Ryan Day: ‘If You’re Not a First- or Second-Rounder,’ Ohio State Isn’t For You

Ryan Day hears the noise. In fact, it fuels him in a way that leads him to set his Ohio State roster to such an incredibly high standard. In an appearance on the “Not Just Fooball Podcast,” which is hosted by former Buckeyes star and current Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive lineman Cameron Hayward, the Ohio State head coach shared that he expects every player who commits to his team to be a top pick in the NFL Draft. “I think it’s across the board at Ohio State,” Day said. “When you come here, you’re coming here to be a first- or second-round pick, regardless of your position. That’s it. Just like if we don’t win games and championships, they’re going to find a new coach. Well, if you’re not a first- or second-rounder, then this probably isn’t the right place for you. That’s just the reality of it.” Ohio State has been a factory at developing first-round picks over the course of the program’s illustrious history. The 95 first-round picks Ohio State has developed are the most of any program. It had seven players picked in the first 45 selections in last year’s draft, and it might have four players get drafted in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Still, there are some other notable players in Ohio State’s history who haven’t been picked in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. National championship-winning quarterback Will Howard was a sixth-round pick in last year’s draft, and 2006 Heisman winner Troy Smith was a fifth-round pick in 2007. But those are seemingly the exceptions that Day is willing to let the Ohio State program live with. Now entering his eighth season as Ohio State’s head coach, Day has placed the bar for his team at the same level that his fan base has. “We embrace the expectations,” Day said. “Nobody is making excuses for the tough schedule next year. Nobody is making excuses for all these different things. That’s it, man. That’s it. That’s never going to change.” Going into every season, Ohio State fans believe the Buckeyes should go undefeated, beat their rival, Michigan and win the national title. And everyone else is waiting for them to slip up in any of those categories. Day knows that anything worse than perfection is failure, but he doesn’t let that control his process. At least, not now. Day learned how to deal with that reality after the Buckeyes lost in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl and the 2022 Peach Bowl. The two games, he told Heyward, he wished he could have back. In 2019, Day felt multiple calls went against Ohio State, including a Clemson fumble in the third quarter that was overturned to keep a scoring drive alive. The Tigers ultimately scored a game-winning touchdown with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter when Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne Jr. connected on a 34-yard catch and run. If they won that game, it would have set up a national championship game against Joe Burrow and the LSU Tigers. In 2022, Day felt there was a no-call on a hit on Marvin Harrison Jr. on an end zone target that would have set up first-and-goal, and given the Buckeyes an opportunity to take a three-possession lead heading into the fourth quarter against Georgia. The Bulldogs ultimately beat TCU 65-7 in the national championship. “Those losses haunt you,” Day said. But they also taught him to adopt a strategy that helped Ohio State win the 2024 national title. “That’s where I got the mantra of, ‘Leave no doubt’ because, you know, it can’t come down to one call,” Day said. “That was the whole philosophy coming into the ‘24 season. ‘Don’t leave it to one call.’ Because if you leave it to one call, you deserve to lose.” Put simply, control the outcome to the best of your ability. Day also created a routine where, after each practice, a different Ohio State player takes a brick and places it on a platform to analogize the process of gradually building a foundation of togetherness, creating a culture. At no other program would fans still be distraught after winning the national title because of a regular-season loss in the rivalry game. But no other school is The Ohio State University. And that’s how Day felt after the 2024 season when the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame in the CFP national championship game, but had lost to Michigan earlier in the season. At no other program does a coach have to filter out players who aren’t future “first or second rounders.’ But, Day said, if he doesn’t do that,”they’re going to find a new coach.” “The bottom line is, you have to perform, you have to win every game,” Day said. The internal culture Day’s built over the years has helped him deal with that pressure.