Ohio State football HC Ryan Day lands in what might be a surprising spot to some on Josh Pate’s college football rankings for head coaches
Ryan Day is high up on the list of head coaches ranked in college football.
The Ohio State Buckeyes fell short of their big goal in 2025 and that was repeating as national champions for the first time.
Ohio State won it all in 2024 and that run through the College Football Playoff with wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame. It was finally getting the monkey off the back of Ryan Day by winning it all.
Josh Pate believes Ryan Day is the top head coach in college football
College football analyst Josh Pate ranked his top 10 coaches in college football — and to get straight to the point — Day was his No. 1-ranked head coach. Pate pointed out Day’s ability to put together 11, 14, and 12-win seasons in the last three years while winning a title, keeping the top-5 recruiting classes coming in, and his ability to restaff when needed.
Day and the Buckeyes falling short in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff was rough, but Ohio State’s success lately speaks for itself. Ohio State lost back-to-back games to end the season between the loss to Miami and the Big Ten Championship to Indiana. Day is still 82-12 as a head coach and the number speaks for itself.
Up until the last couple of years, Day was commonly ranked behind Georgia Bulldogs HC Kirby Smart. Georgia’s lack of success the last couple of years in terms of getting close to winning it all has given Day the nod.
Big Ten head coaches in the top-10 for Pate include Indiana’s Curt Cignetti (No. 2) and Oregon’s Dan Lanning (No. 4) joining Day.
Taking over for Urban Meyer, Day has leveled up the program for Ohio State even more. Ohio State has never lost more than two games in a season with Day as the head coach, and that’s including the postseason.
The Buckeyes have the top football program in the country and they’ve stayed amongst the top teams for decades at this point. Day being ranked No. 1 should be no surprise.
Ohio State Buckeyes News
Ohio State football team captain confirms suspicion on how the Buckeyes are feeling over a month after their season ended
It’s hard for anyone to be okay with what happened to Ohio State to end the season.
