Ryan Day Should Resign from Ohio State After CFP Win and Put Family Before Toxic Fan Base
ATLANTA- Chip Kelly, speaking about his longtime friend Ryan Day, underscored a key aspect of the Ohio State head coach’s life: family. “Every decision he makes revolves around his family,” Kelly said.
This is the sentiment to understand why Ohio State coach Ryan Day, with the highest active winning percentage, should step away after guiding the Buckeyes to a win in the College Football Playoff (CFP) national championship game against Notre Dame.
Day and his wife Nina, high school sweethearts who met in Manchester, New Hampshire when they were just six years old, have been through it all together. Yet the pressures and toxic environment surrounding the Ohio State program may now call for a decision that changes their life for the sake of their family.
In a recent interview with WBNS-TV in Columbus, Nina Day opened up about the toll life in the Ohio State spotlight has taken, particularly after the program’s fourth consecutive loss to archrival Michigan in late November. Security concerns escalated to the point where the Days had to place an armed guard outside their home.
“The weeks between the Michigan loss and the CFP game against Tennessee were brutal,” Nina admitted. “I was very upset about what was happening to our players and my children. It just wasn’t right.”
She described a family ritual during the season that encapsulates the strain they’ve endured: “Before he leaves for games, he says, ‘No matter what, we always have each other.'”
This emotional routine reveals a harsh reality: No coach should have to reassure his family of their unity and safety due to the toxic behavior of a fan base. Yet for Ryan Day, this has become a necessity.
Ohio State fans’ passion for the sport has morphed into something darker, with incidents that border on madness. After Michigan’s fourth straight win in the rivalry, the backlash was relentless and unreasonable. Nina Day revealed that she even sought therapy to cope with the intense scrutiny and hostility.
This is the same fan base that fervently defended the indefensible in former coach Urban Meyer based purely on the fact that he throttled Michigan, yet now calls for Ryan Day’s head when he cannot win a single rivalry or, well, much of anything against Ohio State.
Even beloved former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit, now an ESPN analyst, left Columbus years ago due to fan harassment, moving his family to Nashville for their safety. The pattern is clear: the Ohio State bubble can be suffocating, even for its most dedicated members.
There’s never been a better time for Ryan Day to leave. After all, this season saw him guide Ohio State to the first national title since 2014. By stepping away now, he’ll protect his family and preserve his legacy at the age of 45.
Day’s credentials make him a prime candidate for the NFL. He has proven himself to be an offensive mastermind, developing quarterbacks like Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, and C.J. Stroud, all first-round draft picks. He has also overseen the rise of elite wide receivers like Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, and Marvin Harrison Jr.
With the Saints, Cowboys, and Raiders looking for new head coaches and wanting change in direction, Day’s talented skillset would have much interest. The NFL is also a more professional setting with less microscope than at the college level.
Those are the words of Nina Day: a reminder of what matters most. “When you go through tough times, you hold on tight to the people you love,” she said. For Ryan Day, that means making the hard but necessary choice to leave Ohio State.
He should walk away and let his family get some fresh air and relief from the constant pressure cooker of college football. Whether he leaves for the NFL or whether he decides to step away from being a head coach, Day’s family has to remain safe and not in any harm.
It’s just a game, for goodness’ sake. No one is worth taking all of that from the Day family.
