Iowa Hawkeyes Could Land Ryan Day as Next HC in Wild Idea

The Iowa Hawkeyes have been named a possible future destination for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.

Oct 5, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day (right) talks with Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz before a game between the Buckeyes and the Hawkeyes at Ohio Stadium. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes will have Kirk Ferentz back as head coach again in 2025. He announced that he will return for another year, but there is a good chance that Iowa will be looking for a head coach at some point in the near future.

Ferentz is closing in on the record for most wins by a Big Ten head coach. He could tie former Ohio State Buckeyes' head coach Woody Hayes' record with a win in the Hawkeyes' upcoming bowl game.

Coming back for one more season to officially take that record over would make a lot of sense.

That being said, some Iowa fans are already starting to look ahead to the future. A change could be coming soon and it might also be a good thing for the program.

With that in mind, an interesting name has been brought up as a potential future head coaching candidate.

Andrew Holleran of The Spun has suggested that Ohio State Buckeyes current head coach Ryan Day could end up landing with the Hawkeyes. Day could end up losing his job at Ohio State in the near future, whether that be this offseason or next year if things don't go according to plan.

"Kirk Ferentz said on Wednesday that he plans on returning to Iowa in 2025, but it's long past a time for a change for the Hawkeyes. Day is known for developing quarterbacks and building strong offenses - even though he didn't show it against Michigan - and he could give Iowa just what it needs. It's a step down from Ohio State, obviously, but Iowa's still a strong program with rich tradition."

Let's start with the fact that this scenario is extremely unlikely.

Even if Day does lose his job with the Buckeyes, which is far from a guarantee, would he really consider taking that big of a step down? There are plenty of other programs around the country who would likely have interest in hiring Day if things don't work out for him at Ohio State.

Being able to land Day would be a massive step in the right direction for Iowa, but it just isn't a likely scenario. They would have to pay him big money and they can't offer him a yearly national championship contender.

Day would have to come in and put in the work to rebuild the program entirely. That likely wouldn't be something that he would be interested in stepping into.

No one should expect to see this happen in the future.

While it's highly unlikely, if the opportunity presented itself, the Hawkeyes should jump on it.