College football legend Lou Holtz revisits rivalry with Big Ten coach

Lou Holtz reignites feud with Ryan Day after Ohio State win.

College football icon Lou Holtz revisited his rivalry with the Ohio State Buckeyes and coach Ryan Day. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Lou Holtz has never been afraid to speak his mind. The College Football Hall of Fame coach, now 88 years old and no longer working for ESPN as of March, has once again stirred the pot with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. Speaking with Dan Dakich on OutKick, Holtz questioned the strength of the Buckeyes despite their statement Week 1 win over then-No. 1 Texas.

Holtz, who coached Notre Dame to a national championship in 1988, doubled down on criticisms he has repeated since 2023. He once called Ohio State “not physical enough” to beat Notre Dame, prompting an emotional postgame rant from Day on NBC. Now, even after the Buckeyes defeated Texas 14-7 and claimed the top spot in the polls, Holtz said he doesn’t see a “great football team” in Columbus.

“You remember me telling you, I don’t think Ohio State’s a great football team,” Holtz said. “When you’re at home and you’re outgained by well over 100 yards, you just can’t look at it and say, ‘Okay, we’re great.’”

Lou Holtz Doubles Down On Criticism Of Ohio State

Holtz pointed to the numbers to back up his argument. Texas outgained Ohio State 336 yards to 203, though the Buckeyes controlled the game by stifling the Longhorns on four fourth-down tries. Still, Holtz dismissed the defending national champions as less than elite, saying he “would not be overwhelmed” at the thought of playing them.

He also made his feelings clear about the Big Ten. Holtz praised Ohio State’s defense under new leadership but said the conference “doesn’t have that many great football teams this year.”

Lou Holtz on Ryan Day & Ohio State 👀

"They're not a great football team. I would not be overwhelmed about facing Ohio State... I wrote him a congratulatory letter but I never heard back from him."@dandakich @CoachLouHoltz88 pic.twitter.com/NuDOBMAvMq

— OutKick (@Outkick) September 3, 2025

The former Notre Dame coach reserved judgment on other contenders, implying that the Buckeyes’ standing will be tested as the season develops.

Day, meanwhile, defended his team after the game and again in his weekly press conference. “The number one thing was to win the game,” Day said. “We wanted to establish an identity in terms of playing physical; I think you saw that. The execution’s got to improve. We need to be more explosive on offense, for sure.”

The Ongoing Feud Between Ryan Day And Lou Holtz

This is not the first time Holtz and Day have clashed. In 2023, before Notre Dame hosted Ohio State, Holtz said the Buckeyes were too “soft” to beat the Irish. When Ohio State won 17-14, Day used his national TV interview to fire back. “I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day said, adding that Ohio State was “a tough team” and declaring “it’s always been Ohio against the world.”

Two years later, Holtz kept at it. Before last season’s national championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame, Holtz suggested the Irish losing would only “preserve Ryan Day’s job.” Holtz later admitted he sent Day a congratulatory letter after the Buckeyes’ title win, though he never got a reply.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes host the Grambling State Tigers on Saturday | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite throwing another round of barbs, Holtz still credited Day as “a good recruiter” and “obviously a good coach.” Yet he ended his remarks with a caveat, saying the Buckeyes still have to prove themselves as the season progresses.

Holtz has made a career of delivering strong opinions, and his voice still carries weight. His latest remarks add more intrigue to an Ohio State season already filled with pressure and national attention. The Buckeyes face the Grambling State Tigers on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.