Ohio State's Ryan Day Takes Massive Jump in New Rankings

Remember heading into 2024 when some felt that Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day was on the hot seat? Heck, remember when many were calling for Day's job following Ohio State's loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the season finale?

Well, those days are long gone, even if they were just months ago. Why? Because Day ultimately led the Buckeyes to their first national championship in a decade, firmly entrenching himself as Ohio State's coach for the long haul.

Day has certainly garnered a whole lot of attention for the masterful job he did throughout the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff run, and he is also being much more highly regarded now than he was a year ago at this time.

Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman of The Athletic both put together their college football coach rankings going into next season, and both analysts had Day ranked second behind Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart. Day took big jumps on both lists, vaulting from seventh for Mandel and rising from fifth for Feldman.

Mandel's opinion on Day in particular has completely flipped in a span of several months, and he made sure to note that in his assessment.

"Had I put out this list the day after last year’s Michigan-Ohio State game, he would have fallen out of my top 10," Mandel wrote. "But the Buckeyes beat four consecutive top-10 opponents to earn Day’s first national championship, making him one of just three active coaches with a ring. That four-game losing streak to Michigan remains an eyesore, but he’s 70-10 overall."

That 70-10 record marks the best active winning percentage of any FBS coach, so Day absolutely deserves all of the accolades he receives.

Yes, it would certainly be nice for the Buckeyes to actually beat Michigan next year to end that losing streak, but you cannot judge Day based on his results against one team (even if that team just so happens to be Ohio State's archrival).

We'll see if Day continues to build his already impressive resume in 2025.

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