Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Is Elite
During the New England Patriots unprecedented dynasty in the NFL, there was no shortage of chicken little fans. Despite hanging six banners in 20 years, there were factions of fans, or more appropriate, alleged fans, who panicked with every loss. Sometimes they would panic anytime the team was outscored for a quarter.
The NCAA version of this, is Ohio State football fans. This pack of impatient lunatics, calls for the firing or resignation of Ryan Day after every fumble or dropped pass. Yesterday, trailing the nations third ranked college team (Penn State) after just one quarter, social media was littered with posts calling coach Day trash, and calling for him to be fired on the spot.
The reality of the situation, is that the Ohio State coach is elite level. Removing the importance of beating one school over all others, Day has been wildly successful since taking over for Urban Meyer.
Who Does ESPN Think Is Better Than The Ohio State Head Coach?
Before the start of the 2024 college football season, ESPN released it's list of the top-10 head coaches in the NCAA, Ryan Day was ranked 1oth on the list. Looking over the careers and the current season of each coach listed, it's impossible to understand their train of thought.
Kirby Smart of Georgia is the top coach, and it's difficult to put anyone else ahead of him. His career winning percentage since 2019 (the first year Ryan Day took over at Ohio State) is an NCAA best .908. He is undefeated in bowl games, including a National Championship in 2022. He also has a 15-6 record (.714) against top 25 schools.
After Smart, the next best college football coach, statistically, is Ryan Day. His current record of 7-1 (.875) and career record of 60-9 (.870) is second among the ten coaches ESPN chose as the best. Would Buckeye fans really prefer Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss) or Lance Leipold (Kansas) to man their sidelines?
The next time Ohio State throws a bad pass, or gives up an easy touchdown, their fans should probably pump the brakes on the Ryan Day hate. The only coach better in the entire country is Kirby Smart, and he's not showing up in a limo. Though he may not have the swagger of Coach Prime, or the career success of Nick Saban, Ryan Day is an elite coach, and Buckeye fans should be grateful he's their coach.