Ryan Day opens up on what advice he’d give himself earlier in career

After five seasons of coming up short as Ohio State‘s head man, Ryan Day led the Buckeyes to their first national title during his tenure this past season. During an appearance on The Joel Klatt Show, Day shared what advice he’d give his younger self.

“The first thing I would tell him is trust your instinct. Trust your instinct and trust the process,” Day said. “The results give you some feedback, but trust the process. Coach the team. Like, just coach the team. Don’t get caught up in everything else that’s going on.

“Just coach the team to make the best decisions you possibly can. Focus on the players, and make sure that you have the right people in the right seats at the end of the day because you’re only as good as the guys around you.”

Day didn’t have these lessons handed to him. He learned them the hard way and is better off because of it. Day’s experience helped the Buckeyes stay focused this season after suffering an early loss to Oregon and then losing again to Michigan in their regular-season finale.

Most college football fans counted out Ryan Day and Co. but they didn’t allow the outside noise to bother them. Instead, Ohio State silenced its doubters by winning its four College Football Playoff games by an average margin of 17.5 points per game.

Now, Day will have to show off his growth as a coach again this offseason. Both of Ohio State’s coordinators in the 2024 season left the program after the Buckeyes won the national title.

Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is heading back to the NFL to serve as the Las Vegas Raiders’ OC. Meanwhile, OSU’s defensive coordinator Jim Knowles accepted an offer from Penn State in January to serve in the same role.

Day’s latter advice to himself is pertinent this offseason: “Make sure that you have the right people in the right seats at the end of the day because you’re only as good as the guys around you.”

Ohio State hasn’t replaced either Kelly or Knowles yet but Day’s choice will be pivotal to the Buckeyes’ chances of defending the national title next season. It won’t be easy to do better than the pair of standout coordinators.

Ohio State finished with the 28th offense and No. 1 defense in the country in the 2024 campaign. Day will have to trust his instincts as he searches for his next coordinators this offseason.

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