What a difference a year makes.
Last year, with all the various lists that came out ranking the FBS college coaches, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was an afterthought. It was a wait and see approach as he tried to take over for a coaching legend, Urban Meyer.
Some lists had him a laughable No. 10 in the league, while most had him firmly implanted in the average range of college football head coach rankings. We had our doubts about those lists last year and said as much. We tried to tell everyone that Day had been a part of the Ohio State culture for two years under Meyer, had a great reputation as an X’s and O’s guy in the NFL, and helped devise and run a Buckeye offense that was some of the best the school had ever seen.
And so far, we’ve been proven right. All Day did was direct his team to an undefeated regular season, a Big Ten Championship, and spot in the College Football Playoff in his first year. Who knows what would have happened if not for some pretty extreme and bizarre breaks the team was the recipient of during the Fiesta Bowl against Clemson.
Either way, the world is now starting to believe that Day might just be a coach to reckon with.
On that note, CBS Sports has come out with a top 25 ranking of the top FBS college football head coaches, and it has Day making a big move. In fact, how about a 35-place improvement over where it had him prior to the 2019 season?
Before we get into what is said about Day now, it’s important to note that CBS has Nick Saban as No. 1 and Dabo Swiney as No. 2. Here’s what Tom Fornelli says about Day entering 2020 and where the site ranks him among all FBS head coaches now.
Next … The narrative on Day now
No. 10 – Ryan Day
What Fornelli says about Day
“He climbs higher than any other coach in the rankings this year, moving all the way up to No. 10 from No. 45. Considering the season he had in his first full year as Ohio State’s coach, it’s not hard to understand why. Still, this might be a little too high. I had Day at No. 15 on my ballot. I respect and appreciate what he did last year, but it’s not like he inherited a bad situation. Urban Meyer built quite the team. I’m more interested in seeing how things look two or three years from now. If Ohio State’s still where it is now, Day will deserve to be ranked a lot higher than this. 2019 rank: 45 (+35)”
Here’s a news flash for you Fornelli; Day is recruiting at or better than the level Urban Meyer did, is great at X’s and O’s, motivation, and surrounding himself with good people. Things will be fantastic in two to three years. Just get on board with it now.
