For most high school quarterbacks, an invitation to Nike’s The Opening camp would be the ultimate validation. For RJ Day, it’s also a straight-up challenge to the one program that matters most: the one his father, Ryan Day, coaches.

On December 15, RJ Day posted an IG story. It read “THE OPENING” followed by a Nike symbol, “INVITE ONLY” message, and the quarterback’s name. This instantly made the fans inquisitive about his next move.

Only the top athletes participate in the Opening Regionals. Designed to sharpen the skills of top high school prospects with Power Five upside, the invite-only camps maximize reps and pit the nation’s best against the best. 

Standouts like RJ Day earned a shot at The Opening Finals, a three-day showcase at Nike’s Philip H. Knight Campus in Beaverton, Oregon. All eyes will be on RJ Day as he takes part in the event.

The testing menu for the DeSales quarterback is built to measure explosiveness and speed. He’ll run the 40-yard dash and 20-yard shuttle twice, with the fastest times counting, while the vertical jump will log his best leap. All metrics, including height and weight, will be shared with college programs through Hudl.

Before COVID, football participation was sliding fast, shedding over 100,000 players across a decade. But the rebound is real. Boys’ 11-man football has risen in three of the past four years, and the latest NFHS data shows 1,139,326 total participants in the sport. 

“120 of the nation’s baddest, boldest and most dynamic high school football athletes- all at Nike’s Philip H. Knight Campus in Beaverton, Oregon,” reads the official website. 

RJ Day’s performance explains how he caught Nike’s attention.

St. Francis DeSales survived and advanced, edging Ashland 33-29 in an OHSAA Region 7 playoff showdown. Behind the historic night was the Stallions’ junior quarterback, who hit a school-record 482-yard passing night and three touchdowns.

Last season, RJ Day was also named First Team All-District. But there have been dud moments, too.

Top-seeded DeSales’ playoff run hit a wall at home against third-seeded Massillon, falling 48-14. RJ Day struggled as momentum swung early, throwing one touchdown but also two costly second-quarter interceptions that Massillon turned into a 27-14 halftime lead.

It may not have been the ending he scripted, but the Nike stage gives RJ Day the perfect opportunity for a reset. The Opening offers him a prime opportunity to show college staff exactly why he is elite.

He now holds a dozen offers, including those from the Cincinnati Bearcats, Bowling Green Falcons, and Akron Zips, among others. But fans are likely looking at one particular college football program on that list.

Ohio State maintains distance from RJ Day

RJ Day, the 2027 class star, being Ryan Day’s son, fans were more than sure that the Ohio State Buckeyes would definitely put a lucrative offer on the table for the DeSales star. However, nothing has materialized yet. 

“I am confident RJ does not want to play at Ohio State,” predicted Jeremy Birmingham of the Austin & Birm Show. “He wants to build his own path.”

We have yet to determine the exact reason Ohio State has not extended an offer to RJ Day. However, the proud father trusts another head coach to mentor his son if he can’t do it himself. Back in 1998, Ryan Day himself played two positions, as both a quarterback and a linebacker, at New Hampshire. 

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Maybe he knows exactly what players look for in a head coach. And that’s why his trust leans toward Clemson’s top man to guide RJ Day.

“The guy that comes to mind a lot to me is Dabo (Swinney),” said Ryan Day. “When we first played them in ’19 in the Fiesta Bowl, he and his wife came over and just had a real conversation. I remember Dabo saying, ‘Listen, you’ve done an unbelievable job. You’ve done a great job recruiting in your first year.’”

For those intrigued by Ohio State’s cold stance towards the DeSales High School star, Ryan Day has been his biggest supporter. 

“I said to him, ‘I’m proud of you regardless of what you do,’” Ryan Day said to Dom Tiberi after his son hit high school records. 

It’s time for RJ Day to stop staring at the Ohio State-sized hole on his offer sheet. Nike’s The Opening is his biggest stage yet, a chance to turn heads nationwide and make the Buckeyes wonder what they missed.