After Ohio State lost to Michigan in the regular season finale, many assumed it was only a matter of time until Ryan Day lost his job.
What happened next is history. Day and the Buckeyes regrouped and went on a tear in the College Football Playoff. Starting off as the No. 8 seed, Ohio State blasted Tennessee, Oregon and Texas before taking down Notre Dame 34-23 in the national championship game. Any doubts about Day’s job security were officially laid to rest on the turf at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Monday night.
However, according to ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, Day’s job was never really in danger.
Herbstreit is very familiar with Day and the Ohio State program and administration. He played there in the 1990s and has a son on the Buckeyes’ roster now.
On “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday, Herbstreit said “rational minds” in Columbus were committed to Day no matter what happened in the College Football Playoff.
“Anytime you win a national championship, in the NFL it’s like winning a Super Bowl, you jut go into a different galaxy, you go into a different stratosphere,” Herbstreit said, via On3. “And I don’t think (Day) was every at trouble at Ohio State. I think rational minds behind the scenes – the president, the athletic director – they were all-in, even before this four game run.
“But what they put together is historic. It’s the first 12-team Playoff that we’ve seen, it’s a team coming off a very heartbreaking loss. You guys obviously talked about this, but they talked about the four games, getting the four (Playoff) games and it not being over. And it’s pretty easy after you lose a fourth time to your rival to fall apart. Guys move on, get ready for the league (NFL), do whatever you’re going to do.”
It is true that Ohio State AD Ross Bjork confirmed Day was returning in 2025 before the Buckeyes’ playoff opener in December.
Herbstreit’s intel seems to indicate there were never any doubts regarding that decision either, and right now, Day is getting the last laugh.
Related: Kirk Herbstreit Made Opinion Of Ryan Day Clear On Monday Night