BTN analyst says Ryan Day should've turned down the job at Ohio State
Big Ten Network analyst Stanley Jackson prefaced his comments by saying he was about to make a “ridiculous” statement. Then, he talked about Ryan Day and the Ohio State job.
Jackson was asked what the Buckeyes would need to do in order for Day’s first season as the leader in Columbus to be considered a success. That’s when the college football analyst chimed in with a pretty interesting take.
“If I was Ryan Day, I’m not sure I would’ve taken the job,” Jackson said. “It’s one of the best jobs in college football, but I absolutely would’ve turned it down.”
At face value, that does seem like a head-scratching comment. At a place like Ohio State, Day has access to some of the best recruits in the country, has impeccable facilities, incredible support and received a pretty nice paycheck.
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But when Jackson explains why he would’ve passed on the opportunity, his statement made a lot more sense.
“Because of the criteria he has to meet,” Jackson said. “You can’t lose to Michigan. They’ve got arguably one of the better teams that they’ve had. You gotta compete for a B1G championship and you’re only bringing back four starters on your offense. You don’t have depth at the running back position. And everybody’s going to compare you to the guy that came before you.”
That’s a fair take from Jackson. Meyer set a pretty high standard, winning three B1G titles, a national championship, going a perfect 7-0 against Michigan and hitting at least 11 win every season.
If Day falls short of those expectations, Ohio State fans could grow restless, even in Year 1.
Jackson continued to say that he believes Day is a good coach and will do a fine job with the program, but the bar is so high in Columbus that it may not be the best spot to get his feet wet as a head coach.
“Let’s be honest about this, if he wins 10 games, if he wins nine games, that’s a bad season for him based on what the last guy just did,” Jackson said. “For Coach Day, he has to be similar or better. So he has to win B1G championships, he has to win 10 or more games and he has to compete for national championships.”
Day’s debut as the permanent head coach at Ohio State comes on Aug. 31, when the Buckeyes host FAU.
"I'm going to say two ridiculous things."
Narrator: @Jacksonville8 wasn't lying. 😂
Love ya, Stan! pic.twitter.com/3gRdZBGgzu
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) August 7, 2019