What’s the biggest lesson that the 2024 season came up with? Underestimation is a BIG NO NO! After all, the programs had to pay heavy costs for underestimating Ryan Day and Ohio State Buckeyes. Day’s HC role hung by a thin thread as he battled the ‘Fire Ryan Day’ rage. The Ohio State Buckeyes were able to flip the script and shut the haters by lifting the National Championship trophy. And now Day can’t let the chance go away to make the most of their surprising victory. And what better way to torment your rivals than poaching some big fish? Right now, Day and Co. rained on Brent Key and Georgia Tech’s plan to land a star player.  

You know how some people are tested too hard? That’s Day. Even after winning the national championship, the Buckeyes could not lock their gates. During the winter transfer portal, they ended up losing 21 players. However, at the same time, Ohio State has signed 26 players during the early signing period. But Day is in no mood to sit back and relax. He might have made “the more the better” his motto. Maybe that’s when the Buckeyes HC chose to give Tech HC Key a hard time. After all, it has been over a month since Georgia Tech tried to woo their 2026 running back CJ Givers. Sadly, they will now have to fight against Day.

The Yellow Jackets’ RB coach Norval McKenzie even made a visit to meet Givers in January. And apparently, it came off as a successful move. The player poured his heart out after the visit and wrote, “Every time I talk with Coach McKenzie and the coaches at Georgia Tech the relationship grows and I get a sense of what kind of coaches they are. They were my first offer so they’ll always have a special place in my heart.” But looks like, besides Key’s program, Day and the Buckeyes have now secured a special place in Givers’ heart. On February 10, the player tweeted, “#AGTG I am blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State University‼️‼️” Analyst Chad Simmons came up with another update, “Ohio State was down to see Givers in January and the Buckeyes have offered. Givers is looking to visit Columbus this spring.”

The three-star running back from Fellowship Christian has been a hot target. He carries with himself a strong resume of 1403 rushing yards, averaging 9.3 yards per carry en route to 21 total touchdowns. However, there is one more reason behind Key and Co.’s interest in Givers. That’s because he looks very similar to the current Yellow Jackets back, Jamal Haynes. Even though Day comes off as a front-runner in the recruiting race, his coaching roster is crumbling apart.

Ryan Day lands in a sticky spot after the coaching exodus

The Buckeyes fans might be on cloud nine. After all, he is going to be in Columbus for some more time. Ohio State sealed Day with a new seven-year contract. The Buckeyes are now locked with Day till 2031. As per the reports, the HC will receive a total annual compensation of $12.5 million with a base salary of $2 million per year. It’s time for some calculations! The total amount of Day’s contract is up to $87.5 million. 

This makes the Ohio State HC the second highest-paid head coach in college football just after Kirby Smart. But poor Day! He can’t take a moment to celebrate as he now has to hold the reins a lot tighter. His hefty contract did gather some side eyes. For instance, the College GameDay host Pat McAfee on his podcast got triggered as he said, “Riddle me this. Couldn’t find an extra million for Jim Knowles. But we can find $12.5 million for Ryan Day.” Well, that has been indeed a costly loss as Penn State landed former Ohio staffer Jim Knowles with an average of $3.1 million in base pay annually over the three-year term. Sadly, that’s not the only heartbreak that Day and Ohio State had to deal with.

Following in Knowles’ footsteps, Chip Kelly joined in and left Columbus to be the offensive coordinator for Pete Carroll with the Las Vegas Raiders. Then came the former Buckeyes offensive line coach Justin Frye, whose contract expired in January. And since Ryan Day and Co. did not extend it, Frye too looks for an NFL breakthrough. He reportedly interviewed for the same role with the Chicago Bears. Ryan Day going all out in the recruiting battle might spell trouble for coaches like Brent Key. But if he doesn’t shore up his staff, top prospects might not be enough to keep Ohio State on top.