Two months ago, Ryan Day was on the hot seat for suffering a fourth straight loss to Michigan. Now, Day is the second-highest-paid coach in college football.
After Ohio State’s national championship run drastically changed the narrative around the Buckeyes’ head coach, Ohio State rewarded Day by giving him a seven-year contract worth $12.5 million per year – $87.5 million total – that makes it clear Ohio State expects him to lead the program for years to come.
Ohio State would owe Day the majority of his remaining salary if it fired him at any point in the next seven years, so the new contract makes a firm commitment to Day as the program’s leader and ensures there won’t be any more hot-seat talk about Ohio State’s head coach any time soon.