ESPN’s Shocking Move: Where Does Ryan Day Really Stand in Latest College Football Coach Rankings?

Ryan Day’s journey at Ohio State has been anything but ordinary—especially when you factor in his rollercoaster stint against Michigan. Winning the opener in 2019 was a high note, but since then, the Wolverines have had his number, handing him four straight losses that ignited plenty of doubts about his clutch credentials. Critics weren’t shy about questioning if he could seal the deal when it really counted, given the three prior College Football Playoff stumbles and a handful of high-profile regular-season setbacks. But oh, how the script flipped. Last season, Day masterfully guided OSU through a gauntlet of four top ten opponents, capturing that elusive national title and silencing many of the naysayers. Now, with that championship hardware gleaming, he’s climbed the coaching ranks to nearly the pinnacle—second only to Georgia’s Kirby Smart in ESPN’s latest listings. It’s an exhilarating time, filled with “what ifs” about whether he can sustain this whirlwind success and maybe even surpass the benchmark set by his southern rival. The Buckeye saga is far from over, and I can’t wait to see what this fall has in store. LEARN MORE

No, Michigan fans, Sherrone Moore is not listed.Not only that, but the talking point was that he couldn’t win the biggest of games, having lost in three College Football Playoff appearances previously and losing some marquee matchups during the regular season along the way as well.You have to wonder if Day is able to steer Ohio State to another national championship this season, if he vaults ahead of Smart. That’s putting the Buckeye tree before the seed, but you get the idea. Here’s to hoping that OSU has another run in it this coming fall.

However, the narrative has been flipped on its head after Day steered Ohio State past four top ten teams en route to the national title and now he’s one of just a handful of current FBS coaches still around that have a national title hanging around their necks.Because of that, how he is perceived has changed around home and the country, and that’s reflected in the latest ESPN college head coaching rankings. In fact, there’s just one coach ranked ahead of Day who occupies the No. 2 slot. Only Kirby Smart at Georgia, with his two national championships, multiple SEC titles and College Football Playoff appearances, sits ahead of Day.

For Day, the numbers are awfully impressive — aside from the Michigan losses. He has a 70-10 overall record, two Big Ten titles, four College Football Playoff appearances, two national title game appearances, and of course, the national championship from last season.Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

To say Ryan Day had a bit of a redemption tour during the College Football Playoff run to a national title would be a significant understatement. After beating Michigan during his first season as the Ohio State football head coach in 2019, he’s yet to duplicate that feat, going 0-4 since then.

Behind Day and rounding out the top ten are Dabo Swinney (3) of Clemson, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman (4), Steve Sarkisian (5) of Texas, Oregon’s Dan Lanning (6), Kalen DeBoer (7) of Alabama, Penn State’s James Franklin (8), Kyle Whittingham (9) of Utah, and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell (10).