Ryan Day has found himself in a rare spot this fall: evaluating college football recruiting through the lens of both a head coach and a father.
The Ohio State coach recently talked about the visits his son, 3-star 2027 St. Francis de Sales quarterback RJ Day, has taken to Purdue, Northwestern and other schools, and he made it clear the process has come with some unusual moments. RJ Day has been committed to Northwestern since May, with Chip Kelly’s role as offensive coordinator and the new Ryan Field standing out as major draws.
“It was awkward, to be honest, when you walk through hallways on visits to places like Clemson and South Carolina; you kind of get a double look,” Ryan said in an interview with CBS Sports. “I think there’s a certain affinity that all coaches have for a coach’s kid.
We visited Purdue and Barry Odom couldn’t have been nicer. We visited UCLA, and we visited different teams in the conference, and they couldn’t have been any greater.
“Football is something that my son is obsessed with, and to know that his position coach (at Northwestern) is Jerry Neuheisel, whose dad was a coach, and that his offensive coordinator is Chip Kelly, who coached me and coached with me, that’s special. David Braun is the head coach and man in charge; he and RJ hit it off. The institution itself is tremendous, so it was fun to watch him do this.”
Day also singled out Purdue’s Barry Odom and Northwestern’s David Braun in his comments, while speaking positively about UCLA as well.
The father-son storyline is interesting enough on its own, but Saturday’s game at the “Shoe” carries far more weight than recruiting chatter. Ohio State and Northwestern are set to meet in a matchup that has real season implications for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State still has an outside path to the College Football Playoff despite three losses, and a win over Northwestern would help its case. The Wildcats took a hit after losing big to Iowa at home last weekend, but they would still count as a resume-building victory for the Buckeyes.
The road to this point has already been rough for Ohio State. The Buckeyes lost Julian Sayin for the season during a tight win over Indiana in Bloomington, then dropped back-to-back games against USC and Oregon. That makes this weekend even more delicate, because a loss to RJ Day’s future school and Kelly’s team would look especially damaging.
Ohio State enters the game in a better position to handle business, but the source of confidence is hardly guaranteed. In the NIL era, even that much is not a sure thing, especially for a team that has started to lose confidence.
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Ryan Day said there had simply been too many detrimental plays to keep things as they were, and the staff is now reshuffling responsibilities to finish the season. Senior analyst Rob Keys will oversee special teams the rest of the way, with other coaches taking on specific units, a sign that Ohio State is trying to steady one of the most frustrating parts of its operation before it costs them again. [Read more 🡒]
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Justyn Martins role at Ohio State has become one of those quiet depth-chart stories that can suddenly matter a lot more than anyone expected. The fifth-year senior has not played this season, but with Julian Sayin sidelined, Martin is now listed as the third-string quarterback, and Ryan Day has already made it clear he likes what he has seen from him in practice. For a team that always has to be ready at quarterback, that kind of behind-the-scenes trust can carry real weight.
Martin has kept working alongside Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair, staying in the mix while the Buckeyes sort through their options. He has spoken confidently about the group and noted that Sayin remains supportive during his recovery, which only adds another layer to a situation that is still unfolding. For now, Martin is waiting for a chance that has not come yet, but the fact that Day is even floating game usage suggests Ohio States backup picture is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
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The broader picture is still fluid, though, because Nebraska is also being linked to Kelly and may try to sell him on the stature of the job rather than a simple financial pitch. For Ohio State, the possibility seems tied to whether current staff changes open a path, which is why the chatter feels more like a developing subplot than a settled pursuit. Even so, the fact that Kelly is being discussed in that context says plenty about how quickly the Buckeyes offensive landscape can shift. [Read more 🡒]