There are only four active coaches with national championships in college football. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is one of them, having won it back in 2024. Curt Cignetti, Kirby Smart, and Dabo Swinney are the other three coaches who have a title to their name.
Cignetti just won it last year, beating Day and the Buckeyes en route to a perfect season. Smart has two titles of his own, having won it back-to-back years. Swinney hasn't won a title in a decade. Despite Day's overall success, one pundit believes Day has been passed up by Cignetti in just two years.
Ryan Day ranked below Curt Cignetti in coaching tiers
According to Chris Vannini of The Athletic, Day is now a tier below Cignetti when it comes to the best coaches in the country. He has Day in Tier 2, below both Cignetti and Smart. This is despite the fact that Cignetti has only been coaching in the Power 4 for just two years.
Vannini believes that the high amount of resources that Ohio State has contributes heavily to the success that the Buckeyes have had under Day.
"Ryan Day has a national championship, but he’s not in the top tier because Ohio State’s expectations and resources are so, so high. His two predecessors also won national titles, and Jim Tressel played for three. Day has done what is expected of him. A second title to match Smart would move him into the top tier," Vannini wrote.
While both Meyer and Tressel won a title, neither won of them won multiple championships. Day has those expectations this season, as the Ohio State Buckeyes are ranked first in both preseason polls. If he does win another national title this year, he not only becomes one of the best coaches in college football, but he would be the second-best coach in Ohio State football history.
Ryan Day is close to finally getting the respect he deserves
Day is close to finally getting the credit for what he has done with the Buckeyes. Had he won the Big Ten Championship last year, he might be in that top tier. Regardless, he was finally able to get the TTUN monkey off his back. Still, he needs to complete all three goals in one season.
Every year, Ohio State sets goals to beat Michigan, win a Big Ten title, and win a national title. Day has yet to accomplish all three goals in the same season. Those are extremely lofty goals, but completing all of them this year would finally push him into the upper echelon of coaches.
Vannini has Day in the same coaching tier as the likes of Marcus Freeman, Steve Sarkisian, Dan Lanning, and James Franklin. Day has beaten all of those coaches, and being in the same tier as those guys is insulting. He should be in a tier ahead of them, but below Cignetti and Smart.
A national championship this season would change all of that. He would finally be considered the best coach in college football.
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