship pic.twitter.com/o3UqM5ZhrO

— Patrick Greenfield (@PCGreenfield) January 21, 2025

Another topic that Fallon asked about was an old social media post from LeBron James when he asked about college eligibility in a sport besides basketball.

Do I have college eligibility if I went to play another sport besides basketball? How does that rule work?

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 24, 2022

Day joked that he would give James a spot on the Ohio State football team, but he would be "right in line with the freshman" and "have to work his way up" to get snaps on Saturdays.

James accepted the coach's terms with his response on social media:

I don’t mind it one bit Coach Day! Earned Not Given! 🙏🏾 https://t.co/ymM3bpcauc

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 28, 2025

James has often talked about the possibility of being a football player, including saying in 2011 that he had an offer to tryout for the Dallas Cowboys:

"I would have made the team. I would have tried out, but I would have made the team. One thing about it, I don't mind working for something, so if I would have had to try out for the Cowboys or the Seahawks, or if I'd have stayed home and went back home to Cleveland, I'd have tried (out), but I would have made the team. I just know what I'm capable of doing on the football field. Especially at that age."

Despite James' confidence about being able to have played in the NFL if he really gave it his best effort, it's safe to say he made the right career choice given how things are still going for him in the NBA.

Plus, depending on which position James played, it would have been tough to get snaps for the Buckeyes this season. Their receiver room featured freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka.

Carnell Tate was the No. 3 wideout and he had 733 receiving yards this season.

James gets the best of both worlds because he's still one of the best basketball players and he got to celebrate Ohio State's fifth national title by attending the College Football Playoff Championship Game in Atlanta.

There is a small fraternity of people who understand what it is like to face the pressure-cooker that is being the head coach of Ohio State football.

Urban Meyer is one of them, and he called out some of the "idiots on social media" who attacked Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day before the latter led the Scarlet and Gray to College Football Playoff national championship.

"I coached a long time and a lot has been made of it and Coach Day and the pressures of coaching at a place like Ohio State," Meyer said during an episode of The Triple Option (h/t Dan Morrison of On 3). "I made the comment that that's not gonna change. The thing that has got to change and has changed is the idiots on social media that don't sign their name to stuff."

While nobody questioned Day's overall record, much of the football-related criticism from both frustrated fans and outside commentators came from his inability to accomplish any of the program's goals prior to the championship run.

After all, Ohio State hasn't defeated hated rival Michigan since Day's first season as head coach in 2019. It also hasn't won the Big Ten since the 2020 campaign. And, until this year, it fell just short of winning a national championship during CFP appearances during the 2019, 2020 and 2022 seasons.

This year's loss to Michigan seemed like a breaking point. The Buckeyes were heavy favorites against a team that struggled to move the ball on offense all season and still found a way to lose 13-10 with an overly conservative gameplan.

It wasn't just Buckeyes fans calling out Day at that point despite some of the revisionist history suggesting as much that has taken place since the national championship. There were national columns from some of the sport's most prominent voices saying it was time for Ohio State to move on, and it was not difficult to see why.

Yet Meyer specifically highlighted the criticism that took things too far and went beyond football, especially since, as Morrison noted, Day had to hire security at his home and deal with his family hearing about the program's perceived failures.

"When you start involving families, you're pushing it too far," Meyer said. "Booing because you don't get first downs and you lose to the rival, that's part of the game. That's all fair. But you've got to keep the families out of it."

Fortunately for Day and the Buckeyes, much of that criticism will now relinquish. They just made an incredible run through the first 12-team CFP and defeated top opponents in Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame.

Every win featured a double-digit margin, and Day and many of the players cemented their status in Ohio State history as a result.

Even though the vibes are incredibly strong for Ohio State fans toward Ryan Day following Monday's 34-23 win over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Championship Game, there were dark times for the head coach not that long ago.

R.J. Day, Ryan's son, told The Athletic's Bruce Feldman about the impact that threats from Buckeyes fans toward their family after the Nov. 30 loss to Michigan had.

