Ohio State Buckeyes' Ryan Day Silences Doubters, Says USC Trojans' Matt Leinart

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. Former USC Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart gave some praise to Ohio State coach Ryan Day for being a National Champion.
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day reacts after defeating Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 21, 2025.
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day reacts after defeating Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 21, 2025. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes have won the College Football National Championship. The Buckeyes defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 34-23. Following the game, USC Trojans legend Matt Leinart raved about Ohio State coach Ryan Day.

The Buckeyes went on to defeat USC’s rival dominantly. Day is a coach who has faced a lot of scrutiny over the past couple of years. Ohio State lost two games this season, one being against their rival the Michigan Wolverines. Against Michigan, the Buckeyes did not look like a good team and many blamed it on Day's coaching. 

After the win, Leinart took to Twitter to give a shout out the Ohio State coach.

“Ryan Day can tell everyone to shut it. He’s now a National Champion Head Coach,” Leinart posted.

Ohio State Buckeyes Ryan Day
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day reacts after defeating Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 21, 2025. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard had a stand-out performance, completing 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two passing touchdowns. The defense was all over Notre Dame, not allowing the Fighting Irish to get any run game going. 

The Buckeyes ended the season with a loss against Michigan, causing them to miss out on the Big Ten Championship game. The Buckeyes went into the playoffs ranked No. 6. They had to defeat the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers, the No. 1 Oregon Ducks, the No. 3 Texas Longhorns, and of course, the No. 5 Fighting Irish. 

Heading into the game, Leinart did pick the Buckeyes to win. Leinart joined Ryen Russillo on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast," where he explained why Ohio State would win.

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“Ohio State is playing at a different level in the playoffs than any team,” Leinart said. “I think Ohio State just runs away with it. I think it will be similar to what we saw with Texas a little bit. Just, a slow burn because Notre Dame’s defense will keep them in it.”

While Leinart was open about his hatred of Notre Dame being a Trojan at heart, he gave credit to Notre Dame. Leinart viewed the Buckeyes as the better overall team and was right.

Ohio State being able to stop the run game was key. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard led the team in rushing yards with 40 yards and one rushing touchdown. Running back Jadarian Price only had 13 rushing yards while Jeremiyah Love could only get three yards.

Matt Leinart
Nov 29, 2021; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Matt Leinart attends a press conference to introduce Riley as Southern California Trojans head coach at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Ohio State had a 21-7 lead at halftime, which Leinart warned could not happen to Notre Dame. During the game, Leinart put out a tweet acknowledging that the Irish had to play a “near perfect game” if things were going to turn around.

“Notre Dame has to play a near perfect game tonight,” Leinart wrote. “They need an answer here, If they go down 217-7 probably over. Don’t have enough fire power.”

In the end, Marcus Freeman’s team and USC's rivals, the Fighting Irish could not get the job done. Once the score had too big of a difference, Notre Dame could not come back. Notre Dame walked out with the loss while the Buckeyes were crowned champions.

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Angela Miele
ANGELA MIELE

Angela Miele is a writer covering the USC Trojans on Sports Illustrated. She graduated from Rutgers University with a Master’s in Communication and Media in 2024. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2022 from Rowan University. She graduated with a B.A. in English with minors in Writing Arts and Sports Communication and Media. Since graduating from Rowan University, she has been a contributor on various websites, most recently covering the NFL and college football for The Forkball.