The Ohio State Buckeyes have clinched the College Football Playoff national championship, marking a significant victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday night. This win has certainly lifted the pressure off head coach Ryan Day, who has faced years of criticism from his own fanbase, especially after Ohio State’s fourth consecutive loss to their rival, the Michigan Wolverines, just two months prior. However, Monday’s triumph allowed Day to celebrate his fourth consecutive playoff victory and secured the Buckeyes’ first national title since 2014.
During the broadcast, ESPN’s lead college football analyst and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit praised the beleaguered coach. As it became clear that Day’s team would emerge as national champions, Herbstreit shared, “I hear the stories behind the curtain, I know what he and his wife and his family go through. It’s really tough to be a coach at a premium school where you’re expected to win every game. He handled it with such class.”
“I hear the stories behind the curtain, I know what he and his wife and his family go through. It’s really, it’s tough. It’s tough to be a coach at a premium school where you’re expected to win every game. He handled it with such class.” – Kirk Herbstreit on Ryan Day getting over… pic.twitter.com/5jbguxPH6r
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 21, 2025
Herbstreit, remaining objective in his comments, added, “But I hear the stories behind the curtain, I know what he and his wife and his family go through. It’s really tough to be a coach at a premium school where you’re expected to win every game. He handled it with such class, and now he gets on top of the mountain.” This isn’t the first time Herbstreit has highlighted the challenges Ryan Day has faced from Ohio State fans, including the need for 24/7 armed security due to threats he received. Given such serious circumstances, it’s understandable why Herbstreit may find it difficult to separate his personal relationship with Day from his analysis of Ohio State’s season.
With a 70-10 overall record at Ohio State and four College Football Playoff appearances in six seasons as head coach, Day now possesses a championship ring to silence his critics. If this doesn’t pacify the “lunatic fringe” of Ohio State fans that Herbstreit often criticizes, then nothing will.
