Ryan Day has a national title on his resume. He just beat Michigan. But not everyone is convinced he belongs in the top tier of college football coaches.
ESPN released its latest ranking of the sport’s best head coaches this week, and Day landed at No. 3 overall in the aggregate poll of reporters. That’s about what you’d expect for a guy who won a championship two seasons ago and has Ohio State competing for titles every year. But when Bill Connelly submitted his individual ballot, he had Day all the way down at No. 8.
Connelly didn’t just bump Day down for no reason. He pointed directly to one game — the Buckeyes’ CFP quarterfinal loss to Miami last season — as the main reason he dropped the Ohio State coach.
Day’s offense stalled in the second half of that game while Miami pulled away. The Buckeyes were down multiple scores and just never seemed to adjust. Connelly said he was watching at home and found himself yelling at the TV because Day refused to ramp up the tempo when it mattered.
“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,” Connelly wrote. “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 is not an Ohio State fan. He made that clear. But his critique echoed something a lot of people have said about Day over the years — that he struggles to adapt in big moments when plays aren’t working.
The noise around Day hasn’t gone away
Day got a lot of heat before he finally won a title. The losing streak against Michigan was the main thing. Three straight losses to the Wolverines had fans calling for his job. Then he broke through, won a championship, and beat Michigan last season. You’d think that would quiet things down.
It hasn’t.
Some critics argue Day’s success is more about the roster than his coaching. Ohio State consistently recruits at an elite level. The talent gap between the Buckeyes and most of their opponents is massive. That makes it hard to separate Day’s actual coaching from the sheer talent on the field.
Still, putting a national championship-winning coach at No. 8 feels harsh. Connelly admitted he might have dropped Day too far. But he also stood by his reasoning. The Miami game bothered him. Ohio State had a chance to make a statement and instead looked slow to adjust.
Day will get another shot to prove his doubters wrong this season. The Buckeyes are loaded again and expected to be in the playoff mix. Another early exit and the questions won’t stop. But if Day wins it all again, that No. 8 ranking will look pretty ridiculous.
Leave a Comment