A loud contingent of Ohio State fans are done with coach Ryan Day after the program suffered its fourth consecutive loss to archrival Michigan to end the regular season on Nov. 30. Athletic director Ross Bjork doesn't count himself among them, and appeared on 97.1 The Fan on Thursday morning to once again cast his public support for Day entering the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State, the No. 8 seed in the 12-team field, will host No. 9 Tennessee to open CFP play. Even if the Buckeyes lose that game and are eliminated from national championship contention, Bjork believes Day will be Ohio State's coach in 2025.
"Absolutely," Bjork said when asked whether he sees Day returning. "Coach Day and I have just hit it off so well. I've been really, really impressed. Every single time I talk to him, I learn something. He's innovative. He recruits at the highest level. He has a great staff."
Bjork believes tweaks will likely come in the offseason, as they do every year. He also took a moment to address the "championship or bust" mentality within the Buckeyes program.
"This whole mentality about—and we live it, we sign up for it—but if you get fixated on the end result and not have the process fully baked every time, you’re going to lose,” Bjork said. “The mindset's going to lose because you’re only fixated on one thing. So what we have to do is this whole championship or bust sort of mentality—you want that as a goal, but it has to be about the process.
"So to me, we’ve got to maybe change some conversations a little bit. I think we need to maybe just approach things a little bit differently. Coach Day is awesome. He’s great to work with. He totally gets it. He loves being a Buckeye, and so we’re going to support him at the highest level.”
Bjork previously gave Day a vote of confidence following the 13–10 home loss to Michigan in an attempt to bring the temperature down around the program ahead of another national title run.
"The reason that we needed to say something after that game is we're still breathing. We're still alive. The season's not over. The book is not closed. We’ve got to have confidence. Ohio State should be confident every single day. We’re Ohio State, but we also have to make sure we stay to our values and we stick to what we believe in. To me, it’s the process as much as it is about the end result. If the process is right, the end result will take care of itself."
Ohio State vs. Tennessee kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 21.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ohio State AD Ross Bjork Gives Simple Answer on Ryan Day's Status for 2025 Season.
