Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day has had his fair share of critics during his eight seasons in Columbus. He appeared to silence many of them in 2024 after leading the Buckeyes to their ninth national championship in program history.
Yet just one year later, some of those same questions have resurfaced.
ESPN recently released its rankings of the top 10 college football head coaches entering the 2026 season. Day’s placement wasn’t necessarily a surprise, nor was it a snub. However, one ESPN analyst openly questioned how Ohio State handled last season following its national title run.
ESPN Analyst Questions Ryan Day’s 2025 Season
ESPN used a panel of reporters to rank college football top head coaches. Indiana’s Curt Cignetti claimed the No. 1 spot after leading the Hoosiers to their first national championship. He wasn’t even ranked a year ago.
Day came in at No. 3 with 77 points and just one first-place vote. He was ranked No. 2 entering last season.
One voter, Bill Connelly, had Day significantly lower than the rest of the panel, placing him at No. 8. No other voter ranked him lower than fourth.
Connelly explained his reasoning.
“Honestly, it’s just really hard to evaluate the performance of a successful Ohio State head coach, as it has been the most consistently awesome program in the nation for decades. I may have dropped Day too far after last season, but I just didn’t think he stuck the landing at all in 2025. When it was time to help that offense shift into gear late and ramp up the tempo and the risk profile against elite opponents, Day just couldn’t do it.”
Connelly specifically pointed to Ohio State’s College Football Playoff loss to Miami in the Cotton Bowl.
“I’m not an Ohio State fan, but I was yelling at the TV during the Miami CFP game because the Buckeyes just refused to pick up the pace in the second half when they were down multiple scores. They weren’t up for the task late in the season, and it cost them. Eighth is probably too low, but I guess it could be considered a challenge for 2026.”
The Hurricanes carried a 14-0 lead into halftime before Ohio State cut the deficit to three in the fourth quarter. Miami’s defense and ball-control offense helped close out a 24-14 victory and advance to the Fiesta Bowl.
Ryan Day Receives His Flowers
The lone voter who placed Day at No. 1 was Jake Trotter, who pointed to Day’s 82-12 record (.872 winning percentage).
“Nobody wins more,” Trotter wrote. “Day owns the best winning percentage of any active coach while operating under the game’s most demanding expectations. Two seasons ago, he delivered Ohio State’s first national championship in a decade, leading the Buckeyes on a dominant playoff run. Last November, he finally cleared the one obstacle critics held against him, beating Michigan 27-9 in Ann Arbor. Every preseason, Ohio State is deservedly in the national title conversation. Every spring, the Buckeyes send a wave of talent to the NFL. When combining elite results, championship success, player development and the pressure that comes with the Ohio State job, Day is doing it better than anyone else.”
Day has undoubtedly maintained Ohio State’s standard of winning. The challenge is that the expectations in Columbus never change.
If the Buckeyes don’t beat Michigan and contend for a national championship, criticism is never far behind.
Day has yet to accomplish both in the same season. The 2026 campaign will provide another opportunity. If he does, he may find himself sitting atop ESPN’s rankings a year from now.
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