The second episode of The Ryan Day Podcast is live.
In his new podcast with The 1870 Society, Day sits down with former Buckeye defensive lineman and 2014 national champion Michael Bennett to share insight on the Ohio State football program. The second episode of his namesake show was released on Wednesday to members of the collective.
While full episodes of The Ryan Day Podcast will remain exclusive to 1870 Society members, we’ll share some of Day’s most interesting comments with Eleven Warriors readers after each release.
In episode two, Day discussed several topics with Bennett, including from whom he learned leadership, how he handles stress as Ohio State's head coach and much more.
Leadership "Started at a Young Age"
To be Ohio State's head football coach, one must be an exceptional leader. With Woody Hayes, Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer among the many men to hold the position in the Buckeyes' rich football history, Day understood as much before he took over as Ohio State's head coach in 2019.
Fortunately, Day has developed as a leader since childhood. From Manchester, New Hampshire, to Columbus, Ohio – and all the places in between – Day has strived to set a standard for others that leads them to desire excellence.
"Leadership opportunities started at a young age," Day said. "I played three sports. I was a catcher, played basketball and was the quarterback. I was the oldest of three boys. I lost my dad when I was 9 years old, so I had to grow up quickly. I learned to be somebody that kind of always took control. I liked that part of it. I liked leading. I was not afraid of conflict and was not afraid to call people out. I wasn't always everybody's best friend. But ultimately, I think my (brothers, friends and) the people on my team respected me for that."
Ryan Day was a quarterback at New Hampshire from 1998-2001. He set several records with the Wildcats, including career completions (653), touchdown passes (53), completion percentage (59.9 percent) and total offense (8,492 yards). Photo Credit: University of New Hampshire
After his college career at New Hampshire ended in 2001, then New Hampshire head coach Chip Kelly, now at UCLA, wanted to keep Day around the Wildcat program, so he hired Day as the team's TE coach for the 2002 season. From there, Day said he evolved as a leader.
"Chip showed me what it means to be a coach, and so did Sean McDonnell. I had some great coaches when I was there," Day said. "I had some great coaches growing up – some good men (around me). My grandfather had an impact on my life. My uncle had an impact on my life. My father-in-law was a basketball coach for 33 years. There were a lot of men in the community that I looked to.
"When I transitioned into coaching, I was around some really good coaches. Tom O'Brien, the coach at Boston College and ex-marine, was a great leader. I learned so much from him. We had some really good teams back then and some good coaches on that staff. In the NFL, I was with Chip on the Eagles and then the 49ers, where I met some good coaches and learned a lot. You know, you watch and learn from great leaders."
At Ohio State, Day said he has constantly surrounded himself with leaders, such as Todd Fitch, Joe Philbin and others. He has also worked with the program's administrative staff to have people outside of football come to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and offer wisdom to the Buckeyes' coaches and players. For example, Ohio State recently had former Navy SEAL Clint Bruce speak to the team about leadership and sacrifice.
Thank you to Clint Bruce for coming & speaking to our team & giving the buckeyes new perspectives on life
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 17, 2023
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"He had an unbelievable talk with the team about what it means to be elite, leadership and being around elite people," Day said. "You can learn from people like Clint. You can take pieces (of wisdom) from them and see how it fits your team."
Day said he has been pleased with the leadership he has seen from his team in 2023, mainly from Ohio State's captains Tommy Eichenberg, Cade Stover and Xavier Johnson, the latter of which also received the Buckeyes' Block O award before the season. Day hopes the trio will continue to set the pace for their teammates and that it pays dividends this fall.
"Perspective is Important" to Being Ohio State's Head Coach
The annual expectation for Ohio State football is that the Buckeyes would beat Michigan, win a Big Ten championship and win a national title. Those standards will undoubtedly take a toll on the head coach attempting to meet them.
When Bennett asked how Day handles pressure and stress as Ohio State's head coach, Day offered a couple of different responses.
"I'd like to tell you it's not a bottle of wine every now and then," Day said, which resulted in some laughs between him and Bennett.
He then continued, of course.
"Perspective is important," Day said. "It's not a secret that my wife and family take such great pride and understand how important this position is. We know how important it is to so many people that we win these games. When we do, it's a relief. When we don't, it's awful – it's hard because we feel like we let everybody down. That's the truth. Over time, we've tried to understand and have a perspective on that. It's not easy. We are very, very competitive. I'm extremely competitive. When you don't get it done, it leaves a mark."
Day said he recently looked at a photo of himself when he took over as head coach in 2019 and compared it to what he looks like now. He was shocked at the difference in appearance. However, it reminded him of how far he has come as Ohio State's program leader, especially when addressing pressure and stress.
Ryan Day was introduced as Ohio State's head coach on Dec. 4, 2018, after Urban Meyer formally announced his intention to retire from his post following the 2019 Rose Bowl Game. (Photo: Joe Maiorana - USA TODAY Sports)
"You need to stay in the moment," Day said. "What happened in the past can't be fixed. You learn from the past, but you can't focus on the past – otherwise, you will get frustrated and distracted, which doesn't do any good. If you focus on what comes next, that can also be a distraction. ... Be in the moment the best you can. It's easier said than done, but maximizing 'the now' is better because you can control it."
Day said a focus on "the now" has been one of his main messages for Ohio State in 2023, which he believes has made the Buckeyes more competitive in offseason workouts and preseason practices. He hopes that trend will continue as Ohio State dives deeper into the regular season.
"I am very proud of where we are as a program," Day said. "It didn't end the way we wanted last year. It hurt that we were, in my opinion, one play away from a national championship. But you have to learn from it. You can't focus on it. But the team we have now – the coaches and players and culture – I am very proud. I feel very good about this team. I feel very good about where this program is. We need to keep the focus, win the first game and build from there, certainly finishing the season stronger than we did before."
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The 1870 Society offers Buckeye Nation exclusive access to their favorite Ohio State teams while creating the earning potential and opportunities that the university's athletes deserve and have earned from countless hours of training and practice to be the best in their respective sports.
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For as little as $1.99 per month, you can become a member of The 1870 Society and gain access to The Ryan Day Podcast. Each of The 1870 Society’s nine membership tiers, based on monthly contributions, comes with additional perks ranging from an authentic Buckeye Leaf sticker and a photo autographed by a player to tickets and pregame field access to an Ohio State football game and tickets to a “Heisman Lunch” featuring past Ohio State Heisman Trophy winners.
