Ryan Day has a new contract.
Under the terms of a new contract that was approved by the Ohio State Board of Trustees’ Talent, Compensation and Governance Committee on Wednesday, Day will receive annual compensation of $9.5 million per year with a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season.
The new contract, which is subject to approval by the full board on Thursday, ties Day with Michigan State’s Mel Tucker, who received a 10-year, $95 million contract in November, for the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten. Nationally, it ties Day with Tucker and LSU’s Brian Kelly for the third-highest-paid coaches behind USC’s Lincoln Riley ($10 million) and Alabama’s Nick Saban ($9.9 million).
Day’s new contract increases his compensation for the 2022 season by $1.9 million, as he was set to make $7.6 million this year under the terms of his previous contract.
With Day’s new contract, Ohio State will now be paying a total of $18.283 million to Day and his 10 assistant coaches this year – an increase of more than $4 million from 2021.
| Coach | Title | 2021 Salary | 2022 Salary | Increase | Contract End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RYAN DAY | HEAD COACH | $6,600,000 | $9,500,000 | $2,900,000 | 2028 |
| JIM KNOWLES | DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/LINEBACKERS COACH | $800,000* | $1,900,000 | $1,100,000 | 2025 |
| KEVIN WILSON | OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/TIGHT ENDS COACH | $1,400,000 | $1,400,000 | N/A | 2024 |
| LARRY JOHNSON | ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE LINE COACH | $1,133,000 | $1,133,000 | N/A | 2023 |
| BRIAN HARTLINE | PASSING GAME COORDINATOR/WIDE RECEIVERS COACH | $600,000 | $950,000 | $350,000 | 2024 |
| JUSTIN FRYE | ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH FOR OFFENSE/OFFENSIVE LINE COACH | $700,000** | $800,000 | $100,000 | 2024 |
| TONY ALFORD | ASST. HEAD COACH FOR OFFENSE/RUNNING BACKS COACH | $618,000 | $750,000 | $132,000 | 2024 |
| TIM WALTON | SECONDARY/CORNERBACKS COACH | N/A | $700,000 | N/A | 2024 |
| PERRY ELIANO | SAFETIES COACH | $215,000*** | $450,000 | $235,000 | 2024 |
| COREY DENNIS | QUARTERBACKS COACH | $300,000 | $400,000 | $100,000 | 2024 |
| PARKER FLEMING | SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR | $300,000 | $300,000 | N/A | 2023 |
|
*At Oklahoma State **At UCLA ***At Cincinnati |
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Day, who is going into his fourth season as Ohio State’s head coach, is one of five Ohio State coaches receiving contract extensions this week along with Ohio State men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann, who is receiving a contract extension that will pay him $3.5 million per year through the 2027-28 season.
Ohio State women’s basketball coach Kevin McGuff is receiving a new four-year contract that will pay him $1.05 million per year. Men’s lacrosse coach Nick Myers is signing a five-year contract that will run through the 2027 season, while men’s hockey coach Steve Rohlik is getting a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2025-26 season.
