He wasn't born on 3rd base. He has faced REAL adversity, including (unfortunately) from Ohio State fans. And yet he has exhibited class, respect and accountability throughout his time as a HC.
He might be one of the unluckiest coaches through the first 5 seasons of his career. COVID, NIL, the transfer portal, bad breaks (Clemson 2019, Georgia 2022) and, of course, facing a rival that was participating in what will likely be known as one of the biggest cheating scandals in college football history... Pair all of that with sky high expectations after inheriting a program from a Hall of Fame Coach, and it is safe to say that Day has had to face and overcome much. I am grateful for his determination and fight. He has stayed the course, looked inward and moved forward.
It is very obvious that his players, past and present, love and admire Coach Day. He is a quality human, first and foremost, who genuinely cares about the young men he oversees and develops. Multiple times last night he talked about how it was all about the players and helping THEM accomplish their dreams.
I have always been grateful for Coach Day as a person but of course there have been team performances that were frustrating and borderline maddening. Thankfully, these have been the exception, not the rule. His record speaks for itself.
Ryan Day became the HC at a relatively young age and was a first time HC. To some extent, this showed. But we have seen him learn and evolve and I can't overstate how important this is. He has made some bad hires (Coombs) but a lot of good ones too, and has been relatively quick to make changes when things aren't working. In the offseason, Day talked about having the "right people in the right rooms" or something along those lines. I interpret that to mean that he understands the need to have an outstanding group of coaches and staff members.
He has also taken a step back from play-calling and become more of a CEO. The results speak for themselves. This 2024 squad was very balanced- both sides of the ball generally excelled and showed out, especially in the playoff.
This line from a presser yesterday stood out to me more than any I've ever read from him though:
"Day said he 'couldn’t understand' why Ohio State fell short against Georgia the last time the Buckeyes played in Atlanta. Three years later, Day said the Buckeyes needed to develop more resilience and toughness to make big plays in big moments to win big games. 'I understand now. It all makes sense.'”
This is a massive development, in my opinion. I think Day is coming to understand that an underlying confidence in the face of great opposition or during big moments is critical to success and can indeed be developed.
I'll add that while I don't know how Day will approach the rivalry game going forward, I hope now he feels more calm and confident himself going into that game. He has proven that he is an elite coach. He now has as many Championships as Harbaugh, but his doesn't have an asterisk.
I hope that ALL of Buckeye Nation is squarely behind this man, no matter what the future holds. He has earned our collective admiration and respect.
Sorry if this is somewhat disorganized or seems like I'm rambling, but I felt the need to express my sincere appreciation for Coach Day. He is an elite coach and human and that is not something I take for granted.
