Myth Behind Ryan Day’s $20M Cash Splash Exposed After Urban Meyer Confirms Will Howard Truth

A treacherous traversal through the CFP field has spewed its two final contenders. The national spotlight is now firmly on Ohio State and Notre Dame. Naturally, scrutiny is dialed up to 11. College Football is spreading its footprint but is still an echo chamber for the most part. An opinion can quickly reverberate across all corners. One such opinion, perhaps fallacious and smeared with disregard, is doing rounds on the airwaves yet again. 

It’s the notion that the Buckeyes are only in the Natty because they’ve spent money. Look, OSU isn’t the most beloved school in the country for those of a neutral persuasion. They revel in making enemies and then bringing them down on the gridiron. It’s also true that Ryan Day has assembled the most expensive roster in the history of the sport. It’s faithfully alleged that this Buckeyes unit costs $20 million in NIL money. Instinctively, the notion above seems rational. However, there’s more to it than meets the eye. On3’s J.D. PicKell attempted to dispel this very notion.

In a video on the On3 YouTube channel, PicKell laid out a case for why this potential Ohio State Championship will be one of the most impressive and challenging ones ever. That may sound hyperbolic, but he made fair points. At the crux of his reasoning was the gauntlet Ryan Day had to go through.

“I don’t think there was ever a more uphill battle than what Ohio State has had to go through in this CFP run,” discerned PicKell. During the regular season, coach Day and his Buckeyes faced the top 3 teams in the B1G. They themselves finished 4th, which goes to show the strength of the conference this year. Then, the CFP has seen them beat Tennessee, Oregon and Texas. If Ryan Day can now also overcome Notre Dame, it’s understandable where JD PicKell was coming from. He was aware of the backlash, though, and aired out the counter-argument himself.

“You’re gonna say, ‘Well, JD. Look at the roster, man. They bought their roster. I hear what you’re saying,” he remarked. “But who did Ohio State really go out and add?” This straightforward question goes a long way in dissipating the disregard for Ryan Day and Co. PicKell acknowledged the 2 biggest assets OSU acquired by spending money in the portal. QB Will Howard is one, who’s facilitated their nation-best receiving Corp. with pomp. The other is Caleb Downs, who’s irrefutably the best defensive back in CFB. The argument, however, largely ends there. Most other primary components of their roster have been recruited via high school. Sure, their NIL arsenal has helped land the likes of Jeremiah Smith. But PicKell pointed to where the majority of this $20 million went.

“It wasn’t like Ohio State just flipped their roster over, went and got 20 different individuals to change their whole operation. Like a lot of that $20 million, from what I can gather, was [for] keeping dudes in Columbus that could have gone to the NFL,” he said. Keeping their own talent in-house and the continuity it afforded them is why Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are in the Natty. That said, there’s an old cliche etched in football lore. That a team goes as far as their quarterback takes them. Legendary OSU coach Urban Meyer perhaps foresaw this prosperity when Will Howard first came to Columbus.

Will Howard a huge reason why Ryan Day has gotten further than ever

Ryan Day has not been handicapped by a lack of good quarterbacks. Just looking back at Howard’s predecessor, Kyle McCord, and the success he’s had since leaving is evidence enough. Still, they weren’t quite able to get over the hump. Will Howard has achieved something that even CJ Stroud and Justin Fields couldn’t. He’s now one step away from leading the Buckeyes to their first Championship since 2014.

“I love Will Howard,” Urban Meyer said back in Jan ‘24. “I’ve watched him closely. The No. 1 thing is he’s a winner and he’s tough…Is he going to be the No. 1 pick, No. 2 pick? Probably not, in the NFL draft, but he wins and he’s tough.” Coach Meyer had this down to a T. Howard has proven that he’s a bonafide winner and has permeated this quality across to other parts of the team. Maybe even Ryan Day himself.

The “$20 Million” factor will be baked into whatever Ohio State achieves this season. If they do manage to go all the way, then they’ll quell the criticism. If not, it’ll become an indictment as to how Ryan Day faltered even with the best, most pricey roster. A lot is riding on this championship game. The Buckeyes are firmly in “Sink or swim” territory. They’ve shown a tendency to do the former at multiple junctures in the past, which fans will be wary of.