It wouldn’t be an offseason without a rumor that an Ohio State football coach would leave for the NFL. It happened with Urban Meyer almost every offseason. Then he retired and eventually ended up in the NFL, but that is a much different scenario than the rumor that has been flying around today.
The latest rumor is that Ryan Day is going to head to Chicago to be the head coach of the Bears. According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Confora, there has been talk of restructuring in Chicago with Day ending up as the head coach in Chicago coaching his former quarterback.
Let me tell you why this rumor is nonsense. First off, Day has always talked about finding a place to lay roots and keep his family there. Columbus is the perfect place to do that for him. He has one of the top jobs in college football and is a part of one of the most successful college football programs.
Secondly, this is clearly an attempt for Day to get a raise from Gene Smith. There has been a lot of movement in college football and a lot of coaches have gotten significant raises to go to other programs. Heck, even Mel Tucker is now making more money at Michigan State than Day is at Ohio State.
Smith will open up his checkbook after the Rose Bowl and sign Day to an extension that keeps him happy in Columbus for as long as he is able to perform well. A lack of money won’t be the reason Day leaves the Ohio State football program if he leaves at all.
Lastly, having a college coach jump to the NFL after the Urban Meyer catastrophe seems like a bad idea. NFL front offices are going to be leary to bring in a guy who hasn’t even been a coordinator at the NFL level yet after that debacle.
Ohio State fans shouldn’t worry about this report. Day has never indicated any interest in leaving for the NFL or another college job. They can sleep well tonight knowing that won’t happen in this regard either.