If not for Ohio State’s infamous 31-0 loss to Clemson in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, Ryan Day might not be here.

Following the Buckeyes’ blowout loss, Urban Meyer decided to clean house. Day was soon hired as Ohio State’s new co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

The next four seasons were a wild ride for the New Hampshire native.

“I was with the 49ers at the time,” Day said on Monday. “Had a few conversations with Coach and jumped at the opportunity to come to Ohio State, not knowing exactly what was in store. Certainly in my wildest dreams didn’t think I’d be sitting where I am right now.”

Right now, Day is entering his second postseason as Ohio State’s head coach. He hasn’t dropped a regular season game, has won two Big Ten Championships, and is universally seen as one of the brightest young coaches in college football.

He has taken recruiting to a totally new level in Columbus and has carried Meyer’s legacy of establishing the Buckeyes on the national landscape.

As a program, Ohio State has somehow ascended to even greater historical heights with Day at the helm.

“I’m just blessed to be around such great people-- Gene Smith and all the people around here who strive for excellence. It’s been great,” Day said. “Our family loves it here.

“Sometimes I wake up and you just have to pinch yourself a little bit, because it wasn’t that long ago that you would have never thought of being in a situation like this.”

Before his career took off in Columbus, Day had coached in the ACC, SEC, and NFL. He was always on track to take over a college program at some point.

Landing that first head coaching job at a place with so much tradition and success, however, was not something he had imagined.

“I learned so much about what Ohio State is, what the Buckeyes mean to so many people throughout the country,” Day said. “What winning at a high level means.”

Never one to take credit for anything, Day shifted some of his early success onto everyone around him at Ohio State.

“A lot of that has to do with the people that are around you; we have great assistant coaches and great players and great administrators here,” Day said. “That’s what makes this place great.”

Still, now that his team is set to take on Clemson for a second-straight year on the highest stage college football has to offer, the 41-year old has certainly earned enough respect to take a step back and look at everything he has accomplished in two short seasons.

He won't do it.

To Day, this chance to play for a national title against one of the best teams in the country isn’t about where he has taken Ohio State as a program.

It’s about the players. The players who fought through more adversity than any team in the history of Ohio State; the players who managed to win enough in the face of COVID restrictions and scares to make it back to the big show.

The reason Ryan Day has been so successful as a head coach has little to do with Day himself.

It’s about the position he puts his team in to win every time it takes the field.

“I think this is more about this team and these guys on this team, and the leaders and what they’ve done,” Day said. “Their story; the story that these guys have and their journey to get to right here, and what the final chapter to it is gonna be.”