Winning the national championship did not save Ryan Day’s job

In college football, winning a national championship is the pinnacle of success. Coaches who achieve this feat are often celebrated as legends, remembered for their ability to lead their teams to greatness. For Ryan Day, head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, this narrative would seem to apply. He led the Buckeyes to a national title, securing his place among the elite coaches in the game. Yet, despite winning the ultimate prize, Day found himself in a precarious position, with discussions surrounding his job security intensifying.

How could this happen? How could a coach who brought a national championship to one of the most prestigious football programs in the country be at risk of losing his job? The answer lies in the complex and ever-evolving nature of college football, where success is not just defined by championships but by expectations, competition, and the ever-present pressure to maintain dominance year in and year out.

In this article, we will explore the intricacies of Ryan Day’s tenure at Ohio State, the factors that led to his precarious situation despite winning a national championship, and the broader context of coaching in college football that contributes to the challenges even championship-winning coaches face.

Ryan Day’s Success at Ohio State

Ryan Day took over as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2019, following the retirement of legendary coach Urban Meyer. Day inherited a program already in excellent shape, with Meyer leaving behind a well-established culture of winning, along with a highly talented roster. Day’s immediate success was undeniable. In his first season, he guided the Buckeyes to an undefeated regular season, a Big Ten Championship, and a spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP), where they were narrowly defeated by Clemson in a hard-fought semifinal game.

The 2020 season saw Day further cement his reputation as a top-tier coach. The Buckeyes, despite challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, navigated an unusual season with an impressive 7-1 record and once again made it to the CFP, where they ultimately fell short to Alabama in the national championship game. Day’s leadership, combined with his innovative offensive strategies, kept Ohio State among the top teams in the country.

The culmination of Day’s coaching efforts came when Ohio State secured the 2025 national championship. The Buckeyes’ offense, powered by one of the nation’s top quarterbacks and a dynamic group of skill players, was unstoppable. The defense, which had been a point of criticism during Day’s early years, stepped up when it mattered most, leading the team to a dominant victory in the title game. Day’s achievement was undeniably significant, and for many, it seemed like the crowning achievement of his tenure.

But as the saying goes, “The higher you rise, the harder you fall.” Winning the national title did not grant Day the continued job security that many expected. Instead, the success only highlighted the complexities and pressures of coaching at a program like Ohio State, where excellence is expected not just in winning championships but in maintaining sustained dominance year after year.

The Growing Pressure: Why Winning the Title Didn’t Save Day’s Job

While winning a national championship should have solidified Day’s status as one of college football’s elite coaches, it didn’t shield him from the growing expectations and criticisms that accompanied his success. The reasons for this paradox are multifaceted and deeply rooted in the culture of college football, especially at a program like Ohio State.

1. The Weight of Expectations

Ohio State is a football powerhouse with a rich history of success. The Buckeyes are not just any program; they are a program defined by greatness, with a fanbase that demands nothing short of perfection. The expectations placed on a coach at Ohio State are immense. The team’s storied history, which includes multiple national championships, Big Ten titles, and a legacy of producing NFL talent, means that anything less than a consistent championship contender is seen as a failure.

Ryan Day walked into a situation where the program’s expectations were already sky-high, and after winning a national championship, those expectations only grew. The Ohio State faithful expect to be in the College Football Playoff every season, and a single setback can result in a wave of scrutiny. In a world where college football is increasingly dominated by elite programs like Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia, any perceived slip-up can be viewed as a failure to meet the standard set by the program.

Even after the national title, Day was not immune to this pressure. If Ohio State had suffered a couple of down years following the championship, the narrative would have shifted from Day being a savior to a coach who could not sustain success. The pressure to keep winning championships can be suffocating, and even the slightest misstep can lead to calls for change.

2. Recruiting and Player Development

Winning a national title often signals the culmination of years of successful recruiting and player development. For Ryan Day, his ability to attract elite talent and mold them into NFL-caliber players was a hallmark of his tenure. However, recruiting is a constant battle in college football. As much as Day had success on the recruiting trail, especially with offensive players, the reality is that in a highly competitive environment, every class has to be better than the last to stay ahead of the curve.

