Ryan Day has been the head coach of the Ohio State football program since 2019. We know how much scrutiny he has come under in the last couple of weeks after another loss to Michigan. This is his fourth straight loss to TTUN, and a lot of fans are sick of it.
This is the sixth full year that Day has been the coach. This isn't something that is brand new to him. He's had time to adjust to this role. Despite that, it seems someone powerful within Ohio State seems to think that he is still learning how to be a head coach and serves some slack.
That person is athletic director Ross Bjork. Bjork has had some bad comments lately. Recently, he made comments that the fans should have lower expectations about Day and the Buckeyes. Now, he's saying the fans need to cut him some slack because Day is still learning how to be a head coach.
Ross Bjork says Ryan Day is still learning how to coach the Ohio State football team
Bjork was on THE Podcast and answered a question about why he thinks Ryan Day is the right man for the job. This is what he had to say, starting around the 21:15 mark.
"In sitting down with Coach Day, I think what people sort of lose sight of sometimes, because we're Ohio State and so big, is that this is his sixth year as a head coach. He had never been a head coach before. And, the rarity of that. When was the last time a non-sitting head coach was hired at Ohio State? We have to put that in perspective. He is still growing, he is still learning. We're helping him."Ross Bjork
This is a comment that confuses me greatly. How exactly is a coach who is in his sixth year on the job still learning? I understand that NIL has upended college football. Every coach in the country is still trying to figure out how to navigate that and the transfer portal.
Other than that, I'm not exactly sure what else there is still to learn at this point. He should know how to recruit, how to call games, and how to do what's necessary to win. If he doesn't know how to do those things yet...what exactly are we doing here?
I would understand if Day was in his second or third year. He is a first-time head coach, so there is definitely a learning curve. That curve should have been mastered years ago, though. Not in year six.