Does Ryan Day dye his beard? Clay Travis seems to think so.
Yet a source close to the situation has now issued a public denial, with Day’s wife taking to social media to dispute the accusation.
In a video posted to X on Sunday night, Travis stated that “you can’t trust men who dye their beards.” The Outkick founder proceeded to express his belief that Day’s suspiciously dark beard is why Ohio State fans were slow to accept the New Hampshire native, before using a lengthy comparison to Santa Claus to further illustrate his point.
“The whole purpose of having a beard is to embrace your rugged masculinity. And if you’re dyeing your beard, you are defeating the whole purpose,” Travis opined. “I think this is why people didn’t trust Ryan Day. I think Ryan Day’s approval ratings would go up a billion percent. Congratulations on the national title; if you really want to be beloved, don’t dye your beard.
“And I just got a checkmate for everybody out there who would argue otherwise. Imagine if Santa Claus dyed his beard. He goes from this friendly grandfatherly figure. To like Hillbilly Gym. You wouldn’t let your kids sit on Santa’s lap if he dyed his beard. He would be an untrustworthy old guy.”
Why was Travis spending his Masters Sunday creating content about a college football head coach’s facial hair? That’s a story for another day. But in any event, it elicited a reaction from Nina Day, who took to X to unequivocally deny the charge.
“I have known Ryan my entire life and he has never once died his beard,” Nina wrote while reposting Travis’ video. “Move on to the next narrative.”
I have known Ryan my entire life and he has never once died his beard. Move on to the next narrative. https://t.co/Sc0hUmxMlm
— Christina Day (@ninadaytime) April 14, 2025
In Travis’ meager defense, he’s far from he first person to suggest that Day dyes his beard, an accusation the national champion head coach denied himself during an interview with 10TV in Columbus last week. Taking Mr. and Mrs. Day at their word, there isn’t any dye involved here; the 46-year-old head coach is au naturel.
Considering the amount of criticism that Day faced before leading the Buckeyes to last season’s national title it’s somewhat humorous that this is where his wife decided to draw the line and respond publicly. It’s also worth noting that Nina Day seemingly sent the post while in Washington D.C., as Ohio State continues to celebrate its offseason as national champs with a trip to the White House.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.