Ohio State HC Ryan Day’s true feelings on potential NFL return
Ohio State football HC Ryan Day spent two seasons as an NFL QB coach
Facing backlash and suffocating pressure after yet another loss to rival Michigan, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day could have realistically explored other career options. Columbus had its pitchforks out and pleaded with the university to make a change. A brutal path in the College Football Playoff only amplified their fury. Many fans braced themselves for another disappointing finish to the season.
Day rallied the Buckeyes, however, and coached them to their first national championship in 10 years. Sure, their talent shone through, but strong leadership was needed to guide the team through an avalanche of criticism and doubt. Day flipped public perception over the course of a month. Ohio State defeated all its opponents by double-digits, capping off the historic run with a 34-23 title victory versus Notre Dame.
Day went from potentially landing on the hot seat to vaulting his coaching stock to new heights. His abrupt reversal of fortune begs the question of if he would consider taking another NFL job.
“I would never wanna say, ‘I would never consider it,’ because you don’t know how things can change,” Day told “The Steam Room” podcast with Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley. “I was in the NFL for two years and had a great experience there, and it’s a great league. But right now the impact we can make on young people is, to me, more impactful in college. And that’s why I got into this game, was to do that and that’s what I want to do.”
Could Ryan Day excel as an NFL head coach?
The 45-year-old served under then-head coach Chip Kelly as quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers in 2015 and 2016, respectively. He then jumped to Ohio State and eventually became the team’s new HC ahead of the 2019 season. Day then brought Kelly to Columbus in 2024 for the vitally important offensive coordinator role. It was a full-circle moment for all involved.