"We had security at our house. School was really bad," R.J. said. "I didn't really leave the house much 'til after the Tennessee game (three weeks after the Michigan game, in the CFP first round). It was rough, but you've gotta hang on in those rough times because eventually things will turn back around again."

R.J. also said "it was not easy" everything they had to go through in the aftermath of the Michigan game:

"It was some of the hardest stuff I've ever had to deal with in my life; dealing with really grown men coming after me for something I didn't have a part of but just to see the joys and the tears in my sisters' face and my mom's and see the joy in my dad's face. It's a testament to how you just have to hang on when things are bad, and I'm just so happy for my dad and my family. I know how hard he works. I see the nights when he comes home at 1 a.m. and then goes back to work at 5 a.m. I see how much he puts into these kids, and to see the results and see him hoist that trophy with the smile on his face is something I'll never forget."

Stan Spirou, Day's father-in-law, told Feldman the threats "had a tremendous impact" on the immediate family, but that Ryan "never put any of it on the players or the coaching staff, and he just went to work."

Ohio State was on track to play Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game before the 13-10 loss to Michigan. Day has a 70-10 record as head coach, but he has lost four to the Wolverines in four consecutive years.

There were calls among analysts and fans for Day to be fired that got so prominent he was asked about it during a Dec. 4 press conference.

"I don't think I need to have a sales pitch. I feel their frustration. There's no way to defend losing four years in a row," Day said. "Sometimes, when you're really close and feel frustrated, you got to push through. And that's what we're gonna do."

Ohio State hasn't had a losing streak of at least four games against Michigan since a six-year winless streak in the rivalry from 1988 to '93 (0-5-1).

Thanks to the expanded 12-team playoff field this year, the Buckeyes made it in as the No. 8 seed. They made it through the playoff with relative ease, winning four games by a combined total of 70 points.

Monday's victory over Notre Dame gave Ohio State its first national title since the 2014 season.

On a night when most things went right for Ohio State, there was one moment after its 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Championship Game that didn't go as planned.

A golf cart carrying head coach Ryan Day and quarterback Will Howard crashed into a wall inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Some lady just crashed the golf cart carrying Ryan Day and Will Howard in the Mercedes-Benz tunnel after they won the National Championship pic.twitter.com/o3UqM5ZhrO

— Patrick Greenfield (@PCGreenfield) January 21, 2025

The good news is no one seemed to be injured in the incident. It appeared the driver just underestimated how wide this golf cart, which is longer than the traditional four-person cart, takes turns.

Will Howard discussed the viral moment Tuesday on the Pat McAfee Show:

"I felt so bad for that poor girl driving the cart because she did a great job of getting us off the field..

She crashed right into that wall" 😂😂@whoward_ #PMSLive https://t.co/1MTHn3UIwl pic.twitter.com/lQLgQG3JAe

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 21, 2025

Everyone seemed to be in good spirits about the moment. The Ohio State players seated behind Day, including Howard and linebacker Cody Simon, are seen laughing about what happened.

Monday night was the crowning achievement of Day's tenure with the Buckeyes. They dominated most of the game, building a 31-7 lead midway through the third quarter.

Notre Dame did claw back with 16 unanswered points to make it a 31-23 score with 4:15 left to play. The Buckeyes iced the game with a field goal with 26 seconds remaining four plays after Jeremiah Smith's 56-yard reception on a third-and-11.

WELCOME TO THE JEREMIAH SMITH SHOW‼️

CLUTCH 🥶 pic.twitter.com/EYWg7yzrsw

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 21, 2025

The victory gave Ohio States its ninth national title in program history and first since 2014. Day, whose job status was being questioned after losing to Michigan in the regular-season finale, got the team back on track in the playoff by defeating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame by an average of 17.5 points.

Day has amassed a 70-10 record (46-5 in Big Ten play) during his tenure as Ohio State head coach.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day believes the adversity his team faced during the 2024 season fueled its quest for the national championship.

Following the Buckeyes' 34-23 win over Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship Game on Monday in Atlanta, Day spoke about how the team "stuck together" throughout the tribulations.

