Ryan Day has only been the head coach at Ohio State for two seasons, taking over for Urban Meyer following the 2018 campaign. But SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum still believes that, in Day’s short time as the leader in Columbus, he’s one of the finest coaches in college football.

Day is 24-1 in his time as a head coach at Ohio State, going back to the 2018 season when he was serving on an interim basis for three games during Urban Meyer’s suspension. In 2019. he led the Buckeyes to a 13-1 mark and a spot in the College Football Playoff. This season, OSU has a chance to win a national championship in Day’s second season.

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Speaking on WJOX’s The RoundTable on Monday morning, Finebaum says a win for Ohio State will solidify Day’s spot as one of the top three coaches in the sport right now.

“I think win or lose, he’s one of the top shelf coaches in college football. With a win, it’s truly remarkable. And I don’t care what he inherited. He inherited a very great program, but he inherited a program under Urban Meyer that, quite frankly, wasn’t winning championships any longer,” Finebaum said. “I made the mistake two or three years ago saying Urban Meyer has underachieved and heard from Buckeye Nation, but the facts are there. You judge Ohio State on the same level you judge Alabama — nobody cares about how many big wins you have. You’re judged by national championships. And Urban Meyer underperformed there by only winning one. His best team was the one after it won [in 2015]. Nick Saban has had that happen to him a couple of time.

“So, Ryan Day is already in the top three or four coaches, I think he moves up to the same level — he and Dabo Swinney can share the tricycle with Nick Saban. But I think it would be that significant.”

Day and the Buckeyes get their shot at the top-ranked Crimson Tide on Monday night, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET and coverage in ESPN.