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ESPN's Desmond Howard suggests Ryan Day is 'too good' for Ohio State's fanbase

OSU head coach Ryan Day received massive backlash from the Buckeye faithful following a fourth straight loss to Michigan, leading former Michigan star Desmond Howard to suggest he's 'too good' of a person for Ohio State's fanbase...

Matt Lounsberry

Desmond Howard on the ESPN College Gameday set at the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl.
Desmond Howard on the ESPN College Gameday set at the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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It's been a rollercoaster of emotions for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, his players and coaching staff, and the Buckeye fanbase over the past nearly two months.

A whopping 51 days after losing to Michigan for the fourth consecutive season, Ohio State went on to win the 2024 national championship with a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame. Over the course of those seven-plus weeks, Day went from having his job called for (among more serious threats) to being praise down in Columbus.

Former Michigan star wide receiver and current ESPN college football analyst weighed in on Day and Ohio State's national championship in an appearance on 'Get Up' this week.

"I like Ryan Day as a person. I think he's a wonderful individual and I think he's a good coach. So, I believe you just say congratulations to Ryan Day," Howard said. "I also said that I think that, at times, he's probably — because he's a good guy — maybe just too good for that fanbase. Especially the group who you were talking about, who just wanted him up out of there because of the loss to Michigan."

While Howard's comments could be viewed as just the latest attempt of the former Wolverine to take a dig at the folks down in Columbus, there's a plethora of evidence that suggests the donners of the Scarlet and Gray have taken things much too far in their criticism of the head football coach.

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman wrote a piece detailing what the Day family was put through following the latest loss to the Wolverines, which included feeling the necessity to put around-the-clock police protection around Day's children.

"I didn't really leave the house much 'til after the Tennessee game," R.J. Day, Ryan Day's son, told Feldman. "It was rough, but you've gotta hang on in those rough times because eventually things will turn back around."

Ohio State's fanbase drew criticism from ESPN analyst and former OSU quarterback Kirk Herbstreit as well, who referenced a "lunatic fringe" of the Buckeye faithful. Herbstreit's colleague and coaching legend Nick Saban also slammed Ohio State's fanbase for their "psychotic obsession" with Michigan.

"They need to go get therapy or something to try to get it fixed,” Saban suggested.

Given these other voices who have spoken out against this "lunatic fringe", Howard's comments come across more diplomatic than anything else. However, the former Wolverine and Heisman Trophy winner is also unwilling to devalue what "The Game" means to college football as a whole and both fanbases.

"Let's not, like, minimize this now. It's not like he lost to Michigan — it was his fourth straight loss to Michigan," Howard said. "It was the fourth straight loss to his hated rival. That's why they reacted the way they did. So, make sure you put context to that when you bring that to the equation."

Day shook the notion that he "couldn't win the big game" with the way Ohio State performed in the College Football Playoff, with consecutive wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame. However, there's still a segment of the Buckeye fanbase that won't be satiated until Day lifts the Buckeyes back over "That Team Up North".

His next chance will come on Nov. 29, 2025 in Ann Arbor, with Sherrone Moore and the Michigan Wolverines playing host to Ohio State at 'The Big House'.

Former Michigan Football star Desmond Howard suggests Ryan Day is 'too good' for Ohio State's fanbase after national title
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day shakes hands with Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore following the Wolverines' 13-10 win over the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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