“It’s the reason why you get into coaching ... see guys overcome things, learn life lessons, and reach their dreams. That’s what happened tonight.”

Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes are NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 🏆 pic.twitter.com/pXQ7aLBHEo

— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025

"It's just sticking together, having each other's back," Day said. "Faith is huge with these guys. We built a foundation early in the season, and we knew we were going to have to withstand some storms along the way. We did, we stuck together, we hung in there like a family does when things get hard and we came out the back end."

The Buckeyes finish the season 14-2 with their only losses coming against Oregon and archrival Michigan. Ohio State was able to avenge the loss to the Ducks in the Rose Bowl, but the loss to the Wolverines came against a Michigan team that finished 8-5 and has now defeated the Buckeyes in the last four iterations of "The Game."

The loss to the Wolverines knocked the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten Championship Game and relegated the program to the No. 8 seed in the CFP. This meant that they were the lower seed in three of their four games in the playoff and had to defeat a gauntlet of opponents that included Oregon.

Ohio State was playing its best in the postseason, outscoring opponents 145-75 across the four games. Day's comments show that the regular-season losses and the criticism that came from it served as motivation that the team used to emerge from the field as champions.

After leading Ohio State to its first national championship since 2014 with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame in Monday night's College Football Playoff final, head coach Ryan Day is taking home a solid bonus check.

Day entered the game with $500,000 in bonuses for the Buckeyes' run to the national title game, and he earned another $500,000 with the victory to push his bonus check to $1 million on top of his $10 million base salary.

Ryan Day has just led Ohio State to its 9th national championship in history.

It's Day's first national title as head coach—and he'll take home a $1M bonus on top of his $10M salary for getting it done. pic.twitter.com/t3MKFZY0GT

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 21, 2025

Ohio State faced an early deficit after Notre Dame opened the game with an 18-play touchdown drive. However, the Buckeyes rattled off 31 straight points to help put the game out of reach.

When the Fighting Irish closed the gap to a one-score game, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard connected with receiver Jeremiah Smith for a 56-yard pass to set up a late field goal that sealed the victory.

Day had faced questions about his job security after an up-and-down year, but he quieted all the noise with Monday night's national title win. He will quickly turn the page to try to lead the Buckeyes to a second straight championship next season.

A 34-23 victory for the Ohio State Buckeyes over Notre Dame gave head coach Ryan Day his first National Championship and was the Buckeyes ninth in program history.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1881554481172901969

H12TORY MADE 🏆 pic.twitter.com/dL7wTlpGxp

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 21, 2025

The Fighting Irish got the only score of the opening quarter but Ohio State responded with 21 points in the second quarter to take a 14-point lead at the half. The Buckeyes would extend this lead to 31-7 before 16 points from Notre Dame made it look a bit more competitive.

The Buckeyes produced 445 total offensive yards and limited the Fighting Irish to just 308. Ohio State also limited Notre Dame's potent rushing attack to just 53 yards.

Buckeyes running back Quinshon Judkins had 11 carries for 100 yards and three total touchdowns while freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. However, the performance of quarterback Will Howard was legacy-defining.

Will Howard was on point in the first half 🎯

14/15
144 YDS
26 RUSH YDS
2 TD

Ohio State up 14 in the Natty 😤 pic.twitter.com/J6JED0qQb2

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 21, 2025

Three straight TD drives for Will Howard and the Buckeyes 😉 pic.twitter.com/RcG5luFOO8

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 21, 2025

Howard was an efficient 17-of-21 for 231 touchdowns and two touchdowns while adding 57 yards on 16 carries. He delivered several strong throws, including a dagger to Smith late in the fourth to pretty much solidify the win.

JEREMIAH SMITH DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE
pic.twitter.com/GVtQqoDKdz

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 21, 2025

Fans took to social media to praise Howard's performance and hype his 2025 NFL Draft stock.

