Ryan Day Gets Big Raise At Ohio State As Buckeyes Eye Postseason Success

It's a good time to be Ryan Day.

The head football coach at Ohio State is expected to compete, yet again, for a Big Ten championship and potential playoff berth. The Buckeyes rank first in S&P+, a rankings system that adjusts for opponent and game efficiency.

Thanks to a relatively thin conference outside of Michigan and Penn State, OSU has some of the best National Championship odds of any team in the country. Oh, and Day is now also set to make an absolute fortune each year going forward.

Reports broke Wednesday that Day is set to receive a massive, nearly $500,000 pay raise this year, with his total salary now exceeding $10 million per year. And there's a retention bonus that'll kick in for the 2024 season, pushing that total even higher.

Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith has repeatedly praised Day's leadership and ability, saying of him this past summer.

“He continues to develop young men holistically and builds them not only to be great football players but better men,” Smith said. “The culture of the program is outstanding because of Ryan's leadership. It is the best it has ever been.”

So is his salary.

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 2: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs out with the team before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on September 2, 2023 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Ryan Day Raise Sets High Expectations For Ohio State

The Buckeyes have been one of college football's best and most consistent teams since Day took over in 2018.

Even so, they've yet to take the final step during his tenure and win a National Championship. In fact, Day's just 1-3 in College Football Playoff games. Although he did lead the Buckeyes a Rose Bowl game victory over Utah in 2022.

The university is paying him like one of the best coaches in the country, and it's hard to argue that Day's offensive abilities match his salary. But the defense has fallen short in big games, giving up 52 points to Alabama in the 2021 Championship game and 42 points to Georgia in last year's Peach Bowl.

All in all, he's 48-6 as a head coach. But just 2-3 in bowl games. Part of that comes down to the difficulty of the opponents he's faced, and had some close losses gone Ohio State's way, he'd have something close to a dynasty.

It's hard to argue with the regular season success Day's managed to achieve. But with the pay raise, Buckeyes fans will almost certainly ratchet up their expectations even higher.