The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the midst of a dominant playoff run with head coach Ryan Day leading the way. But it sounds like there is at least a chance that Day could choose to leave Ohio State after this season, even if he does lead the Buckeyes to a national title.
Ryan Day has received quite a bit of criticism from Ohio State fans after failing to lead the Buckeyes to a victory over Michigan or a Big Ten title in each of the past four seasons. Many fans were even suggesting that Day should be fired – or at least on the hot seat – as a result of his failures the past several seasons.
Now, however, Day has Ohio State looking like the best team in college football after handing Tennessee and top-seeded Oregon blowout losses in the College Football Playoff. After those wins, the Buckeyes are now the betting favorites to win the national title.
Regardless of the outcome, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports thinks that Day should choose to leave Ohio State on his own terms as a result of the “unjust criticism from his own people.”
“Whenever this Ohio State season ends, win or lose in this chase for the school’s first national championship in 10 years, Day should get up at the postgame podium and check out. He should thank everyone before politely stepping down from his post as Ohio State’s coach. If he wasn’t such a decent guy, I could envision Day at least considering what Bobby Knight said out loud for his walk off,” Dodd wrote for CBS Sports this week.
“The NFL would be a fine option. There are several openings currently, and Day is more than qualified having two years in the league as an assistant. He could do TV for a year or two. Hey, linear cable needs mattress salesmen, too. Point is, Day wouldn’t be out of work for long. He would be free,” Dodd continued.
And it sounds like a jump to the NFL could be a real possibility if Day wants to take it.
There are currently six teams in need of head coaches in the NFL – the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New Orleans Saints, the New England Patriots, and the Las Vegas Raiders.
According to a report from Jared Mueller of SB Nation, Day has already received some interest from the NFL about potentially leaving Ohio State to jump to the professional ranks – though he concedes that the calendar could make such a jump difficult, especially if Ohio State advances to the title game on Jan. 20.
While it’s not clear which teams have expressed interest in Day or if that interest is mutual, it’s certainly reasonable to think that Day could choose to leave Ohio State if he wanted to. And given all the pressure he’s faced and the criticism he’s received in recent weeks, he might simply be ready to move on.
