Growing up as the son of an Ohio State head coach, RJ Day has spent his life immersed in Big Ten football. Now he is just a few months away from entering the big leagues himself. The 2027 class prospect has chosen to make his own name rather than play under his father at the Buckeyes. But his path will also include facing his own father.
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“Yeah, you can’t. I don’t know what I’ll do when that week comes, but you can’t make any game bigger than it is. And I’m sure that the coaches will put us in a great position whenever that time comes,” RJ Day said when asked about how he feels about facing Ohio State next season.
Ohio State never extended an offer to RJ Day during his recruitment. The Buckeyes are consistently recruiting top-tier national quarterback talent. However, a decision was made for RJ Day to build his own legacy elsewhere. Coach Ryan Day stressed that this was RJ’s journey, making it a point not to let his own stature serve as a crutch.
RJ’s recruitment concluded in May 2026 when he officially announced his verbal commitment to Northwestern. As a highly productive three-star recruit out of St Francis DeSales in Columbus, he holds impressive school records. RJ chose the Wildcats over several major programs like Purdue and South Florida.
“I’m super excited,” RJ said on September 19, when asked how excited he is about this opportunity. “Northwestern is awesome. Coach Braun, Coach Kelly, and Coach Neuheisel. I couldn’t be more excited to go play for them.”
While RJ Day is prepared to face his father, the head coach of the Buckeyes has also made his stance clear: when the two meet on the field, he has no intention of going soft on his son.
“I would have to disguise some things on him because he’s very good in terms of recognizing things,” Ryan Day said of RJ on The Cover 3 Podcast. “So we’re going to have to show blitz one way, get him to check it, and then bring it the other way… [His mom] literally said, ‘If you play him and blitz him, I’m going to kick your ass.'”
While the Big Ten has confirmed the home-and-away matchups for the 2027 schedule, the specific dates for conference games are currently listed as TBA. The game will be a home game for the Wildcats and will take place at their newly rebuilt Ryan Field in Evanston.
Ryan Day and RJ Day will add a fascinating new chapter to a select and dramatic history of father-son rivalries in college football history. It can be another “Bowden Bowl,” which pitted legendary Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden against his son, Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden.
Now in his final season of high school, RJ Day continues to break major passing records at DeSales High School. He racked up 5,714 career passing yards and 54 passing touchdowns over his first three years as a starter.
In a game against Ashland, RJ threw for 482 yards and 3 touchdowns. This included a game-winning touchdown pass with just five seconds left on the clock. His touchdown helped them seal a 2025 Division II playoff win. RJ also logged a career-high 5 passing touchdowns in a single game against Africentric during his junior year.
How did Ryan Day react to his son choosing Northwestern?
Ryan Day shared that watching RJ navigate the recruitment cycle was incredibly rewarding and emotional as a father. At Big Ten Media Days, Day noted, “I’m really happy for him… Proud for him to see him go through that process and finally know where he’s going. It’s great as a parent just to see someone who has a passion for something.”
However, he admitted it is “a little bittersweet” to know that RJ will enroll early in January 2027. He will be cutting his final year at home short after spending his childhood trailing his dad around Ohio State’s football facilities.
A major reason Day is comfortable with RJ choosing a Big Ten rival is the sheer trust he has in the men running Northwestern’s program. Chip Kelly coached Ryan Day in college at New Hampshire and has known RJ since he was a baby. Kelly was also part of Ohio State’s national championship-winning coaching staff in 2024. Day knows that having someone who coached him now coaching his son is incredibly special.