The highly successful coach at Ohio State is being called out by the student body. They’re not entirely wrong.

 

89 percent of college football coaches who win 50 percent of their games in five years are not fired. Ryan Day, the coach of Ohio State, is not expected to be the first. But in the rivalry match that ended all rivalries, Day fell to Michigan on Saturday for the third time in a row. Assistant Sherrone Moore led the Wolverines as captain; he wore the large headset on game day since head coach Jim Harbaugh was serving a large Ten ban.

Moore outcoached Day when there were two teams on the field with about comparable skill levels. Day didn’t make any disastrous mistakes, but on two crucial fourth-down plays, he was not bold, and both times, his caution let him down against Ohio State. On a fourth-and-1 play at Ohio State’s 46, Day decided to punt, but his punter mishandled a 33-yard duck that missed the 20-yard line. Later, on fourth and 2, at Michigan’s 34-yard line, the coach decided to try for a field goal shortly before halftime. Kicker Jayden Fielding of the Buckeyes attempted to kick from 52 yards, which was further than his career-long 47 yards; however, he missed wide left. The whole game, Ohio State made no attempts to convert on fourth downs. Moore forced Michigan to try three, and the Wolverines successfully completed each one on their way to two touchdowns. A 34-yard throw from Michigan’s running back to his tight end, which set up another field goal, was the game’s top schematic play. Moore is also the team’s offensive coordinator.

Day is the head coach of the college football team with the greatest inherent advantage. If you were hired as head coach, you, yes, would lead Ohio State to at least a respectable bowl game. No matter what, Ohio State will always assemble one of the top rosters in the nation, thanks to gravity. (The Buckeyes have the advantage of being the only program that is certain to succeed in a state that produces a large number of talented high school athletes, as well as being a well-known national brand that can visit high schools in Florida, Texas, and other states and produce potential NFL players.) But on Saturday, following two years of crushing defeats, Day lost in a different fashion: all day, the man on the opposite sideline, with little head coaching experience except for filling in for his boss when the latter was not permitted inside the stadium, outwitted Day. Michigan won 30–24 in the end. On their way to the college football playoffs are the Wolverines.

The Buckeyes are suffering greatly in the interim. With Day undoubtedly holding the title of “Most Reviled 56–7 Coach in College Football History,” a significant chunk of their fan base wants to see an end to Day. Legendary OSU tailback Maurice Clarett provided a representative viewpoint in a string of since-deleted messages on X, the platform that was known as Twitter back when Ohio State was routinely defeating Michigan: “I love you, dude, Ryan Day, but you gotta leave,” Clarett remarked. “You are paid millions for this.” “Nobody cares about beating the BS teams we schedule,” he said. In order to get to Michigan and the playoffs, we intentionally play those opponents in order to have a strong record. It is covered in the program. You don’t become a $9 millionaire and then lose three straight games against your competitor. It is currently 1-3 on the day vs. the Wolverines.

Day has created a strange environment at Ohio State. He has spent five years as Ohio State’s coach. Even by the standards of the Buckeyes, he has been exceptionally good at averting disasters against opponents that are not in the program’s weight class. He is really successful. The fact that so many people still want him gone serves as the ideal example of why college football is such an odd sport. It’s not unfair for those fans to dream of what they want, even if they won’t receive their desire until Day accepts an unexpected offer from an NFL team or one of a very select few college schools that don’t currently have any openings. Day has been the oddball loser who virtually always prevails in games.

He still possesses his qualities. By the standards of big college football coaches, Day appears to be a wonderful role model. He has made thoughtful and frequent speeches about the value of mental health, and when his own players have encountered difficult circumstances, he has followed through with practical help. Unlike his predecessor, Urban Meyer, who resigned a few months after receiving a suspension for giving authority to an assistant coach who was charged with domestic abuse, he has escaped any kind of scandal. Day has done a commendable job representing his employer. Not many successful coaches are.

