Ohio State keeps living in the same rarefied air every season, and Ryan Day has been the man tasked with keeping that machine humming. ESPN’s latest coach rankings say he’s doing that at an elite level, slotting Day third nationally behind only Curt Cignetti and Kirby Smart.
That’s a strong showing for the Buckeyes’ head coach, and in this case it feels earned. Cignetti is the defending national champion after beating Day, while Smart brings two national titles to the table. Day’s résumé now belongs in that same conversation, especially after Ohio State’s 2024 championship run.
One ESPN voter even pushed Day all the way to No. 1.
Jake Trotter pointed to Day’s winning percentage and the way he finally knocked down one of the biggest criticisms hanging over his tenure. Trotter wrote, "Two seasons ago, he delivered Ohio State's first national championship in a decade, leading the Buckeyes on a dominant playoff run.
Last November, he finally cleared the one obstacle critics held against him, beating Michigan 27-9 in Ann Arbor. Every preseason, Ohio State is deservedly in the national title conversation,"
That Michigan win mattered plenty. It was Day’s first victory over TTUN with his own players, and it helped Ohio State finish the regular season undefeated. Even with the Buckeyes later losing the Big Ten Championship and the Cotton Bowl, fans had reason to soften their frustration after the way the regular season unfolded.
Not every ESPN voter was nearly as high on Day, though. Bill Connelly placed him eighth, arguing that it’s difficult to judge any Ohio State coach because the program has been so consistently excellent for so long.
Connelly wrote, "Honestly, it's just really hard to evaluate the performance of a successful Ohio State head coach, as it has been the most consistently awesome program in the nation for decades. I may have dropped Day too far after last season, but I just didn't think he stuck the landing at all in 2025,"
Still, that was the outlier. No one else on ESPN’s panel had Day lower than fourth, which makes Connelly’s ranking stand out even more. And if Day adds another national championship this season, that debate won’t last long.
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Ohio State Nears A Massive Recruiting Decision Fans Wont Ignore
Ohio States 2027 recruiting class is already built around elite talent, with three five-star commitments and a national ranking that has the Buckeyes sitting ninth overall. The staff is still pushing to add at least two more five-stars before Signing Day, and one of the biggest names left on the board is David Gabriel Georges, along with receiver Monshun Sales, whose recruitment has become one of the more closely watched storylines in the cycle.
Sales has set a July 17 commitment date, giving Ohio State a clear marker as it tries to keep momentum going with a class that still has room to climb. The Buckeyes are in the mix with several other programs, but this one carries extra weight because of where Ohio State stands now and how much a win there could change the feel of the class heading into the fall. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Awaits Final Word In Massive WR Recruiting Battle
Monshun Sales has put a date on one of the more closely watched recruiting calls of the summer, setting his announcement for Friday, June 17, with the reveal coming live on the Pat McAfee Show. The five-star wide receiver has been one of the top names on the board for a group that includes Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, Indiana and LSU, and the race has stayed tight enough that no one around the recruitment has been willing to call it early.
For Ohio State, the timing matters because the Buckeyes have remained in the thick of it as the final decision approaches, with late momentum still part of the conversation. Alabama got an early boost tied to his nickname, Indiana has long carried the hometown pull, and Texas has stayed firmly involved, leaving the Buckeyes waiting along with everyone else for the final word on a target who could reshape the top end of the receiver class. [Read more 🡒]
Carnell Tate Is Already Fueling A Debate Titans Fans Can't Ignore
Tennessees early buzz around Carnell Tate has only grown since the Titans used a premium pick on the Ohio State receiver, and Robert Saleh has wasted no time signaling how much the team thinks of him. Saleh has talked up Tates development and importance to the offense, pointing to a player who already looks like a meaningful part of the plan rather than a long-term project.
The surprise came as much from the draft slot as the selection itself, with Tate going far earlier than many around the league expected and even drawing some surprise from the receiver himself. For the Titans, though, the bigger issue is how quickly a young wideout can become part of the conversation around Cam Ward and the offense, especially when the expectations attached to that kind of pick are this high. [Read more 🡒]