Not too long ago, the Ohio State Buckeyes’ fan base had turned against head coach Ryan Day and wanted the program to fire him. That was following the loss in the regular season finale to the Michigan Wolverines.

Since then, Day has led Ohio State to a national championship and gained all of the fan support back.

While the hate was out in full force following the loss to Michigan, Day has gotten the last laugh. Now, he has been rewarded for an impressive all-around season.

According to the Buckeyes, the school has locked up Day up to a new contract through the 2031 season.

In a statement, Ohio State announced that it has agreed to a new contract with Day.

“The Ohio State University Department of Athletics and head football coach Ryan Day have agreed in principle on a new seven-year contract that will keep Day as coach of the Buckeyes through the 2031 football season. Terms of the contract, which add three years onto his current agreement, must be approved by the Ohio State University Board of Trustees once the entire contract is completed,” the statement read.

“Valued at $12.5 million in total annual compensation, with a base salary of $2 million per year, the contract comes just over two weeks after Ohio State celebrated winning the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship after a spectacular and never-before achieved run of four playoff wins in 31 days. The national title positions Day as one of only three current collegiate head coaches with a national championship resume, joining Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.”

Needless to say, this is a big day for the Buckeyes’ football program. Day deserves this new contract and he also deserves an overwhelming apology from the fans in Columbus.

Day has been one of the best head coaches in the nation since coming to Ohio State. He has compiled a 70-10 record and now has added a national championship win to his resume as well. In Big Ten conference play, he is 46-5.

No school can ask for much more than that out of their head coach. Day has delivered at a high level on the recruiting trail as well. The Buckeyes constantly have one of the most talented rosters in football.

All of that being said, congratulations are in order to Day. He deserves this deal and it’s a big day for Ohio State to lock him in long-term and have him continue leading the program.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have lost defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to the Penn State Nittany Lions. It was a tough blow for a team that was fresh off of a national championship win.

Knowles helped lead Ohio State to being the top defense in the country. So far, the Buckeyes have not replaced him.

His departured was not received well by Ohio State fans and many of the players. While they may not dislike Knowles, his decision to leave was taken personally by many. Knowles deciding to go to a Big Ten opponent also did not help his cause.

Now that he has joined his new team, Knowles spoke out and sent a message to the Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day.

“I’m grateful for my time at Ohio State and the opportunity that Coach Day gave me. We had the No. 1 defense in the country, we won a national championship,” Knowles said

Finding a way to replace Knowles will not be easy. He is one of the best defensive minds in college football.

Hopefully, Day is able to bring in another coach who can live up to the standards set by Ohio State and the fans. There are quite a few great candidates who have been linked to the Buckeyes already.

Ohio State will face off against Knowles on November 1. That will be a game that the Buckeyes’ defense will want to win a little bit more than usual. The offense will also be motivated to put together a strong performance again the former leader of the defense.

It will be interesting to see how the 2025 season ends up going. Ohio State is expected to be a championship contender once again, but Penn State is also expected to be a contender.

There would be no sweeter feeling than to end up finishing higher than Knowles and his new team.