“Some days I think about the opportunities RJ’s had, and they’re great, but also the things he has to deal with that are on his plate,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day reflected recently on his son’s future and his passion for football. As someone who built his career on developing elite quarterbacks, Ryan appreciates how his son RJ Day has grown. Since 2023, RJ has been the starting quarterback at St. Francis DeSales High School, breaking school passing records and cementing himself as a leader under the Friday night lights. Last week, he even orchestrated a game-winning fourth-quarter drive, a glimpse of the poise that’s been shaping his journey.

But for the Buckeyes head coach, the real pride comes not from the numbers, but from how his son handles a uniquely pressurized role: the son of Ohio State’s head coach playing quarterback in the same city. RJ faces opponents’ best shots each week, while carrying the kind of attention most high school athletes never know. That maturity, Ryan notes, is what separates him. Yet it also raises the question, what happens if college recruiters come calling from rivals?

On the Down 2 Business podcast, when asked directly, “What if he’s getting big interest from TUN and he says this is the best opportunity for me, Dad?” Ryan paused before offering a telling answer. “So, he actually has an offer from Purdue. Okay. And, they have been great. My wife loved it there. And again, it’s always been about the people,” proudly flexing the offers RJ has started getting.

The Purdue offer adds a twist to the conversation. For the Days, it wasn’t just about football; it became a family discussion. Ryan admitted with a laugh that his daughters immediately chimed in: ‘So how’s that going to go, Dad? He’s going to know everything about you and everything like this.’ The tension was clear: navigating RJ’s independence as a recruit, while being tied to the larger-than-life shadow of Ohio State football.

Ultimately, Ryan Day insists this will be RJ’s path to walk. “It’s his story. It’s his journey, and I just want to be there to guide him.” That’s the dilemma: supporting a son’s future while balancing family ties in the most competitive recruiting landscape in America.

So as RJ’s game continues to rise, the real intrigue is this: where will his journey take him, and how will his father balance both sides of the whistle?

Ryan Day balances coaching demands with fatherhood duties

Well, on a recent Youth Inc podcast, Ryan Day spoke with a rare candor that peeled back the layers of being both a father and a coach in the high-stakes world of football recruiting. “I think that there’s such a balance of if you don’t advocate for your son, nobody’s going to,” Day explained. “But you also have to let them go and figure stuff out on their own.” It’s a line he has tried to walk carefully with his son, RJ.

RJ has been carving out his own name and is already riding on a growth curve. Yet the challenge for him is unlike most high school players. “He almost feels like he has to work double hard because people think just because he’s my son, he gets certain opportunities,” Day admitted. “But the truth is, he actually has to work twice as hard. And that’s what motivates him.”

That glimpse into their dynamic reveals the unspoken pressure of expectations. For RJ, it isn’t about escaping his father’s shadow; it’s about proving he belongs on his own terms. So where does that determination take him next?