Ohio State makes big announcement about Ryan Day

Ryan Day silenced his critics by leading Ohio State to a national title this year, and he now been rewarded for his success.

Ohio State announced in a statement on Thursday that they have agreed to a 7-year contract extension with Day. The new deal will pay Day $12.5 million per year, which makes him the second-highest-paid coach in college football behind only Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

Day’s new contract has incentives that are similar to those in his previous deal, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The 45-year-old coach earned a $1 million bonus for winning a national championship this season.

Day has gone 70-10 over six seasons at Ohio State since taking over when Urban Meyer stepped down. He has led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff four times.

The one big knock on Day is that he is just 1-4 against rival Michigan. Some Buckeyes fans and even former players soured on Day after Ohio State lost to the Wolverines this year. There was even some talk that Day could be fired if the Buckeyes were eliminated in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Ohio State then went out and bulldozed the competition during the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes beat Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame by a combined score of 145-75.

While Day would love to have a better record against Michigan, national championships are far more important. His new long-term contract and salary reflect that.

Ohio State announces coaching changes, sends out new offer on recruiting trail

Ohio State’s offseason has seen no shortage of changes in just two weeks time. With coaching moves on both sides of the ball, there has been virtually zero downtime to enjoy the national championship win, but that’s life in the big city. Ohio State’s staff has been poached by programs both at the NFL and the college level, and that typically means things have gone well.

With Wednesday providing major updates to the offensive coaching staff, the Buckeyes have promoted Brian Hartline to offensive coordinator, hired Virginia Tech’s offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen to coach the offensive line, and also promoted Billy Fessler to the full-time quarterback coach role.

Defensive coordinator being the last vacancy still to be determined, Ryan Day has been busy, and these latest hires are not only impressive, but deserved for the two in-house candidates. The work now really starts for these three in their new roles.

Buckeyes dish out offer to New Jersey native

Coaching hires taking majority of the attention and priority this week, Ohio State is still finding time to evaluate players from all over the country. On Wednesday, the Buckeyes sent out their latest offer in the 2026 class by way of New Jersey native, Damari Simeon.

Taking to his social media to share the latest update in his recruitment, Ohio State joins a lengthy list of programs who have already offered the 6-foot-3, 275 pound defensive line prospect. Schools such as Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, USC, and a host of others ranks as some of the bigger names to enter the mix, but Ohio State now in the fold furthers his case of being a top target.

Unranked currently via his 247Sports profile, the offer list alone goes to prove the caliber of player Simeon is. The goal now will be to have him on campus in the coming months when spring ball gets underway. A visit to come would mean the Buckeyes are very much in the picture, and Larry Johnson tends to do well on the East Coast when he goes after his guys.