‘Had to Hate You’: Pat McAfee Puts Ryan Day on Awkward Spot as Kirk Herbstreit Forced to Clear Up Misunderstanding

Pat McAfee’s feud with Ryan Day grabbed headlines earlier this year. The Buckeyes’ head coach avoided ESPN host The Pat McAfee Show last season. That included Ohio State’s run of interviews after they won the national championship. Day went everywhere except to the McAfee show. Was there some smoke? Day finally appeared on the show a few days ago, but the host wasn’t there. Instead, former Buckeye Kirk Herbstreit was serving as the guest host.

When McAfee returned, he noted Day’s presence and revealed that his earlier efforts to get him on the show were all in vain. Herbstreit tried to explain that Ohio State head coach’s peculiar absence and theorized that it could have been just miscommunication rather than anything deeper. McAfee didn’t buy that. “I’m not saying nasty things,” McAfee said. “I’m just letting him know that I don’t like him.” The statement quickly put the Ohio State coach in an unusual spotlight, especially as speculation brewed about why Day wasn’t joining the set. But was the snub intentional?

And Day finally appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, leading to a moment of levity. “We thought you hated us, so we, in return, had to hate you,” McAfee admitted. “Very thankful that you don’t hate us because we did not want to hate you.” But he didn’t stop there. With former Ohio State player AJ Hawk (also a key member of the show) beside him, McAfee gave Ryan Day his flowers, especially with how his ultimate achievement came about.

“I understand the state of Ohio has loved the Buckeyes for a very long time. But what we have watched you have to go through, with the success that you’ve had and then the failures that have happened, and then the reaction, and the criticism, and how it felt like the entire state was on fire, and then you were able to lead the boys to get a national championship. It’s like you should be commended.” And then came the ultimate closing line. “You are somebody we like,” he said.

Well, it felt like a plot twist straight out of a sports soap opera. McAfee, even blamed his 20-hour flight from Australia, saying that his comments the previous day came while he was in a feisty mood following a 20-hour flight from Australia back to the United States. And aired his frustration that Day, thinking the Buckeyes’ head coach only appeared on his show when McAfee wasn’t hosting, implying Day was dodging him. Now that the Ryan Day-McAfee feud has finally been put out, it will be interesting to see them together again next time. Meanwhile, Day has an interesting take on the Texas clash.

Ryan Day flags Texas edge threat ahead of Big-Time Season Opener

Well, Ohio State fans could sense the undercurrent of respect in Ryan Day’s radio remarks this week. He didn’t dodge the point, he spotlighted Texas defensive end Colin Simmons as a true force. “He’s a guy that you’d better know where he is. He’s a game-wrecker. He’s fast and athletic off the edge. He’s got great explosiveness. And he’ll be a year older now, so what you see on film, it’s gonna be moving faster and more powerful than it was last year,” Day said, underscoring how Simmons demands attention.

That’s no passing tribute. Simmons, a 6′3″, 240-pound freshman standout in 2024, was a five-star recruit, No. 28 overall and No. 4 among edge rushers, according to 247Sports. Last season, he racked up 48 tackles, including 14 for loss and nine sacks (six of those during conference play), added an interception in the CFP win over Clemson, and notched two pass break-ups in the Cotton Bowl lost to Ohio State.

Meanwhile, Day isn’t ignoring Ohio State’s own muscle. The Buckeyes averaged 35.7 points per game in 2024, allowed just 16 sacks in 16 outings, and return three starters up front—even as they welcome new QB Julian Sayin under center. With recent point spreads putting OSU as slim ~1.5-point favorites, tensions are as real as the spectacle.

So as the Buckeyes and Longhorns line up for Week 1, the question is clear: can Ohio State’s polished offense handle the raw, explosive edge being called out by their coach?