Ohio State Coach Ryan Day’s Son Throws For About A Billion Yards In Ohio High School Football Playoffs

When a quarterback in Columbus dials up nearly 500 yards through the air and a win, he tends to do so for the Buckeyes under head coach Ryan Day, along with the aid of a couple of aliens disguised as wide receivers. 

On Friday night, it was RJ Day, not Justin Fields, C.J. Stroud, Will Howard, or current Heisman favorite Julian Sayin authoring a Columbus aerial display. And he didn’t have any help from Marvin Harrison Jr. or Jeremiah Smith.

RJ Day is Ryan’s son, a three-star recruit (per On3) for Columbus’ St. Francis DeSales High School. During a second-round Ohio playoff win on Friday, Day set a school record with 482 passing yards. The junior QB also dialed up three touchdown passes.

Keep in mind, Day did so in a state where belly right and the option are still staples in most Friday night playbooks. You’re more likely to find a Five Guys wrapper (or several) in the bleachers than you are to see five wide lined up on the turf. 

Day’s got a cannon. RJ, who’s been the starter under center since his freshman year, entered the season having already owned DeSales’ career passing yards and touchdown records.

He apparently has the clutch gene, too. During DeSales’ win, Day connected with his tight end for the game-winning score with just five seconds remaining. And, per the video, he did so amid the kind of fall Ohio fog that so often leads to deer-meeting-car, followed by deer-going-to-heaven.

Trust me — that early morning/evening Ohio fog is the scariest thing for Ohioans to navigate that’s not named Michigan.

Day, a junior, has already been offered by more than a dozen schools, including Cincinnati, Syracuse, and Toledo. Rivals ranks him the 18th-best quarterback in the Buckeye state and 54th among all signal callers in the 2027 class.

Ohio State Has Not Offered RJ Day

Missing from that list is his dad’s Buckeyes (for now), though pops will certainly play a role in RJ’s recruitment one way or another. Over the summer, the younger Day spoke to Eleven Warriors about his dad’s guidance: "He knows what to look for. Nothing's going to fool him. It helps with that because he kind of sees through whatever somebody might try to put up."

Ryan Day’s top-ranked Ohio State squad is at Purdue (2-7 overall, 0-6 in the Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon, so there’s a good chance what he sees is another billion or so yards through the air.

Follow along on X @OhioAF or email me: anthony.farris@outkick.com