Ohio State’s recruiting success is critical to maintaining its status as a national power. In recent years, there has been growing concern that the Buckeyes were not recruiting at the same level as their biggest competitors, particularly in key areas like defensive line play and secondary. While Day’s teams were still competitive, there was an increasing realization that the national championship was, in many ways, the product of a perfect storm rather than the culmination of a sustainable program.

As the years passed, and other programs ramped up their recruiting efforts, the gap between Ohio State and their rivals seemed to narrow. While Day’s teams remained talented, there were moments when his inability to consistently recruit the highest-caliber players at every position became more noticeable. This issue was particularly glaring on the defensive side of the ball, where Ohio State struggled to match up with teams like Georgia or Alabama in the trenches. This imbalance made it more difficult for Day to maintain a championship-level program year after year.

3. Inconsistencies in Big Games

Despite his national championship victory, Ryan Day’s tenure at Ohio State was also marked by inconsistent performances in big games. While Day’s team was often dominant in the regular season, they struggled to perform consistently in high-stakes matchups. These failures were especially evident in losses to top rivals like Michigan, which were damaging to the program’s national standing and Day’s reputation.

For a program like Ohio State, where beating Michigan is seen as a key pillar of success, these losses became more difficult to ignore. Although Day eventually did lead the Buckeyes to victory over Michigan and won the national title, the pressure of that rivalry and his ability to win when it mattered most loomed large. Losing to Michigan in crucial games, coupled with a series of underwhelming performances in the College Football Playoff, fueled doubts about Day’s ability to perform under pressure.

The media and fan base began to scrutinize whether Day had the ability to keep his team at the top year after year. College football coaching is often judged by a coach’s ability to win the big games, and despite his success, Day’s struggles in certain high-profile matchups made many question whether he could consistently keep Ohio State in contention for national titles.

4. The Evolving Landscape of College Football

The college football landscape has undergone significant changes over the past decade. The College Football Playoff system has altered the way we view national championships, and the influx of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals and the transfer portal have dramatically shifted the balance of power. These changes have not only made it more difficult for any one program to dominate, but they’ve also introduced new challenges for coaches like Day.

Recruiting has become more competitive with the introduction of NIL deals, which allow programs to offer players financial incentives that can sway their decisions. The transfer portal has also allowed teams to reload quickly, and Ohio State has seen several of its key players leave for other programs. In this new era of college football, the pressure on a coach to not just recruit but adapt to these changes has never been greater. While Day has handled these shifts relatively well, the added complexities have made it more challenging to maintain Ohio State’s traditional level of dominance.

The presence of powerhouse programs like Alabama, Georgia, and Clemson, along with new competitors rising to prominence, means that Ohio State must continuously evolve to stay ahead of the curve. This makes Day’s job all the more difficult, as even winning a national title in this environment is not enough to guarantee long-term job security.

 The Complex Reality of Coaching at Ohio State

The narrative surrounding Ryan Day’s job security, despite winning the national championship, highlights the ever-present pressure and complexities of coaching at a program like Ohio State. In the world of college football, success is often fleeting, and even coaches who achieve the highest level of success can find themselves under scrutiny.

For Ryan Day, his journey as head coach of Ohio State has been marked by incredible highs, but the expectations surrounding him have only grown. While his national championship victory in 2025 solidified his place in Ohio State history, the subsequent years have highlighted the challenges of sustaining success in an increasingly competitive landscape. Coaches at the helm of elite programs like Ohio State are constantly walking a tightrope between success and failure, and even winning the ultimate prize does not guarantee a coach’s future.

Day’s story is a testament to the intense pressures faced by college football coaches in today’s climate, where success is expected to be the norm, and failure is met with swift consequences. The realities of coaching at a powerhouse like Ohio State mean that the road to continued success is often more challenging than ever, and even a national championship may not be enough to save a coach’s job in the long run.