Not many days back, we had our newsfeed full-on Fire Ryan Day hashtags. Thanks to his fourth straight loss to the Michigan Wolverines. Day has made a lot of revamps in his roster realignment to change the script at Columbus in his sixth year. But on another gloomy night on November 30th, every effort came out futile as the Buckeyes had to give it to their arch-nemesis just like they do always in a gut-wrenching 13-10. Day became the most wanted villainous figure out there with some lunatic fans vehemently asking for his head.

It’s never new for a coach in CFB to get dumped and receive enormous flakes under their belts, but the only difference is that they can’t dodge the ill effect with a smooth national championship victory. Day did it. Ever since he took the nasty bump from the age-old rival Wolverines, he didn’t stop winning back-to-back games. Finally, on January 20th, they executed a near-perfect game against Notre Dame and came out 34-23 on the scoreboard. As the glitter began to shine and pom poms began to dance throughout the Mercedes Benz stadium, Ryan Day, seemingly clueless, walked over the podium as if nothing had happened. He was still yet to realize exactly what they had just undergone.

Weeks have gone by since the fairytale eve, and it seems Day is still reaping the benefits of winning it all at Columbus. Sure, not being able to level Sherrone Moore and co remains an unhealed wound for all the Buckeyes, but a national championship came off like fresh air, no matter what. Not only did it restore Day’s safety from the aggressive fanbase that had been dishing out death threats over X, but it also significantly boosted his bank account.

First reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Ohio State is giving Day a three-year extension that is averaged at $12.5 million per year. The $12.5 million makes the veteran coach the second-highest-paid coach in the entire college football mix. He is just behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who earns $13.2 million. Prior to the lofty extension, Day used to make $10 million a year and was regarded as the fifth highest-paid coach in college football.

However, despite his smile all the way to the bank, Michigan fans didn’t take him seriously as they continued making a monkey out of his traditional bad trip with the Wolves.

Michigan fans poked fun at Ryan Day’s $12.5 million move

Some analysts out there said it’s a national title or bust for Ryan Day following his Michigan mess-up. Well, he probably didn’t expect a comeback that rephrased it. It’s a national title and a pay raise. Ryan Day made a heroic stint in his sixth year, giving the Buckeyes their first national title after a more than two-decade gap. It took years of dedication, a heck of a lot of hard work, and a constant experimental streak with the roster, coaching front, playing style, and all. But with all said and done, ”Michigan fans love this move’‘ and for a crooked reason.

His Natty win serves as proof that it’s not just about Michigan. Well, the Wolves fans out there believe the opposite. They indulged in a creepy joy seeing Day continue with OSU. The reason is obvious. They don’t care about a Natty. All they see is another regular win over the Buckeyes in 2025. ”As a Michigan fan… LETS GO!” one user shot a sarcastic remark. Another fan echoed the emotion, predicting, “Six more years of losing to Michigan.”

Ohio State’s NIL collective, the 1870 Society, recently made a collaboration with Michigan’s NIL collective for a joint fundraising competition. Both of the schools’ fanbases were legitimately pissed off at the move, questioning the impact on their arch-rival. Seeing the massive figure of Ryan Day’s latest contract, one Michigan fan made the taunt obvious, asking, ”Did Michigans NIL help pay for it?” Another neutral observer of the fiasco rightly pointed out, ”Michigan fans out here celebrating every last thing they can before the sanctions drop😂.”

We will see how the contract alters the fate of Ryan Day’s typical faith in Michigan.