Ryan Day is talking about dinosaurs and the process to make sure he doesn't become one.
Day had a funny story about watching a Netflix documentary on dinosaurs and how they ruled the land many years ago, but as the structure of the world changed, and they had to adjust to these changes, some made it and some were sacrificed because they couldn't. For the Buckeyes coach, this sounded a lot like today's college football landscape.
“You either adapt or you die… we’re gonna adapt, we’re not gonna die”
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) March 31, 2026
The best press conference moment of the spring by far - Ryan Day watched the new Netflix Dinosaur documentary.
He said it kind of fits with Ohio State adapting in modern football: pic.twitter.com/wdnhZecAD3
"Over that time, the world changed, the climate changed, the Earth changed, and some dinosaurs figured out how to continue to adapt and some died," Day said. "I guess that's a little extreme, but that's how it is in college football. The people who know how to adapt are going to continue to move on and the ones who don't, they die."
It's safe to say Day has adjusted. Ohio State won a title in 2024 and received a bye in the 2025 CFP 12-team bracket. It hasn't been completely perfect, but the 47-year-old coach continues to roll with the punches, worry about the things he can control and not the stuff he can't (like the threats from a gubernatorial candidate to shut down schools)
Ryan Day's willingness to adapt will serve the Buckeyes well.
We should all be kind of over college football coaches complaining about the new landscape of college football. These guys make a lot of money — Day is making over $12 million annually — and they are paid well to get the job done regardless of how easy it used to be and how difficult it's become. Day's ability to accept that it's not what it used to be is a big reason why the Buckeyes have had nearly unprecedented success during Day's tenure and will continue to be successful.
He doesn't deny some of the frustrations and challenges of building a new team each year, but I think he also understands that he has the commitment from the university and the boosters to tackle these changes as best he can. It's something he doesn't take for granted, even if it comes with a lot of pressure.
"Half of your team is new — they've never played a down of football here. And we're not allowed to lose a game," Day added. "So, we're going to adapt. We're not going to die."