People in Columbus shower Ryan Day with love as he begins his seventh year with the Buckeyes. It feels like he’s finally silenced nearly every critic, especially that UM fan who posted a video with Day saying, “Go Blue baby! 4-0! 4-0 let’s go Blue baby! Woo! [Attaboy] Ryan Day! Extend him!” Last year’s gutsy national title win was one thing, but what he is pulling down for the seventh time, standing rock solid as No. 1 in the AP poll, is sincerely impressive. The Buckeyes’ athletic director Ross Bjork put it plainly in his latest review. “It has been a true pleasure to work alongside Coach Day over the past year,” Bjork wrote in his performance review of Day for the 2024-25 academic year.

“Coach leads an amazing program and anchors a great culture of academic success, socially responsible young men, a championship level of performance, and provides leadership that is expected here at Ohio State.” The Buckeyes are the only program that posted a perfect multi-year Academic Progress Rate of 1,000. That too, not just once, but for two straight seasons. Only Harvard even matched that streak last year. Day’s teams haven’t dipped below a 991 APR in his entire time.

He built an environment where hitting the books matters just as much as hitting the sled, and their 3.81 GPA score proves it. Then there’s the rivalry fuel. Seven weeks before that title celebration, Ohio State fans were watching Michigan plant its flag at midfield in the Horseshoe. Sure, losing for the fourth time really does sting. But the newly expanded 12-team playoff tossed the Buckeyes a lifeline. Just then, Day took advantage of that loss to ignite a spark.

The Buckeyes returned to basics: a unifying team meeting, Day’s lighthouse and bricklayer metaphors, and, critically, persuading blue-chip veterans like Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, TreVeyon Henderson, and Emeka Egbuka to return. Come playoff time, Ohio State was unrecognizable from its late November version. They bulldozed Tennessee 42-17 amid a cold, roaring Shoe. Then came their revenge over undefeated Oregon, snagging a 41-21 victory from the Ducks. In the Cotton Bowl semifinal against Texas, Jack Sawyer made his dream play. He strip-sacked Quinn Ewers, sprinting 83 yards to put the game away, giving Day the kind of sideline bear hug that melted all doubts.

Then comes the title game against Notre Dame. Ohio State pulled off one of the biggest plays in program history. Facing third-and-11, Will Howard spotted Jeremiah Smith one-on-one with a defender and dropped a perfect pass for a 56-yard gain. That gutsy shot down the field set up a 33-yard field goal that sealed the 34-23 win and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Day had nothing but praise for his squad. “After all the things that have been said throughout the year, these guys are going to be cemented as one of the best stories in Ohio State history and one of the best football teams ever,” Day said in his postgame press conference.

Afterwards, the confetti storm in January changed everything. And you can imagine how the finance talk would have taken place after that.

Ryan Day’s efforts aren’t overlooked

Ryan Day’s new contract extension with Ohio State crowns the finish to one of college football’s wildest turnarounds. After holding that trophy, the university quickly moved to reward Day for restoring Ohio State’s national edge. They handed him a contract through the 2031 season at a jaw-dropping $12.5 million per year. That pay puts Day among the top coaches in the sport, trailing only Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

His new seven-year deal also features a massive $80.5 million buyout. To be very honest, they show unmistakable faith to keep him locked into Columbus’s future. But why did Day get such a deal? He proved he could rally an elite program in crisis, keep NFL-level talent from bolting for the draft through smart use of NIL opportunities. Looking forward in the near future, a big focus is on mastering the increasingly complex world of NIL and revenue-sharing dollars.

The game’s changing, and Day aims to build the best roster possible by learning to structure contracts and manage salary caps like an NFL front office. It’s leadership that goes beyond X’s and O’s. And Bjork actually agrees with this statement. “As the college football world continues to evolve, Coach and I will work together to adapt and excel around revenue share cap management,” he said. “Coach is a great leader for Ohio State, and we look forward to many more years to come.”