Analysts Suggest Ryan Day Is the Coach Most Likely to Win His First National Title.
One analyst believes that Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes could finally be headed for Ryan Day’s first national championship.
The Ohio State Buckeyes had anticipated winning a national championship in 2023, but things didn’t work out that way.
Both the Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoffs were eliminated off the Buckeyes’ resume following their third consecutive defeat at the hands of the rival Michigan Wolverines. After that, the Buckeyes had a very bad performance in the Cotton Bowl, which led to a humiliating defeat to Missouri.
Ryan Day, the head coach, made a significant makeover as a consequence. The Buckeyes now seem like a strong contender for the national championship.
And because of all the improvements, Brad Crawford, an analyst for 247 Sports, thinks that Day is the most probable coach in the nation to win his first national championship.
Following their bowl defeat to Missouri, “Ryan Day and the Buckeyes went scorched earth on college football,” Crawford stated. “What has happened since would be near the top of any elite offseason power ranking for talent acquisition. Ohio State is serious about aiming for the program’s first national championship since 2014 and first under Day next year, judging on the manner it is recruiting and focusing on NIL. This team will undoubtedly be among the best in the country, and the Buckeyes should be a virtual lock to make the College Football Playoffs now that the tournament has expanded.
How, therefore, did the Buckeyes alter their destiny? To begin with, they kept their star home.
Many Buckeyes felt unfulfilled after the season concluded, and as a result, 15 of 22 starters from a team that finished in the top five defensively last year returned.
In addition to securing a top-three recruiting class led by Jeremiah Smith, the top prospect overall, Ohio State also profited from the NCAA Transfer Portal by adding former Kansas State Wildcat Will Howard to the roster in lieu of Kyle McCord.
They concluded with Quinshon Judkins, a top transfer running back, and Caleb Downs, a safety who is ranked as the best player in the Transfer Portal.
Day then hired Bill O’Brien, the former head coach of the Houston Texans and Penn State, as the new offensive coordinator to complete the “rebuild.” O’Brien is regarded as an outstanding offensive strategist and has coached under Bill Belichick and Nick Saban.
Put another way, Day recognized the task, and the Buckeyes were once again perceived as a major force in the country.