Would you believe me if I told you that a 58-8 record college football head coach was under pressure? That’s a little harder to respond to in the modern sport. That may not be as shocking, though, if you later disclose that the coach in question is Ryan Day, the head coach of the Ohio State football team.
The Ohio State football standard
With the exception of the COVID-19 season, when the Buckeyes only dropped one game—the national title against Alabama—they have won eleven or more games each of Day’s seasons, for a cumulative winning percentage of.875 under his leadership. Not a single program in the nation would not be pleading for that at this very moment.
But in college football, there is no such thing as equal opportunity, equity, and program-to-program standards are wildly inconsistent. For example, Pat Fitzgerald had only eight winning seasons in his 17 years as head coach, with only three of those seasons totaling ten victories, prior to his firing by fellow Big Ten team Northwestern due to claims stemming from a hazing controversy.
Or how about Mark Richt, the former head coach of Georgia, who was sacked after 15 years in Athens with a 145-51 record? Alternatively, let’s get a little closer to home with the Buckeyes against their bitter rival Michigan, who recently captured their first national title since 1997—an accomplishment that took head coach Jim Harbaugh nine years to achieve.
Day at Ohio State won’t go nine years without winning a national championship. Without a victory versus Michigan, he won’t last another season.
This autumn, Day will begin his sixth season as Ohio State football’s head coach. But because of The Game, he has been under increasing pressure over the last few seasons. That’s correct, Ohio State uses one game to judge whether or not a season is successfully concluded. That is the extent of the Ohio State supporters’ and the program’s surrounding community’s importance in winning over Michigan. Because of this, the employment at Ohio State is entirely different from any other position in the nation.
Day has been under intense scrutiny after suffering three straight defeats to Michigan, his only Big Ten setbacks to date. However, he also did not help himself with his crushing defeat to Alabama in the 2020 College Football Playoff national championship. Defeating the most successful program and head coach in the previous 20 years could have helped to quell some of the fervour if they had won at least one title. However, nothing else can lessen the strain that Ohio State’s head coaches and program face since winning is such a high standard. Either you win or get a new job. Day has therefore fully committed to 2024.
In 2024, Ryan Day strengthens the Ohio State football team’s roster.
The collegiate football season of 2024 will usher in a brand-new era in the sport, the details of which are still unknown. With the CFP expanding from a four-team to a 12-team field, there will be more teams that can make the playoffs and bigger, albeit smaller, conferences.
The Big Ten is one of those larger conferences; in its penultimate season, USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington—four schools that comprised the fiercely competitive Pac-12—will join the conference. If the Buckeyes are not playing Oregon in the Big Ten title game, they will only have to face one of the new clubs (Oregon) the following season. However,
Even still, there is more competition, and nobody can predict with certainty how much room there will be for error. Day decided to strengthen his staff and expand his roster for this reason.
Day and Ohio State football were losing some important players that were a part of their 2023 squad, including wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr., quarterback Kyle McCord, and wide receiver Julian Fleming, whether through the transfer portal or the NFL Draft. However, the site has given just as much as it has taken.
Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, former Alabama centre Seth McLaughlin, former Alabama safety Caleb, former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard, and former Alabama five-star quarterback Julian Sayin were all added by Day and Ohio State in January.
That’s a significant victory for just one squad. Even if it’s impressive, everything about it exudes desperation.
Ohio State football’s Ryan Day will have a pivotal 2024 campaign.
Nobody will hold it against a coach that loads up in an effort to use the transfer portal to either completely rebuild or bolster their club. That’s where college football is right now. Better yet, since it’s now legal, nobody can even claim that it’s not about paying players because that’s precisely what it is.
But what does that signify for Ohio State and Day in 2024? This implies that there will be less tolerance and more expectations, which were already present in Columbus. Now that you’ve gained a larger following, it’s doubtful that your supporters will contain their anger when something goes wrong.
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