Ohio State head coach Ryan Day recently opened up about his son, 3-star 2027 St. Francis de Sales quarterback RJ Day, and how recruiting has gone in the unique position he's in as a father and rival coach.
The Buckeyes' head coach spoke highly of fellow Big Ten coaches, such as Purdue's Barry Odom, and of upcoming Week 11 opponent Northwestern's David Braun. Day said their names and commended them specifically. He was complimentary of UCLA, but didn't mention Bob Chesney by name.
RJ is committed to the Wildcats and has been since this past May. Chip Kelly's presence as offensive coordinator and the newly built Ryan Field are a few of the draws that resonated.
"It was awkward, to be honest, when you walk through hallways on visits to places like Clemson and South Carolina; you kind of get a double look," Ryan said in an interview with CBS Sports. "I think there's a certain affinity that all coaches have for a coach's kid. We visited Purdue and Barry Odom couldn't have been nicer. We visited UCLA, and we visited different teams in the conference, and they couldn't have been any greater.
"Football is something that my son is obsessed with, and to know that his position coach (at Northwestern) is Jerry Neuheisel, whose dad was a coach, and that his offensive coordinator is Chip Kelly, who coached me and coached with me, that's special. David Braun is the head coach and man in charge; he and RJ hit it off. The institution itself is tremendous, so it was fun to watch him do this."
Ryan Day has more than bragging rights on the line vs. Northwestern
Sure, Ryan doesn't want to lose to his son's school. There is a lot more on the line this Saturday at the "Shoe" when OSU and Northwestern take the field. The entire season is on the line in Columbus.
The Buckeyes could have an outside shot at the CFP, even with three losses, especially with a resume-boosting win over the Wildcats. Northwestern lost a considerable amount of shine after losing big to Iowa at home this past weekend, but the Wildcats would still be a resume-building win for The Ohio State University.
The Buckeyes couldn't survive the toughest three-game stretch of the season, losing Julian Sayin for the season during a razor-thin win over Indiana in Bloomington, then losing two straight to USC and Oregon. Ryan Day must understand how much worse it'd look to lose to his son's future school and his former offensive coordinator Kelly's team.
With Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles announced as out for the contest, Ohio State is in a much better position to get the job done. Still, nothing is a given in the NIL era. Especially when a team is increasingly losing confidence, like the Buckeyes.
We'll see if Ryan Day is able to avoid an awkward time at home, where his son, RJ, would have bragging rights if the Wildcats pull off the upset this weekend.
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