By Danielle Daniels
2/6/2025
Contract runs through 2031; Board of Trustees expected to approve once entire contract is completed
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University Department of Athletics and head football coach Ryan Day have agreed in principle on a new seven-year contract that will keep Day as coach of the Buckeyes through the 2031 football season. Terms of the contract, which add three years onto his current agreement, must be approved by the Ohio State University Board of Trustees once the entire contract is completed.
Valued at $12.5 million in total annual compensation, with a base salary of $2 million per year, the contract comes just over two weeks after Ohio State celebrated winning the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship after a spectacular and never-before achieved run of four playoff wins in 31 days.
The national title positions Day as one of only three current collegiate head coaches with a national championship resume, joining Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
“Ohio State Football has long been defined by excellence and, under Ryan Day‘s leadership, that tradition has not only continued, but thrived,” Ross Bjork, Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation-Eugene Smith Endowed Athletic Director, said. “As a leader, mentor and coach, Ryan has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the success and well-being of our players, both on and off the field. His leadership has maintained our position of national prominence each year and winning the 2024 national championship validated his program’s culture of excellence, integrity, and perseverance.
“Ryan has not only kept Buckeye football as the preeminent program, but he also guides young men into leaders, instilling values that extend far beyond the game. Stability at the head coaching position is crucial in today’s evolving college football landscape, and this new contract guarantees continued momentum in recruiting, player development, and overall program success.
“It is a great pleasure to work side by side with Ryan and we know that his vision and leadership will continue to bring championship success and pride to our program for years to come.”
Between Dec. 21, 2024 and Jan. 20, 2025, Day’s Buckeyes defeated No. 7-ranked (at the time) Tennessee, 42-17, in a College Football Playoff first-round game at Ohio Stadium, No. 1 Oregon, 41-21, in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl, No. 3 Texas, 28-14, in a quasi-road game semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, and No. 5 Notre Dame, 34-23, in the CFP championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Running that gauntlet of foes not only secured Ohio State’s ninth national championship and first since 2014, but also capped a program record-tying 14-win season and improved Day’s coaching record through his six seasons to 70-10, for a winning percentage – .875 – that is No. 1 nationally among all current head coaches and No. 3 all-time.
Day joins Paul Brown (1942), Woody Hayes (1954-57-61-68-70), Jim Tressel (2002) and Urban Meyer (2014) as Ohio State coaches to win a national championship, and he joins Meyer as the only Ohio State head coaches with multiple seasons of at least 13 wins.
In the classroom, his Buckeyes have set program records for number of OSU Scholar-Athletes (61 in 2020-21) and Academic All-Big Ten Conference honorees (56 in 2024). The program has had three consecutive years of record Graduation Success Rate scores including the December 2024 score of 89.
This past fall, the football program was one of just two programs nationwide with an Academic Progress Rate score of 1,000, with Harvard being the other. The APR accounts for academic eligibility, retention and graduation.
“I want to thank President Ted Carter, Director of Athletics Ross Bjork and the Board of Trustees for the confidence and trust they have in me to oversee this program,” Day said. “My family and I are incredibly grateful to be a part of the Ohio State community, this football program and Buckeye Nation.
“I want to thank my assistant coaches and the entire staff for the tireless effort they put in to keep Ohio State positioned as one of the elite programs in the country … on and off the field.
“And I especially want to thank and commend all the young men, and their families, who are a part of this football program. This is a team of tough and determined individuals who drive our culture of respect, commitment and love.”
In addition to his glistening 70-10 career record as coach of the Buckeyes, Day’s teams are now 24-9 all-time vs. Top 25 teams, 15-8 vs. Top 10 teams and 7-6 vs. Top 5 teams.
Day’s leadership during this NCAA record, 16-game 2024 season enabled Ohio State to set some monumental records, including:
- Becoming the first FBS school to defeat five opponents ranked in the Top 5 in one season;
- Winning a record four CFP games in one season; and
- Claiming two bowl wins – the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl – in one season, one of only two schools to do so.
Day was named Ohio State’s 25th head coach on Dec. 4, 2018, by Gene Smith. Day, who is 45, has since won a CFP national championship, two Big Ten championships, two Rose Bowls, a Sugar Bowl and a Cotton Bowl, and in 2019 became the first Ohio State coach in 40 years to be named Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year.
He has coached 20 first-team All-Americans, six Big Ten Quarterback of the Year honorees, six Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honorees and six Heisman Trophy finalists. He has also had 36 of his players selected in the NFL Draft, including 10 first-round NFL Draft picks.
Day has been a collegiate or NFL head coach for 23 seasons. His 21 years of collegiate coaching experience includes offensive coordinator positions at Temple and Boston College, as well as positions with Florida and at his alma mater, New Hampshire.
Day’s NFL experience includes quarterbacks coach positions in 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers and in 2015 for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Day is a 2002 graduate of the University of New Hampshire. The Manchester, N.H., native is married to his high school sweetheart, Christina Spirou. The couple has three children: a son, R.J., and two daughters, Grace and Ourania “Nia.”
The Days are active in the community with regard to mental health. They have partnered with On Our Sleeves to increase education, advocacy and fundraising for childhood mental health initiatives. In doing so, they announced the creation of the Ryan and Christina Day Fund for Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Wellness at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The Days also made a $1 million gift to fund research and services that promote mental health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine. The Nina and Ryan Day Resilience Fund is housed in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.
About the Department of Athletics
The Ohio State University Department of Athletics is one of the most visible, respected and accomplished programs in the nation. It ranks among the largest in terms of number of student-athletes – over 1,000 – and in number of varsity sports (36). The department maintains entirely self-supporting operations. All grants-in-aid, buildings and capital expenditures, including debt service, are funded by the department’s generated funds without subsidy from the university. No student fees, tax dollars or university funds are used to support the programs of the Department of Athletics.
COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