I don’t know how anyone can not like Will Howard. Dude gives you everything he has

— I’m Mr. Brightside (@_blue42) January 21, 2025

Will Howard is in a zone I did not think he was capable of getting to when he left Kansas State.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 21, 2025

Will Howard is making himself some money tonight. Playing lights out on the biggest stage in college football.

Decisive, accurate and effectively using his legs.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 21, 2025

Will Howard in the College Football Playoff: pic.twitter.com/vyCXeu7SKY

— College Sports Only 🏈 🏀 ⚾️ (@CollegeSportsO) January 21, 2025

Congrats, Will Howard! 💜

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) January 21, 2025

i love you will howard an absolute dawg what a leader

— cheddar jack (@murphyjacksonn) January 21, 2025

Will Howard > CJ Stroud

— Reality Check (@mr216reality) January 21, 2025

They said Will Howard wasn’t a elite QB

— 🦉 (@Santana34__) January 21, 2025

I'm happy Will Howard is going to get him a National Championship!!!!! What a season he had!!!!!

— Ryan Hageman⚾ (@RyanHageman33) January 21, 2025

so what’s going to happen to will howard’s draft stock #CFBPlayoff #CFPNationalChampionship

— Bill Bird (@Bill_Bird18) January 21, 2025

Happy for Will Howard! Bittersweet that he's doing it with another school, but he definitely deserves it.

— John Paul (@eagleriverjohn) January 21, 2025

I could not be happier for Will Howard and his family!! Well done!

— Paul M (@tallispaul) January 21, 2025

While Howard, Smith and Judkins made their presences known on the field, Day was the one who truly proved the doubters wrong.

Despite compiling a 70-10 overall record since taking over as the head coach in 2019, Day's inability to lead the Buckeyes to a National Championship or wins over Michigan in the regular season has made him easy critique.

Now that Day is a champion, fans took to social media to congratulate him and acquit him of pass mistakes.

I think Ryan Day is going to keep his job.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) January 21, 2025

Ryan Day tossing Lou Holtz out of his box seat after the game: pic.twitter.com/LfBqS1E2qN

— College Sports Only 🏈 🏀 ⚾️ (@CollegeSportsO) January 21, 2025

Ryan Day deserves this National Championship more than anyone on that field tonight

— 🌰 (@cmacrae13) January 20, 2025

remember when Ohio State fans wanted to fire Ryan Day? being a fan of a college football team in 2025 is so funny

— Arrogant Nation✌🏻 (@FightOnRusty) January 21, 2025

Ryan Day winning a national title is disastrous for the “____ can’t win a national title” crowd.

Just because someone hasn’t done something doesn’t mean they can’t.

— CFBudge (@CF_Budge) January 21, 2025

The Michigan loss was a psy op by Ohio State to make people think they were vulnerable. Ryan Day is playing four dimensional chess. #NationalChampionship

— nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) January 21, 2025

If I donate to Ryan Day’s foundation, can we just pretend my last four years worth of tweets about him didn’t happen?

— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) January 21, 2025

Ryan Day had Dan Lanning and Marcus Freeman visibly shellshocked on the sideline

— AthletesInSpace (@AthletesInSpace) January 21, 2025

they were posting ryan day’s address online two months ago

— kr (@kylerrobbins) January 21, 2025

I apologize for all the bad things I said about Ryan Day.

— Olivia (@LealLiv) January 21, 2025

This one of the most talented teams in the history of college football

— 24/8 (@blackgodwayne) January 21, 2025

That’s NATIONAL CHAMPION Head Coach Ryan Day to you.

— Playoff Mike⚡️🥩 (@MikeAmmo) January 21, 2025

Congrats Ryan Day on his first championship!!

— Kenny Wall (@KennyWall54) January 21, 2025

The Buckeyes win the first year of the 12-team format after entering the field as an eight-seed. The program defeated No. 9 Tennessee, No. 1 Oregon and No. 5 Texas prior to beating the FIghting Irish for the title.

Ohio State also won the inaugural College Football Playoff, which took place in the 2014 season and featured a four-team field. The Buckeyes also are the second consecutive Big Ten team to win the National Championship.