“I think if your goal is to just win a national championship, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. To me, my goal is to help these young men reach their dreams and goals“. This was Ryan Day talking about his mantra about success in Josh Pate’s 1st May podcast episode. Notice how Ryan Day almost intentionally refuses to acknowledge the paramountcy of winning the natty. The change in Ryan Day’s mindset isn’t a coincidence; it became a proven strategy as Ryan Day and his boys steamrolled opponents for fun last year. And at the end? Poof! The shining 26.5-inch tall and 35 lbs 24 Karat gold-plated elusive natty trophy was in Ryan Day’s trophy cabinet. The learnings? Well, Ryan Day was right, player relationships and player interest reign paramount. Something his players are still cherishing.

We have seen teams functioning like an almost mind-draining and physically taxing corporate machine, treating their players as ’employees’, and results being their end goal. However, for Ryan Day, his players’ happiness and ability to meet their ambitions still take top priority, and that is the reason why the head coach finally won. Take, for example, the quarterback room at Ohio State. They had Will Howard as their leader, with several backup players like Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin, Devin Brown, and the lesser-known Chad Ray. But? The players still have the bond, like they have a bus to take together to take revenge against Michigan.

The deep inbuilt relationships and the bond recently came to show when President Donald Trump called the team at the White House. All QBs were present together, even the ones who didn’t feature for a single game, and the bonding? Well, they might not be peas in a pod, but yeah, a similar lesser-toned metaphor would surely work to describe them. So, let’s describe the whole scenario for you.

The team goes to the White House and finally meets the President in DC. They posted pictures of it, and guess who is in the photo? Will Howard, Seth McLaughlin, and the lesser-known 4th string backup QB Chad Ray. All three players are smiling as they don their dashing suits in the picture posted in a nostalgic black and white filter. RJ Day, Ryan Day’s son, replied to the picture and says, “St Francis DeSales OC Chad Ray sighting @chad_ray31” to which the backup QB reacts with a laughing emoji, but just then comes Will Howard’s playful inside joke. “@rjdayjr Coach Ray * to you“. To that, RJ Day replies with another sarcastic, “silly me“. But what to make of all this?

Ray joined Ohio State in the spring of 2022 after a standout two-sport career at Dublin Scioto High School, where he threw for over 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior while batting .353 in baseball with six doubles and 13 RBIs during his junior season.

At Ohio State, Ray never appeared in a game but has been with the program for three seasons, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors twice and recognition as a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete. He graduated in May 2024 with a degree in health sciences — a textbook example of the student-athlete archetype, the Buckeyes continue to value. While many walk-ons fade from view, Ray remained a consistent part of the Ohio State quarterback room over three seasons, backing up scholarship players including Devin Brown, Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin, and 2024 transfer Will Howard.

Though his contributions didn’t come on the field, they mattered. Teammates have hinted at his involvement in play communication and game preparation. These are responsibilities that may not show up on a stat sheet, but help prepare a national title contender week after week. so maybe RJ might even see the ‘Coach Ray’ comment come true, who knows!

Is Ryan Day’s son, RJ Day, an up-and-coming quarterback for OSU?

Well, Ryan Day’s son, RJ Day, is an up-and-coming QB prospect for the 2027 class in his own right. The player currently plays for the St. Francis De Sales High School, Columbus, Ohio, and stands at 6’1″ and 203 lbs. Though unranked as of now in both 247 Sports and On3’s composite rankings, the player still has time to refine his skills and emerge as one of the players for whom teams would go in recruitment battles. And mind you, he has some of the best minds and bodies around him to help him do that.

Ryan Day, in a recent statement, said about his son’s recruitment and what he will look for in teams. “You know, at the end of the day, when we go on these recruiting visits, I don’t really care about the facilities or the weight room. just want to know who’s going to help raise my son. Who are the men that are going to be around to help him become a better football player, but a better man off the field, and is actually going to care about him? “.

Well, so far, the young Day has got 11 offers, including teams like Akron, Boston College, Bowling Green, and Charlotte. The player even thanked Charlotte’s OC, Todd Fitch, and the program for the offer with a photo of the Jerry Richardson Stadium on his X post. So, for now, the recruitment and the whole process of recruitment seem to be going well for the player. Now it remains to be seen if he comes out in two years as a decent prodigy.