Day’s Next Goal Is To Win Like Woody

Congratulations to Ohio State head coach Ryan Day with the recent news of his contract extension. The new contract will run through 2031.

Ryan Day is entering his seventh year as Ohio State’s head coach in 2025. Coming off a historic national championship season, it is gratifying to see Coach Day be rewarded for the results on the field, as well as the administrative belief that the program is in tremendous hands as it moves forward.

Getting to a second national championship will now be the goal for Day, his coaching staff that is still being assembled as this is being written, and his players. It is a task that previous Ohio State football head coaches have tried, but none have been able to accomplish, with the notable exception being legendary head coach Woody Hayes.

Think about the national championship signs that adorn Ohio Stadium. With the notable exceptions of 1942, 2002, 2014, and soon to be a 2024 sign, all of the national championships listed were earned by Woody Hayes over an Ohio State career that spanned from 1951 until 1978.

It is not as though others did not try. Jim Tressel came the closest to being a multiple national championship winner at Ohio State, leading the Buckeyes to national championship games after the 2006 and 2007 seasons, but was unable to win (as all Ohio State fans painfully recall).

In a recent interview, Coach Day stated, “Woody Hayes is the last one to win multiple national championships at Ohio State…That’s something I’ve now set for myself. To be the next head coach to win multiple championships at Ohio State.”.

With the news of the contract extension that represents the full support of the Ohio State administration, Coach Day can begin the challenging process of trying to “win like Woody” with a second national championship.