Day has an amazing history of helping quarterbacks grow. Day had signed and trained star after star at the position until a glitch this year when first-year starter Kyle McCord faltered. Day particularly attended OSU, as did the soon-to-be NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans. Day has created outstanding attacks with the aid of his outstanding quarterbacks, avoiding the terrible shock defeats to unimpressive, average teams that dogged the school under Meyer. Day’s lone defeat in the last five seasons that wasn’t against Michigan or a playoff opponent was a 7-point loss to a 10-win Oregon team in 2021. Meyer had previously given up 55 points in a game to Iowa and 49 to Purdue. These bullet points on a resume have a purpose. Day is an expert at developing quarterbacks and avoiding booby traps.

Day, but it hasn’t been anything more. The statement made by Harbaugh following his victory over Day in 2021—”Some folks are born on third base and act like they’ve hit a triple”—is the most well-known in the recent history of the Michigan rivalry. Day took over Ohio State, which was already prosperous, and kept it that way. He has won the 11 or 12 games a year that Ohio State coaches are expected to win, and he has made a few appearances in the playoffs. Nevertheless, before Day started his current three-game losing streak, Ohio State had defeated Michigan 15 times in 16 years; therefore, there is no game the squad is expected to win more than the one against them. 2021 was dominated by physicality. 2022 was a complete collapse with extremely cautious call-making.

The game on Saturday wasn’t a complete disaster, but Day was still coaching with fear and having to pay for it. Day gets a small amount of credit for keeping Ohio State competitive enough to be playing important games at the end of November in the first place. After practically every season, there isn’t an Ohio State coach who isn’t on the cusp of greatness. Even John Cooper, the 1988–1999 head coach who Buckeye supporters refer to as their worst coach in the modern era, won a number of significant bowl games. But like Day, he suffered a great deal of loss to Michigan, and it usually sums up Ohio State history.

Day has a glittering 56–7 record, but in the light, it seems less brilliant. Against the bottom-feeding Big Ten East teams, Maryland, Rutgers, and Indiana, Day is 14-0. Against the consistently awful West division, he is 13-0. With teams outside of the big conferences, he is unbeaten at 9–0. While every elite coach has a strong record against such clubs, Day’s five years of poor performance elsewhere really stick out. While a 7-0 overall record versus Penn State and Notre Dame is impressive, the team’s 1-3 record against Michigan and 1-3 record in postseason play speak louder. Under Day, Ohio State consistently defeats opponents that are smaller than it and falls short against respectable opponents.

Day’s supporters may counter that disparaging his overall record is just ungrateful complaining on the part of the Buckeyes. If, as most would agree, rivalries and big games are what make college football unique, then losing them by such a large margin should incite indignation. Furthermore, when the playoffs grow from four to twelve teams next year, avoiding pointless defeats to inferior teams will become slightly less beneficial. Although having a coach who doesn’t lose to Illinois in October would always be beneficial, Ohio State would still be in the running for national prominence even if that happened. Day will require a stronger selling pitch if his current one isn’t causing massive upset losses.

or, more precisely, the person who takes his post when he retires the following year. Day is not the type of loser who offers a simple solution, despite the fact that he has been as much of a failure as his critics claim. It’s not so much that Ohio State could reluctantly afford the $46 million buyout as it is that Day is close to fulfilling the Buckeyes’ desires. It will be far simpler to convince Day to coach more aggressively and make the required adjustments to strengthen Ohio State’s staff and roster than it will be to fire him and start over—something Ohio State will never do. (Part of Day’s sluggish game management this year may have been caused by his conspicuous lack of power-running success.) Day’s name was frequently mentioned in relation to Texas A&M’s now-completed head coach search. However, Day is still in Columbus, so Ohio State’s best option is to hold on tight and hope that Day eventually comes to his senses, unless he decides to ride into the sunset on his own. This is Ohio State, which is problematic. There is no need for the Buckeyes to pray.