You had a feeling it had to be coming at some point, and that point appears to be today. After some great on-field results and exceptional off-the-field conduct as well, Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day is getting a contract extension contingent upon full approval from the full Board of Trustees on Thursday.
According to a release from the OSU athletic department, Day is receiving a two-year contract extension that will take him through 2028. As a part of the agreement, Day’s total compensation will increase from $7.6 million annually to $9.5 million annually with a base salary of $2.0 million per year. It ties him with Michigan State’s Mel Tucker as the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten.
The new terms also tie Day with Tucker and LSU’s Brian Kelly for the third highest-paid head coach in the country behind Lincoln Riley of USC ($10 million) and Alabama’s Nick Saban ($9.9 million)
Since being named the head coach of the program on December 4, 2018, Day has compiled a 34-4 record that includes a 23-1 mark in conference play. He’s also guided the Buckeyes to two College Football Playoff appearances, won two Big Ten championships (2019, 2020), and won at least a share of the Big Ten East division each year he’s been on the sidelines in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Aside from on the field though, it’s his work outside of it that doesn’t get enough recognition. From the Ohio State release:
“Day’s program has had four consecutive semesters with a team cumulative GPA of at least 3.00. The program has set consecutive all-time highs for Academic All-Big Ten Conference honorees with 45 in 2021 after having 40 earn the distinction in 2020. In 2021-22, a total of 51 players were honored with OSU Scholar-Athlete recognition. The 2022 team features 14 players who have already graduated.”
That’s before we even get into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his work with mental illness awareness and support.
📰 Contracts for Five Buckeye Coaches on Agenda for @OhioState Board of Trustees
🖋 Day, Holtmann, McGuff, Myers & Rohlik in line for extensions #GoBucks
— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) May 18, 2022
This is great news for the program and Day as they go out and recruit with all of the rumors that seem to circulate on an almost annual basis about him eventually landing in the NFL.
Now, go get that national title, right?
