11-1; That was Ryan Day’s record in the regular season last year for the Ohio State Buckeyes. His overall record is an impressive 53-8 in five full seasons with the school and 39-3 in Big Ten play. Despite this, some Buckeye fans are not too please with Day and are uneasy about his future in Columbus.
Why do Ohio State fans want Ryan Day fired?
Ryan Day keeps losing to Michigan: Day has lost to the rival Michigan Wolverines the last three seasons. His overall record against the Wolverines is 1-3. Despite maintain relevance as a national championship contender every year, this is not good enough for some Buckeye fans.
Ohio State has not won a national championship under Day: In Columbus, expectations are national championship or bust to many. And the fact that Day has not produced on in the five seasons he has been the head coach has many fans restless.
Why Ohio State should not fire Ryan Day
Ryan Day has a high winning percentage: Day’s winning percentage for the Buckeyes is 87%. Considering Day’s record and overall success as a head coach, I do not think this is fair. It is also worth noting that his winning percentage at Ohio State is higher than former head coach Jim Tressel who had a winning percentage of 82.8% in his 10 seasons with the school.
Day is right below Urban Meyer as well who has a winning percentage of 90.2% in seven seasons in Columbus. What Meyer and Tressel each do have that Day does not is a national championship. Tressel’s came in his second season with the school and Meyer’s came in his first.
Ryan Day can recruit: According to On3, Day’s recruiting class average excluding his first season in Columbus is right on par with Urban Meyer’s for each of their tenures as head coach. Meyer’s average class score is 93.2, while Day’s is 93.4. Meyer’s national rank is averaged at 3.4, while Day’s is 3.75.
If splitting hairs is justification for firing someone, have at it. And even then Buckeye fans would still be in the wrong considering Day is above Meyer in the average class score.
Despite all of what I see as positives for Ryan Day and why Buckeye fans should not be rushing to get him out the door, that possibility is becoming increasingly more likely it seems as the season approaches.
On3 podcast host, JD Pickell stated on a recent episode that Ohio State’s expectations bare minimum should be at least one playoff win.
Winning one playoff game when you are one of two odds on favorites to win the national championship is logical. But going as far as firing a coach because he did not win it all and negating his overall on field success on and off the field is too far. The grass is not always greener and Buckeye fans could find that out the hard way if they let Day go.
Do not be surprised if a school in the SEC quickly picks up Day as its next head coach. Arguably, the only thing more challenging for Day other than his role at Ohio State would be a head coaching gig in the SEC. While not all coaches succeed in the league, Day’s history of on and off field success set him up quite nicely in my opinion for some potential SEC schools.
If Ryan Day is fired, where will he coach next?
Alabama Crimson Tide: This may surprise people as head coach Kalen DeBoer just arrived in Tuscaloosa this past off season with the retirement of Nick Saban. While DeBoer has found recent success on the recruiting trail, time will have to tell whether or not he will be as loyal to Alabama as his predecessor Saban was.
DeBoer could struggle on the field which is one possibility of a quick exit given the national title level expectations in Tuscaloosa. Another is an NFL offer. With the NFL seemingly a much less stressful job for a presumable salary that is even higher than the one he is currently making, do not be too surprised if this happens as well.
If DeBoer exits, Day could be a logical choice. The Tide would be looking to sustain success, and he would be a top candidate who has proven he can do that.
Arkansas Razorbacks: The Hogs ponied up for John Calipari on the basketball side, so do not put it past athletic director Hunter Yurachek to double down on the football side of things.
With Arkansas last season of double digit wins coming in 2011 under Bobby Petrino, Hog fans have been starving to return to national prominence. Even if Day would not win national championships, Hog fans would be more than happy with the level of success he has brought to the Buckeyes. This would make for quite a peaceful partnership.
Current head coach Sam Pittman is squarely on the hot seat in 2024 for the Hogs, so do not be surprised if this surprising coaching change happens as soon as 2025.
Florida Gators: The Gators could absolutely pay Day what he is worth. And their coach Billy Napier is on one of the hottest seats entering the 2024 season.
Napier has had a losing season in his first two years in Gainesville, and had a worse record in his second than his first. This is not normal nor acceptable for folks in Gainesville. So in theory, if Napier has another losing season he should be out the door seeing as that will have been three years he has had to rebuild the program.
Much has been made of maybe keeping Napier in town for 2025 regardless of how the Gators do this season to make sure freshman five star quarterback DJ Lagway stays in Gainesville. If the Gators are able to land Day, Lagway may have a much easier time being sold into staying given Day’s success, and the Gators could quickly return to national prominence. This would be great for both sides.
Keep in mind as well that the Buckeyes do not even have to fire Day necessarily. Coaches have emotions as well. And when they feel a fan base is not 100% behind them, they may decide to leave for that reason as well.