Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day leaves the field shaking hands with Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore, right, following the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Michigan won 13-10. Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
By Matt Yoder on

There is no hotter seat in America than Ryan Day as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. And apparently everyone gets this except for Ohio State themselves.

The Ohio State program enters each year with three stated objectives – 1) Beat Michigan, 2) Win the Big Ten, 3) Win a National Championship. Day is an unlikely run to a title this year away from going 0-12 in those objectives over the last four seasons. In that time, Day has developed a reputation of winning pretty much every game on the schedule except the ones that matter most.

After three consecutive losses to Michigan, 2024 was supposed to finally be the year that Day and the Buckeyes turned it around with a huge class of returning NFL Draft picks and massive pickups in the transfer portal. Ohio State had quite literally the best team money could buy. However, Day lost a shocking 13-10 game against Michigan where the Buckeyes entered as 23.5 point favorites thanks to an incomprehensible gameplan and complete capitulation. Ohio State also lost to Oregon, failed to make the Big Ten title game, and will now have to try to win the national championship as the #8 seed in the 12-team playoff.

But it was still enough for Ryan Day to be named as a George Munger Coach of the Year semifinalist! Yeah!

Given the criticism Day has fallen under this season, especially after the shock Michigan loss, it’s a very curious decision. It’s even more curious that Ohio State chose to post about it as something worth celebrating given the disappointing season they had and the type of responses that were bound to come from not just trolls, but even their own fans.

Here is a sampling…

Apparently the George Munger award has been given out since 1989 and “recognizes exceptional leadership, strategic innovation and significant impact on the game of football.” So at least there’s that. Just don’t tell Kirk Herbstreit that Ohio State fans may be joking about this on social media.

However, no other coach among the 16 semifinalists is having their successors actively debated as though their job is on the line if they can’t reach the national championship game. Even though OSU AD Ross Bjork has given Ryan Day a vote of confidence, it hasn’t stopped speculation around everyone from Mike Vrabel to Deion Sanders as future Ohio State coaches.

Ohio State fans may be itching to move past the Ryan Day era, but you know what they say – George Munger Coach of the Year semifinalists don’t grow on trees.

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