Ryan Day has done nearly everything over the course of his 18-year coaching career.
From the University of New Hampshire to Florida to the San Francisco 49ers and now Ohio State, Day has held six different coaching positions on seven different teams. He has worked his way up from a graduate assistant to the head coach in Columbus, with a brief stop in the NFL.
The New Hampshire native has picked up new things at every stop on his journey.
“I was only in the NFL for two years, and the rest of the time it was college. So it was more a learning experience for me, you know, I’ve always been in college other than those two years,” Day said on Tuesday. “But everywhere you go you learn more. You learn something new.”
When Day first arrived at Ohio State in 2017, he was fresh off of two seasons working as a quarterbacks coach in the NFL. Though his time in the NFL was brief, it was clear from the beginning in Columbus that Day had a special talent for developing quarterbacks.
In Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields, Day has helped develop and coach two of the best quarterbacks in program history. The head coach said his time in the professional ranks helped develop that quarterback wisdom.
“Being exposed for two years allowed me great opportunities to see what that was like, to learn about the pro passing game, learn about developing quarterbacks,” Day said. “Just see what that side of it is like.”
Beyond the developmental aspects he learned in the NFL, Day made it clear that he is a college coach, through and through. 16 of his 18 years coaching have been in the amateur ranks and he said most of his coaching and ideas are “college-based.”
Schematically, the former offensive coordinator admitted that he will throw in some professional looks in the passing game, but when all is said and done, Day appreciates the must-win mentality that the college game brings versus the grind of an NFL season.
“That’s tough. That’s really tough,” Day said of transitioning from accepting NFL losses to the expectations of winning every game at Ohio State. “It’s tough everywhere you go, it’s tough no matter where you go for different reasons. Certainly, that league is brutal, because no matter what, you’re designed to go 8-8. And then when you go 8-8, the owner wants to know why you go 8-8.”
Those two years at the highest level of football were all Day needed before returning to the college game.
His time at UNH, Boston College, Temple, and Ohio State is where he pulls most of his football knowledge from.
“It was a great experience, but really when you look at-- I don’t know how many years I’ve been coaching now-- but it was only two years,” Day said. “I’ve mostly been college my whole life, and so I would say I use most of the lessons I learn in college probably in day-to-day.”
The extraordinary expectations that come with being at Ohio State are why Day loves his current job so much. The ultimate payoff is meeting those lofty goals and taking a program to even higher peaks.
Under Urban Meyer, Ohio State etched its name into the ranks of the elite. Day has taken over right where his predecessor left off.
He understands that with the Buckeyes’ climb to the very top of college football come those towering expectations. There’s something about the yearly fight to win in college football that sucked Day back in.
“Every place has its own challenges,” Day said. “We’re very, very fortunate here in all the different things-- we’re able to recruit great young men, really talented guys, and all those things. But with it comes great expectations.”
Head coach No. 24 in Ohio State’s history has certainly met every projection he has faced in two years leading the Buckeyes; Day is 16-1 and undefeated in the Big Ten in his current role.
More important than his record is the love Ryan Day has for his program and the people that make it great.
“I believe this is the best place in America, best job in America, and we get to coach the best young men,” Day said. “It’s a blessing to be here every day.”
