Three coaches the Ohio State football program should replace Ryan Day with
By Ryan Stano
2. Marcus Freeman
This is a coach that Ryan Day has actually beaten twice already. Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost in 2022 and 2023 to the Buckeyes. In fact, the Irish ended up losing a combined seven games in those two seasons. Freeman had people questioning him.
This season, those questions have been answered. After terrible loss to Northern Illinois, the Irish finished the season with a bang. They finished the regular season 11-1 and very well could be the 5-seed in the first 12-team College Football Playoff. They have a real shot to win it all.
Freeman has a complicated history with the Ohio State football program. He was a linebacker with the program under Jim Tressel from 2004-2008. Freeman also was a GA with the Buckeyes in 2010 when his NFL career was over. But when he took the Notre Dame job, he said some outlandish things about the Buckeyes.
Freeman said that he made a mistake in attending Ohio State instead of Notre Dame in a letter that he released to Notre Dame fans. That made Buckeye fans very angry with him. Still, he's an alum who can clearly build a program and win under pressure. Notre Dame has high expectations every year.
If he came to Columbus, he'd be able to have a lot of resources he doesn't currently have in South Bend. He wouldn't have to deal with the high academic standards that the Irish have. Ohio State can recruit nationwide without those constraints. That could make things very appealing for Freeman.
The final coach that the Ohio State football program should target to replace Day is already on the staff.