Ohio State coach Ryan Day took a few days to take it all in after capping the season with the Buckeyes’ first national title win in a decade, defeating Notre Dame in Atlanta, Ga. last Monday.
Appearing on “The Dan Patrick Show” Friday, Day, whose Ohio State record improved to 70-10 (with four of those losses coming to Michigan), finally opened up on what the playoff journey was like from his perspective.
Day said it was more than just jubilation, relief, and a reminder that he could win at the highest level; it was more about how much he enjoyed bonding with his team.
“I think it’s part of the story of the year,” Day said about the loss to Michigan as a turning point. “I felt like this team was close anyway. I thought we were galvanized, but when you go through something like that, you have to regroup and figure out, most importantly, what happened and how do we get these things fixed.”
As the Buckeyes’ winter break progressed, so did their postseason success. The Buckeyes defeated Tennessee, Big Ten champion Oregon, and Big 12-turned-SEC jugular Texas en route to their first national title appearance since 2020.
Day said after sitting with the Michigan loss in the days afterward, he knew he had to take responsibility to teach his team the right way forward.
It did just that. Day noticed his team become more resilient, which he also attributed to his wife, Nina, and his children.
“That was a special moment,” Day said, recalling seeing his family after the game. “I’ll always remember just the fact that you can look at your family and wife in the eyes and say, ‘Hey, we did this thing together.’ They did. They were a big part of it.”
Regarding fan criticism, Day said although unruliness does happen, he tries not to let it bother him toward the people he puts first, starting with his players.
Day will get time off, but in light of the current situation with soon-to-be sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the Buckeyes coach sent a clear message regarding one of the sport’s most glaring weaknesses, which Day calls “enforcement.”
“I think one of the big issues we have and across the board in college football right now is enforcement,” Day said. “I mean, you know some of the stories of some of the things that have gone on just within the last couple of years or even in the past but enforcement is really strained right now,” Day said. “Until we start enforcing some of these rules, like you said, people can just call someone’s agent or someone’s parents and offer them a certain amount of money, and then it goes from there. That’s just part of it.”
Day wants to stay put in Columbus for as long as he can. Although the NFL isn’t entirely out of the question, he described it as “not a goal” in his current situation.
For now, the Buckeyes will attempt to go back-to-back next season.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
