Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes’ national championship glory didn’t come easy. It was a relentless effort that bore fruit in Atlanta. It was all thanks to Day, who managed to get players from all across the country, including via the transfer portal, such as QB Will Howard, who stood out when the team needed him the most.
When you look at the overall picture, it was the consistent team effort of every player on the roster that helped Ohio State end its championship drought.
Ryan Day Gives Special Shoutout to His Champion Team
Last week, Day had a brief interaction with analyst Dan Patrick on his show. The duo discussed various aspects of the season, the team’s ups and downs, and how Day eventually managed to bounce back.
“I really haven’t had as much fun coaching a team like that in a long time. It was just a bunch of guys together. There really was no class,” Day said on the show on Jan. 24.
“We just spent a bunch of time together and had a bunch of players playing. But in the end, as we head into the last game we just knew that you know, it would just be another story that kind of comes and goes. But now the fact that we won, we’re able to cement that story in the history of college football and obviously at Ohio State.”
The situation was so bad for Day that after the Buckeyes’ loss to rival Michigan Wolverines, his father-in-law, Stan Spirou, stayed with the family for about 10 days.
Day had received death threats, and guards were continuously securing his house day and night. “Just to help the family out because there were some tough times there,” Spirou said via ESPN.
KEEP READING: 2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 Power Rankings
“Know what I mean? Tough times. Having security and so forth. And tonight was a redemption tour. And I think the whole playoff thing was to win four. … It’s hard enough to win one ballgame. And they won four, and they did it the hard way,” he added.
In the end, it was a big win (34-23) for Ohio State in the national championship game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Jan 20. Day etched his name in the history books as one of the few head coaches to ever win the title. Not to mention, the expectations are through the roof as the Buckeyes head to a new season.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.
