Ohio State’s Ryan Day credits timeless principles for the Buckeyes’ success in the College Football Playoff. In January, the team celebrated their first national championship in a decade, marking a significant milestone in the program’s illustrious history. During a recent appearance on “The Herd,” Day detailed the strategies that led to this remarkable achievement.
“I think about the NIL (name, image, and likeness), the transfer portal, the conference realignment with 18 teams — in the Big Ten, we travel to the West Coast — and the playoff change to 12 teams,” Day shared with Colin Cowherd. “These are just four major shifts that have occurred. Adapting to these changes meant being comfortable with discomfort. The key, however, lies in talent acquisition on the field and assembling a cohesive team.”
Despite the evolving landscape of college football, Day emphasized the enduring values of hard work, sacrifice, loyalty, and resilience as the cornerstones that distinguished his team from the competition.
Ohio State was highly active in the transfer portal last offseason, acquiring key players like quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins, and defensive back Caleb Downs, among others.
The Buckeyes kicked off the 2024 season with an impressive 5-0 record before facing a tough one-point defeat against Oregon. They bounced back with five consecutive wins, only to suffer a heartbreaking 13-10 loss at home to their archrival Michigan, who was then unranked.
With a 10-2 record (7-2 in Big Ten play), Ohio State secured the No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes dominated No. 9 seed Tennessee in the first round, winning 42-17, and followed that up with a solid 41-21 victory over top-seeded Oregon in the quarterfinals. They then triumphed over No. 5 seed Texas in the semifinals, 28-14, thanks to an impressive 83-yard scoop-and-score by defensive end Jack Sawyer late in the fourth quarter.
The Buckeyes capped off their season with a 34-23 victory against No. 7 seed Notre Dame in the championship game, marking the ninth title in the program’s history.
Day’s emotional response to the confetti falling at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was palpable, especially since Ohio State had narrowly lost to eventual national champion Georgia in the 2022 CFP semifinals due to a missed field goal just three seconds before the game ended.
“It was my father,” Day reflected on the first person who came to mind after claiming the national title. “I lost my father when I was nine years old, on January 20th. When I saw the national championship game was scheduled for the same day, I just knew he was with me that day.”
Throughout Day’s tenure as Ohio State’s head coach, which spans six full seasons (he served as acting head coach for three games in 2018), the Buckeyes have achieved an impressive 67-10 record, including two appearances in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Day initially joined Urban Meyer’s coaching staff as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017, before being appointed as the full-time head coach for the 2019 season.
