On the Record: Ryan Day will be named Big Ten Coach of the Year
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Ohio State fans have had a love/hate relationship with Ryan Day over the years.
Day won the first 16 games he coached the Buckeyes in, with the first three coming when he filled in for Urban Meyer when Meyer was suspended for the first three games of the 2018 season. Even though Ohio State lost to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl in the 2019 College Football Playoff, Day wasn’t seen as the one to blame for the loss since the officiating in the game was horrendous.
Following a shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19 that saw Ohio State win the Big Ten Championship Game and finally get some revenge against Clemson before losing to Alabama in the title game, 2021 was when some questions started to be asked of Day.
Early in the season the Buckeyes weren’t able to defend the edge against Oregon in a 35-28 loss at home, and in the final game of the regular season Ohio State suffered their first lost to Michigan in 10 years.
In 2022 and 2023, the Buckeyes entered The Game undefeated but were unable to beat the Wolverines. Many were wondering if Day was going to have a similar coaching career at Ohio State as John Cooper, who was 2-10-1 against That Team Up North.
Day’s failures against the Wolverines were at their worst in 2024 when the Buckeyes lost 13-10 at home to a Michigan team that entered the contest with a 6-5 record. While the loss didn’t keep Ohio State out of the College Football Playoff, Buckeye Nation was ready to pack Day’s bags after a fourth straight loss to the Wolverines.
Day and the Buckeyes responded with a magical four-game run to win the first 12-team College Football Playoff. The national championship not only earned Day a lot of job security with a cushy contract extension, a lot of fans eased up on their criticism of the head coach.
Last season Day shifted the balance of power in the rivalry by leading Ohio State to their first win over Michigan since 2019. Even though many were disappointed the Buckeyes weren’t able to win back-to-back national titles, the season was still considered a success because of the win over Michigan.
With the talent Ohio State puts on the field on an annual basis, the Buckeyes usually end up taking home the majority of the Big Ten awards at the end of the season. One honor the Buckeyes often miss out on is the Big Ten Coach of the Year award, now known as the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year award.
When Ryan Day earned the award in 2019, it marked the first Ohio State coach to be given the honor since 1979 when Earle Bruce won it. The only other Ohio State head coach to be given the award was Woody Hayes, who won it twice.
The reasoning why Ohio State head coaches are often passed over for the award are understandable. Usually the Buckeyes have the most talent in the conference, so they should be at the top of the conference.
Despite going 12-0 in the regular season in 2025, it’s easy to see why Curt Cignetti won the award over Day, considering Ohio State was one of the top-ranked teams in the country heading into the season, and a pretty easy regular season schedule.
This season has a bit of a different feel when it comes to Day possibly be named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in early December. While it’s true Ohio State will again be a favorite to win a national title, this is the toughest schedule the Buckeyes have faced in a long time.
Day and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will also be tasked with trying to replace three defensive players who were taken with the first 11 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft, along with a number of other defensive starters who were drafted in later rounds.
It’s not that there won’t be other head coaches in the Big Ten who will be deserving of the award. If Indiana can beat the Buckeyes in the regular season and head into the conference championship game undefeated then it will be hard to deny Cignetti a third straight Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year award.
If Bob Chesney is able to turn around UCLA in his first season in Pasadena then he could be a hot name for the award. Don’t forget, four-time winner Kirk Ferentz is always lurking when it comes to earning the love of those voting on the award.
In the age of the expanded College Football Playoff, finishing the regular season undefeated isn’t nearly as important as it used to be. Just imagine if Day and Ohio State can finish the regular season at either 12-0 or 11-1. That would mean the Buckeyes would navigate the regular season with possible wins over Texas, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Oregon, USC, Nebraska, and Michigan.
It’s hard to imagine another head coach in the conference being able to take on such a tough schedule with either no losses or just one setback.
If Day is named Big Ten Coach of the Year, we could be looking at one of the best seasons of all-time in school history, since the Buckeyes will have navigated a brutal regular season schedule.
Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith are both Heisman Trophy candidates, Bo Jackson could be one of the best running backs in the conference, the defense has a bunch of hungry new starters, and Ohio State will have a lot to prove after losing in the quarterfinals of last year’s playoff.
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