Ryan Day is known for his incredible exploits on the field. His 2024 season came short of all the superlatives for the man. But do you know Ryan Day’s heroics off the field are as good as his on-the-field heroics? And this time he has come up with a gesture that will fill even the hearts of rival team supporters with immense respect for the Buckeyes head coach.

We all know that Ryan Day has recently signed a contract extension with Ohio State. The extension has made him the second-highest-paid coach in college football earning. Guaranteeing an $87.75 million payment excluding bonuses throughout his tenure. This will see him earning the big bucks till Jan 31, 2032. That’s a lot of years for the head coach to imprint his legacy on the field and off the field. And he is starting to do just that.

Focusing on the mental health of his players and his staff has always been a priority for Ryan Day. A former offensive lineman, Harry Miller, also praised Ryan Day for helping him through his difficult phase. The gesture in Miller’s words saved him from contemplating as gruesome an act as suicide. Surely Ryan Day knows the detrimental effects of not focusing on mental health and going through phases of stress and anxiety. He opened up earlier about one of the most difficult phases of his life when his father died by suicide.

“It was a January day, and it just kind of happened. It was a shock, I just remember the shock on people’s faces. It was one of those moments that you’ll obviously won’t forget.” Ryan Day’s father died in 1988 when he was 8 years old. Since that day, the Buckeyes’ HC has committed to helping and supporting people suffering from mental health issues. He has recently launched an initiative and pledged with an incredible gesture.

He and his wife, Nina Day, had established a foundation, ‘The Christina and Ryan Day Fund for Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Wellness,’ that focuses on research and mental health support for children and teenagers alike. Acting in the same spirit, he has now pledged about a $1 million donation to the foundation. The money will be used for research and treatment at the college’s Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine. Ryan Day also provided his reasoning behind the donation in a recent interview.

Ryan Day opening up about mental health issues

“Mental health thing has always been important to me based on the way that I grew up and some of the things that I experienced growing up. So through Nationwide Children through OSU, I think Columbus is the leader in the country in the mental health space, and I think it’s good for the Buckeye Nation.”

Ryan Day also added how college athletes constantly need an environment of support since they are playing on the biggest stage. And such gestures go a long way in helping them. Certainly, money is not a problem for coaches like Ryan Day. But these gestures go a long way in creating respect in the fanbase’s minds. He also expanded on the issue…

“We have the best fan base in America, and so we want to make sure we’re giving back, and it’s also a great example for our players to see how important it is. Because nowadays NIL is involved now guys have fans, and they have to travel across the country to these playoff games and so we just want to make sure that they understand how much we appreciate them.” Certainly, Ryan Day’s gesture will be a momentous occasion for Ohio State’s fanbase. They will certainly hope that their coach will continue with his heroics both on and off the field.