In the world of college and high school football, when your dad is a big name like Ryan Day, everyone’s watching you under a magnifying glass. Now, even Day’s journey has not been without controversy. And especially when it comes to the high-stakes rivalry games like those against Michigan. It’s where he endured four consecutive losses that sparked fierce backlash from fans. The tension escalated to a point where threats were made against Day’s family. Thus, his son, R.J. Day, who has been making a name for himself in high school football at St. Francis DeSales in Columbus as a QB, has witnessed firsthand the darker side of fandom.

R.J. is already making strides at his high school. He shattered his high school’s career passing record with an impressive 2,933 yards and 29 touchdown passes, surpassing a record that had stood since the early 1990s. He’s spent countless hours learning the craft by soaking in the wisdom of Ohio State’s quarterbacks from J.T. Barrett and Dwayne Haskins. And also from more recent stars like Kyle McCord and Will Howard. But even with a bright future unfolding, R.J. unexpectedly found himself at the center of a high school football controversy.

This came during a recent game against Olentangy Berlin in Week 1 of Ohio high school football. The moment that sparked debate was when Day threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to his receiver, Dax Middleton, in the first half. However, replays showed the ball clearly bounced on the ground before Middleton caught it. That means it should have been ruled incomplete. But in a twist of fate, the referee missed this key detail and awarded the touchdown anyway. “Gotta be the craziest TD call I’ve ever seen,” OSU student Gee Dowlen writes on X. The game was a nail-biter, ending in a razor-thin 14-13 win for DeSales.

That moment became the flashpoint of the game, with fans, players, and commentators all weighing in on the call. For many Olentangy Berlin supporters and neutral fans alike, it felt like a tough pill to swallow. The backlash particularly zeroed in on R.J. Day, who found himself in the middle of a social media firestorm because of a missed call that he obviously didn’t control. This wrong called touchdown is actually the one-point difference that made DeSales win the game. So obviously, people will lose it and will also blame the referee, who also faced a lot of scrutiny. People said, “That’s high school referee for you lol,” and, “I don’t think high school refs get paid lol.” And as for RJ, the comments were horrendous for a teenager, still building himself up for his college career.

People commented, “Of course it was an RJ Day pass,” and, “They had to pull the win for days, son.” Feeling the heat, R.J. decided to limit his social media interactions to shield himself from the negativity and focus on the game and his team. The pressure to live up to the family name is real and relentless. Even a small misstep can spark a tidal wave of criticism from passionate fans who scrutinize every play and every decision. For example, Shedeur Sanders, the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders. During his CFB career, whenever he made a wrong throw or a bad play, the social media mobs quickly jumped in. In order to critique relentlessly, and sometimes crossing the line into personal attacks. It’s a harsh reality that star athletes like Shedeur and R.J. face.

RJ is finding his football home away from Ohio State

If you are Ryan Day, HC of a storied program, you will obviously want your son to play under your tutelage. But that’s not happening in the Day household. R.J. Day doesn’t want to play at Ohio State, and it’s not for lack of talent or opportunity. It’s because he wants to carve out his own path, free from the shadow of his famous dad. The Buckeyes head coach’s son has been very open about his feelings toward joining his father’s program.

The pressure and scrutiny that come with being a head coach’s kid at a powerhouse program like Ohio State are intense. Plus, the family’s prior experiences dealing with backlash and scrutiny were tremendous. They have shown R.J. how tough the rodeo can be. Instead, R.J. has expressed interest in playing somewhere else, specifically schools where he can build his own story separate from his dad’s. Names like Syracuse, Cincinnati, and Purdue have come up repeatedly.

It’s partly because he feels more connected with their coaching staff and their culture. The relationship he shares with quarterbacks like Ohio State’s Kyle McCord, who has ties to Syracuse, also plays a role in his recruitment journey. This isn’t about rejecting Ohio State or his father’s influence. R.J. respects his dad deeply and values the lessons from growing up in a top-tier football family. But when it comes to his own future, he wants to choose a path that allows him to develop as a player purely on his own merits.