For the first time since 2014, Ohio State took home the National Championship trophy. And Ryan Day won’t be forgetting this moment anytime soon. The path to becoming the Top 2 coach of all time wasn’t strewn with roses on the sides. Instead, it was that fall to the team up north that instigated fans’ fury that even led to death threats. But the Buckeyes’ HC isn’t the only coach who got roasted to such an extent in The Game! 

ESPN’s Ryen Russillo highlighted a similarity between Ryan Day and a former Michigan HC in a shared IG post by ringer and davidpollack47 on January 21. He first did a double take on his stance on the Buckeyes HC saying he was initially “a little thrown off with the way this guy carries himself.” But as the pressure mounted after his fourth consecutive loss to Michigan, Russillo added, “And then once everybody started turning on him, and it reminded me so much of the Harbaugh turn where he was in the mix. It was working out, he was losing the rivalry game and then people started losing their minds and people lose their minds in Columbus I think as any fan base in the country.”

When Ohio State lost 13-10 to Michigan for the fourth straight time this season, fans had had enough. For the Buckeyes’ fans, this rivalry is so big to be viewed as an equal to the Championship game itself. But at least, Ryan Day is 1-4 in the series after his first and last win in his debut season in 2019. Jim Harbaugh, however, had an even worse start in Ann Arbor.

For the first five seasons since Jim Harbaugh joined Michigan in 2015, he had zero wins against Ohio State in the rivalry game. Still, his overall record stood at 47-18 for that timespan. But fans being fans, they criticized the then Wolverines HC saying he lacked progress and was incapable of winning big games. The same narratives fell on Ryan Day this season despite going 66-10 after The Game. Again, both went on to win a National Championship game for their teams amidst all the criticism. And Ryan Day’s victory is a product of his resilient attitude to fight through negativity. 

Ryan Day is one of the winningest HCs

Ryan Day has always been a high-level HC and his coaching record speaks for itself. But it’s easy for a big game mishap to wipe away all that glory. Except for the shortened 2020 season (7-1), Ryan Day compiled a record of 11 or more wins in his six seasons in Columbus. This season, Ohio State finished 14-2 with their only losses coming from Oregon and Michigan. 

After bagging the National Championship title with their 34-23 win over Notre Dame, Ryan Day now stands as the top 2 coach with the highest win percentage of all time. With his 70-10 record, his winning percentage sits at .875, second only to ex Notre Dame great Knute Rockne. This ultimate victory silenced his critics from The Game. Those disillusioned fans who have been pioneering Ryan Day’s dismissal are nowhere to be found now! 

It would’ve been a perfect season had Ohio State not fallen to Michigan. But the Buckeyes rounded it off with the most coveted championship. So all’s well that ends well.