ARLINGTON, Texas — Ryan Day, less than a week removed from coaching Ohio State football to a national title in January, stood in front of a camera and listened as former NBA great Charles Barkley asked a question during a recording of the "Steam Room" podcast.
Day stood in silence as Barkley mentioned “rumors” about him potentially pursuing a return to the NFL down the road.
Even while coaching one of the premier college football programs, would Day consider leaving to coach at the professional level?
Day didn’t rule out the possibility.
But as he did the podcast from Ohio State’s team room at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center — a facility named after the Hall of Fame coach who led the program to five national titles during his tenure (1951–78) — Day shared his ambition for a difficult but attainable goal.
“Woody Hayes is the last one to win multiple national championships at Ohio State, and that’s something that I’ve now kind of set for myself — is to be the next head coach to win multiple national championships at Ohio State,” Day said.
A coach who was under immense pressure last season after losing a fourth straight game to rival Michigan now finds himself in position to reach a milestone last reached by the greatest coach in Buckeye history.
Ohio State is the No. 2 seed in the 2025-26 College Football Playoff.
After earning a first-round bye, it will face No. 10 seed Miami in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET – a matchup set to take place at the Cotton Bowl inside AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Day has cemented himself in Ohio State lore with a championship ring already in his collection. With three more wins, he could enter rare air in Columbus and do something even Hayes never could: Win back-to-back national titles.
Ryan Day’s path from first-time head coach to winner
Day became a first-time head coach when he was promoted to replace Urban Meyer ahead of the 2019 season. Day had experience as a position coach, in the NFL and at the collegiate level, and a coordinator. But he’d never done this at a school like this.
He immediately produced, though.
Day went 13-1 in his first season, ending with a loss in the College Football Playoff semifinals (when the tournament featured a four-team field).
The following year, amid COVID-19 restrictions, he led the program to a National Championship Game appearance. In that two-year stretch, he went 1-0 against Michigan.
Success has followed him since, with Day owning the best winning percentage in college football history (88.2%).
However, a dark cloud emerged.
Between 2021 and 2024, Ohio State lost only eight games, but Day went 0-4 against the Wolverines. Comparing him to greats such as Hayes, Meyer or Jim Tressel felt irresponsible at a program where "The Game" means so much.
After the 2024 loss to Michigan, national and local pundits called for Day’s job, influencing athletic director Ross Bjork’s decision to publicly voice his support for his football coach.
“He’s our guy,” Bjork said. “We believe in him. Stability and continuity in college football is so, so important.”
Ohio State Buckeyes Celebrate NCAA Football Championship
Ohio State AD Ross Bjork has consistently voiced his support for football coach Ryan Day. Getty Images
Day has delivered ever since.
Ohio State won the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff last season, taking down some of the sport’s most prominent programs along the way — Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame.
He followed that up with an undefeated 2025 regular season, opening the campaign with a win against Texas and capping it with a resounding 27-9 win at Michigan.
While OSU lost in the Big Ten Championship Game against Indiana, the Buckeyes remain the betting favorite to win the national title again.
Ohio State’s national titles Coach
1942 Paul Brown
1954 Woody Hayes
1957 Woody Hayes
1961 Woody Hayes
1968 Woody Hayes
1970 Woody Hayes
2002 Jim Tressel
2014 Urban Meyer
2024 Ryan Day
Ryan Day’s journey toward legendary status
After COVID, former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh took shots at Day when the rivalry flipped and the Wolverines started beating the Buckeyes.
Along with dealing with defeat, Day had to listen as The Team Up North questioned Ohio State’s toughness and said its coach was “born on third base” — a suggestion that Day’s success was only a result of the environment he inherited from Meyer.
In some ways, the criticism was fair. Day’s first head-coaching gig came at a program where winning is just as common as students spending a Saturday night on High Street.
He understood that.
“You have my word that I’m going to give everything I have to continue the tradition of excellence and winning that this program has enjoyed during its storied career,” Day said at his introductory press conference.
Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer, left, answers questions during a news conference announcing his retirement and the hiring of Ryan Day, right, as his replacement Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, in Columbus, Ohio.
Ryan Day took over for Urban Meyer as Ohio State coach ahead of the 2019 season. AP
He fell short of that promise through his first 76 games as full-time coach. Ohio State won games, but it didn’t consistently win the biggest ones.
A year later, he’s on the brink of fulfilling more than what he promised.
“Ryan Day is a great coach,” Indiana’s Curt Cignetti said earlier this month. “He’ll be one of the legends of the game someday.”
Ohio State claims nine national championships, which ranks seventh all-time, but those titles have never come in consecutive years.
Only seven programs (Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Alabama, Michigan State, Texas, Nebraska and Georgia) have gone back-to-back since the end of World War II.
Day has a record-setting winning percentage, a chance to flip his fortunes against Michigan and an opportunity to join Hayes as the only Ohio State coaches to win multiple national titles.
But this postseason, he can separate himself. The journey starts Wednesday night.