The class of 2027 quarterback RJ Day officially committed to Northwestern this week. The decision comes after months of recruitment, in which his father, Ryan Day, played a key role despite his duties as the head coach of Ohio State. During this journey and ultimate decision to hand over his son to Chip Kelly, the Buckeyes’ HC also got a chance to see things from the other side of the equation.

What followed immediately were discussions about why his father’s Buckeyes never offered him a scholarship. Now, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has shared what went on behind his son’s decision to commit to the Wildcats.

“I think I owed it to my son to try to make it as normal as possible, even though that’s not really the case,” Day said on Josh Pate’s College Football Show when asked about how he approached RJ Day’s recruitment. “It hasn’t been normal for him from the jump, but he’s obsessed, so I wanted to make sure that I did everything I could. My position has effects on a lot of things in his life. I wanted this to try to not affect this a ton.”

“I give the coaches a lot of credit from the different places that I visited. They have sons, I think they understand what that means, and I think if it were their son, they’d want the same thing. So, we tried to do the best we could to keep it as professional,” Day said.

The 3-star QB from Francis DeSales High School had 18 scholarship offers. The list included the likes of Purdue, Northwestern, Cincinnati, Boston College, Syracuse, and South Florida. At one point, Purdue was the favorite to land Ryan Day’s son. However, the Wildcats won the recruitment battle.

“I’m really excited for him,” Day said. “I think he found a great spot. I think they have a great staff there, and it’s exciting for him to go find the next journey.”

Ultimately, it came down to Northwestern’s offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly. The OC not only mentored Ryan Day but even served as the latter’s OC when Ohio State won the national championship in 2024. When Kelly was playcalling the offense, RJ Day got to spend time with the man he has been calling ‘uncle’ all his life.

On his part, RJ Day also said that the Wildcats’ head coach David Braun also played a key role in his decision.

“Coach Braun’s energy is genuine,” said RJ Day. “For all of his players, he has a plan to elevate them as players and people. That’s something I want to be part of.”

RJ Day on the Northwestern commitment

When asked about his positive observations at Northwestern, Ryan Day pointed out the stadiums, the facilities, and the weight room, but most especially the “people in the building.” On the other hand, RJ thinks his choice was the best fit for him, as he compared the Northwestern Wildcats to the Buckeyes.

“I want to find a place that fits me,” RJ Day had said. “It’s not about the size of the school, like we say all the time, I could come here (Ohio State) if I wanted to, but would it be a great fit? I don’t believe so. I don’t think that Ohio State would be a good fit for me, so it’s not about the size of the school for me, and I’ve said this to pretty much anybody who’s recruited me, it’s about the fit.

“Coming into it, I just feel like a lot of people would have their own reservations about why I’m there. I want to do something on my own, a lot of my life has been about being someone’s son. I feel personally that I want to go do something for myself and try to make a name for myself instead of just being someone’s son.”