Ohio State is getting national attention right now as they prepare to face Notre Dame in the CFP finals. But behind this success, we can only imagine what HC Ryan Day had to go through to get the Buckeyes here. And it’s not just him who suffered pressure. Between OSU fans’ psychotic obsession with Michigan and their fourth consecutive loss, threats and verbal abuse extended to his family. See what his wife, Nina Day, had to say about his plight following The Game defeat. 

Fans play a big role in a team, but sometimes their obsession can spiral out of control. Ryan Day received death threats from some unhinged fans after losing 13-10 to the Wolverines at home. Nina Day and their three children had to bear fans’ wrath for weeks. But for Ohio State to bounce back and advance to the national championship game, that’s something more like a statement. As Nina Day told WNBS 10TV, “I think he’s doing this to prove himself right and not to prove anybody else wrong. The doubters can doubt, and the haters can hate, and those people that have had our backs and supported us through all of these, it’ll be a great night Monday night.”

Nina Day offered a glimpse into what happened in the Day household following their Michigan loss. She confessed, “The morning after we lost to the team up north, there was just a different look in his eye. He got out and he just looked at me and he’s like, ‘I have no other choice but to fight my way out of this.’” That’s the pressure of a college football HC! Ryan Day may be 69-10 with Ohio State, an impressive record but that fall to Michigan overruled his achievements. 

For many OSU fans, The Game is equivalent to the national championship. So when Ryan Day lost four times in a row, all hell broke loose. But the Buckeyes’ strong comeback in the playoffs isn’t magic or luck. It’s an unmatched effort. “All that he’s done for the last month is fight himself out of it,” Nina Day added. “He’s swinging as hard as he can, and he’s working a million hours. We haven’t seen him, but he’s giving it his all.” See the sacrifice and effort Ryan Day put in to rise as one of the top two best teams of the season. 

Ryan Day’s resilience rises above adversity

Nina Day gave an uncensored take on her family’s plight in the weeks between the Michigan loss and the Tennessee game, calling it “brutal.” She said, “I was very upset about what was happening to some of our players and my children. It just wasn’t right.” She expressed her disdain over a certain percentage of the OSU fanbase that took things too far.

Even former Alabama HC Nick Saban slammed the extremity saying, “These Ohio State fans, they’ve got a psychotic obsession with Michigan, and they need to go get therapy or something to try to get it fixed.”

Ryan Day, meanwhile, acknowledged the stress and pressure that came with his job. He revealed that he reminds Nina Day all the time that they signed up for the extremity. “It’s the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. This game will take you to your knees and give you some of the greatest experiences in the world,” said the HC, who is 1-4 in The Game. But his resilience paid off in the postseason. 

In the CFP games, OSU was unrivaled. The Buckeyes scored a total of 111 points and allowed just 52 points against teams like Tennessee, Oregon, and Texas. They’ll also enter the national championship game against Notre Dame as an 8.5-point favorite. It’s going to be a fairytale ending for Ryan Day if his team wins this big game.