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ESPN analyst puts Ryan Day as head coach under most pressure entering 2024
By Paul Harvey
Published:
The pressure facing Ohio State head coach Ryan Day for the 2024 season is reaching epic proportions. And that’s after a 2023 season that was feeling “make or break” for Day ended with a 3rd straight loss to Michigan, an abysmal offense and a horrific Cotton Bowl performance.
The good news is one swift offseason turned everything around for the Buckeyes. A roster chock full of returning veterans, revamped with some major transfers and the arrival of highly-touted offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has Ohio State among the national title favorites at DraftKings. Fans can use Tradition’s DraftKings Ohio promo code to find the best and latest offers.
But then again, what is a silver lining without a grey cloud inside of it? In this case, it’s the mountain of pressure facing Day and Ohio State to make good on all the preseason hype and anticipation of the Buckeyes as the most talented team in America.
When you add it all up, ESPN’s Peter Burns sees it as a “Gladiator” type season for Day where it’s do or die for the head coach:
“It’s thumbs up or thumbs down, it’s Russell Crowe and ‘The Gladiator’ when they look at (Day), right? You spend $10 million in NIL and probably even more than that, those guys who spent that money, they want a return on their investment,” described Day. “And right now, there’s a reason why Chip Kelly at one point says ‘You know what, I’m a head coach at UCLA, I think I’ll be an offensive coordinator and might hang around here just in case Ryan Day doesn’t get this thing done and doesn’t beat Michigan and doesn’t win the national championship.'”
In fact, Burns went so far as to say Day is probably facing the most pressure of any head coach in football, college or the NFL:
“There’s no doubt Ryan Day is under the most pressure of any coach in college football and I might say the most pressure of any coach in football — NFL as well,” Burns claimed.
Why Day must breakthrough
By now, fans on either side of The Game can reflect back on the summer of 2021. The memories are soundly split down the middle into two groups: Those who look back with scorn and those who look back with fondness.
At B1G Media Days, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh strolled to the podium and proudly proclaimed the Wolverines were out to beat Ohio State and win the B1G “or die trying.” Those words were widely met with chuckles from a coach who had recently had his contract reduced in his own make or break season.
By the end of the 2021 season, no one on the Ohio State side of things was left laughing, kickstarting Michigan’s 3-year reign of terror on the B1G. It all culminated in this year’s national championship and Harbaugh’s swift departure back to the NFL.
Now, Day will try and reclaim Ohio State’s top spot in the B1G, but it will not be easy with Oregon eager to prove its own worthy spot as new kids on the block. But for Day’s time in Columbus, he better pull out all the stops or he could finally find himself on the move after another disappointing season.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.