In a sport defined by tradition, dominance, and relentless pressure, Ryan Day has quietly made his name in college football history. After a remarkable stretch between Dec. 21, 2024, and Jan. 20, 2025, Day not only captured his first national championship as Ohio State’s head coach but also stamped his legacy with authority.
In just his sixth full season at the helm, Day led the Buckeyes through a postseason gauntlet like no other, defeating four Top 7-ranked opponents, including three former national champions with a conclusion to Ohio State’s ninth national title. The 70-10 record he now holds gives him a stunning .875 winning percentage, the best among all current head coaches and third-best in college football history.
A Legendary Month: Day’s National Title Journey
What Day accomplished in the final month of the 2024-25 season may never be replicated. Ohio State rolled through the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers, No. 1 Oregon Ducks, No. 3 Texas Longhorns, and No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, all in just 31 days. Not only did Day’s team win, they dominated, with an average margin of victory of nearly 15 points per game.
That run included wins in the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl, a rare feat made possible by the new expanded College Football Playoff. The 2024-25 Buckeyes became the first FBS team in history to beat five Top 5 teams in a single season and win four CFP games in one postseason.
Ryan Day by the Numbers
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Overall Record: 70-10 (.875)
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Vs. Top 5: 7-6
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Bowl Record: 6-4
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Big Ten Record: 46-5
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Postseason Games: 8-4
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Home Record: 38-3
No coach in the CFP era has more playoff appearances since 2019 than Day. He has guided the Buckeyes to the playoffs four times in six years, a feat unmatched by even legends like Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney in that time frame.
Championships and Coach of the Year Honors
Day’s national title joins an already stacked trophy case that includes:
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2 Big Ten Championships (2019, 2020)
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3 Big Ten East Division Titles
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2 Rose Bowl Wins (2022, 2025)
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1 Sugar Bowl (2020)
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1 Cotton Bowl (2025)
He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2019, the first Ohio State coach to receive the award in 40 years, after leading the Buckeyes to a dominant 13-0 regular season, with 12 Top 5 rankings in major NCAA stats.
KEEP READING: Ohio State Ryan Day Sounds the Alarm on D-Line Depth as EDGE Beau Atkinson Visit Heats Up Transfer Portal Plans
While the championship trophy now shines brighter than ever in Columbus this year, Day’s story is still being written. With a .875 winning percentage, unmatched playoff consistency, and a 16-game season that rewrote record books, Ryan Day’s reign is no longer about proving himself, it’s about building a dynasty.
Whether it’s the wins, the postseason records, or the national title run, one thing is clear: Ryan Day is coaching at a level few have ever reached, and he’s just getting started.
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