Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said Thursday that he is 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� confident that Ryan Day will be back as football coach in 2025.
Calls to fire the sixth-year coach rose among Ohio State fans after the Buckeyes lost to Michigan for the fourth straight year. Bjork, in an interview on 97.1 The Fan, said Day is the man for the job, regardless of how the Buckeyes perform in the College Football Playoff. They host Tennessee in a first-round game Dec. 21.
鈥淐oach Day is awesome,鈥� said Bjork, who came from Texas A&M to replace the retiring Gene Smith last summer. 鈥淗e鈥檚 great to work with. He totally gets it. He loves being a Buckeye. So, we鈥檙e going to support him at the highest level.鈥�
The to Michigan followed by an ugly melee between the teams put the coach in a precarious spot. He and his team were booed off the field by the home fans. Bjork ended up releasing a statement expressing his support for the coach.
鈥淭he reason we had to say something after (the Michigan) game is, we鈥檙e still breathing, we鈥檙e still alive,鈥� Bjork said. 鈥淭he season鈥檚 not over. The book is not closed.鈥�
Thanks to the playoff, Day has a chance to redeem himself with Ohio State's huge fanbase with a win against the Volunteers 鈥� and perhaps more in the 12-team tournament.
Regardless of what happens, Day will be back next year, according to Bjork.
鈥淐oach Day and I just hit it off so well,鈥� Bjork said. 鈥淚've been really, really impressed. Every single time I talked to him, I learn something. He's innovative. He recruits at the highest level. He's got a great staff.鈥�
Day wouldn鈥檛 directly address his job status last weekend.
鈥淲hen you first come off those types of things, there鈥檚 a lot of emotion,鈥� he said, referring to the Michigan loss. 鈥淎nd then as time goes on, you鈥檝e got to get refocused because you know what you鈥檝e done in the past does not affect what鈥檚 going on moving forward. Everything is out in front of us.鈥�
Failing to consistently beat Michigan is one of the few flaws in Day鈥檚 coaching record. Hired as a member of coach Urban Meyer鈥檚 staff in 2017, Day was the hand-picked successor when Meyer retired after the 2018 season. Compiling an overall 66-10 record, he is widely admired in the coaching community.
鈥淕reat respect for what he鈥檚 done in his coaching career, what he鈥檚 done there at Ohio State and the success that they鈥檝e had year-in and year-out,鈥� Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said.
Day is in trouble now because losing The Game is considered an unforgiveable sin by Buckeyes fans.
鈥淲hat we have to do is this whole 鈥榗hampionship or bust鈥� mentality, you want that as the goal, but it has to be about the process,鈥� Bjork said. "To me, we鈥檝e got to maybe change some conversations a little bit. I think we need to maybe just approach things a little bit differently.鈥�
