Ryan Day’s Legacy in the Making: From Criticism to Championship Contender
ARLINGTON, Texas - Less than a week removed from coaching Ohio State to a national title, Ryan Day stood in front of a camera, fielding a question from none other than NBA legend Charles Barkley during a taping of the Steam Room podcast. Barkley didn’t waste time - he brought up the NFL rumors.
Would Day ever consider making the jump to the pros?
Day didn’t shut the door. But standing inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center - the very building named after the coach who brought five national titles to Columbus - Day made it clear where his focus is right now.
“Woody Hayes is the last one to win multiple national championships at Ohio State,” Day said. “That’s something that I’ve now kind of set for myself - to be the next head coach to win multiple national championships at Ohio State.”
That’s not just talk. It’s a mission. And it’s one that’s within reach.
Ohio State enters the 2025-26 College Football Playoff as the No. 2 seed, fresh off a first-round bye. Next up: a quarterfinal clash with No. 10 seed Miami on Wednesday night at AT&T Stadium - the home of the Dallas Cowboys and the site of the Cotton Bowl.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
For a coach who was under fire just a year ago, Day now stands on the edge of history. He already has one national title under his belt. Three more wins, and he’ll do something even Woody Hayes didn’t: win back-to-back national championships.
From Urban Meyer’s Successor to Ohio State Standard-Bearer
When Day took over for Urban Meyer ahead of the 2019 season, he had never been a head coach at this level. Sure, he’d logged time in the NFL and as a coordinator in college.
But leading a program like Ohio State? That’s a different animal.
He didn’t blink.
Day’s first season ended with a 13-1 record and a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The next year, amid the chaos of COVID-19, he guided Ohio State to the national title game. In those first two seasons, he went 1-0 against Michigan - a strong start in the rivalry that defines the program.
Since then, the wins have piled up. Day currently holds the best winning percentage in college football history at 88.2%. But despite the gaudy record, there was one glaring blemish: Michigan.
From 2021 to 2024, Ohio State lost just eight games - but four of them were to the Wolverines. That 0-4 stretch turned up the heat. At a school where “The Game” means everything, Day’s place among Buckeye greats like Hayes, Jim Tressel, and Meyer suddenly felt unstable.
After the 2024 loss to Michigan, the noise got loud. National voices and local fans questioned whether Day was the right man for the job. That’s when athletic director Ross Bjork stepped in.
“He’s our guy,” Bjork said. “We believe in him. Stability and continuity in college football is so, so important.”
Day responded the way great coaches do - with wins.
The Road Back to the Top
Ohio State’s run through last season’s inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff was nothing short of dominant. The Buckeyes took down Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame en route to the title - a gauntlet of blue-blood programs that reminded everyone what this team is capable of.
This year, they haven’t let up.
The Buckeyes opened the 2025 season with a statement win over Texas and finished the regular season undefeated. The exclamation point? A 27-9 road win in Ann Arbor - Day’s first victory at Michigan and one that flipped the narrative in a big way.
Yes, Ohio State stumbled in the Big Ten Championship Game against Indiana. But even with that loss, the Buckeyes are still the betting favorite to win it all again.
A Shot at History
Nine national championships. That’s what Ohio State claims - putting the Buckeyes seventh on the all-time list. But not one of those titles came in back-to-back seasons.
Only seven programs have pulled off that feat since World War II: Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Alabama, Michigan State, Texas, Nebraska, and Georgia. That’s the company Day is chasing.
And he’s got the résumé to back it up. He’s already delivered a national title.
He’s got the highest winning percentage in the sport. He’s beaten Michigan.
Now, he’s three wins from doing something no coach in program history has done.
From Doubt to Destiny
It wasn’t that long ago that Jim Harbaugh and Michigan were questioning Ohio State’s toughness. After flipping the rivalry, Harbaugh took jabs at Day, suggesting he was “born on third base” - implying that Day’s success was more about what he inherited than what he built.
Day heard it all. And he didn’t make excuses. He made adjustments.
At his introductory press conference, Day promised to uphold the tradition of excellence that defines Ohio State football. For a while, it felt like he might fall short of that. Winning games wasn’t the issue - winning the right games was.
Now? He’s on the brink of delivering more than anyone expected.
“Ryan Day is a great coach,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said earlier this month. “He’ll be one of the legends of the game someday.”
That “someday” might be coming sooner than anyone thought.
The next chapter begins Wednesday night in Arlington. If Day can guide Ohio State through three more games, he’ll not only join Woody Hayes in the multiple-title club - he’ll carve out a legacy all his own.