Ohio State's Ryan Day Lands On Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List

The Ohio State Buckeyes' head coach is once again on the list for a fifth-straight season.

April 13, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day speaks to players during the first half of the LifeSports spring football game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch /

On Monday, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. released the Dodd Trophy preseason watch list which included 21 coaches from all Power Four conferences, plus an independent as well.

This is head coach Ryan Day's fifth-straight year on the preseason list and he is also joined by three other Big Ten coaches headed into the 2024-25 season. Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, Penn State's James Franklin and USC's Lincoln Riley all join the Buckeyes' head man in vying for the award.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, left, shakes hands with Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz after a NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen /

In order to determine which coaches should go on the list, multiple aspects are taken into consideration that does not just include success on the field. Although success on the field in 2024 is certainly part of the determining factors, other aspects such as Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and commitment to charity and service within the community are also taken into account.

The Dodd Trophy "celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy."

Here is the complete list of nominees with their Academic Progress Rate from 2022-23:

• Jeff Brohm, Louisville (982 APR)
• Mario Cristobal, Miami (1000 APR)
• Ryan Day, Ohio State (1000 APR)
• Dave Doeren, N.C. State (984 APR)
• Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri (997 APR)
• Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (993 APR)
• James Franklin, Penn State (959 APR)
• Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame (1000 APR)
• Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (965 APR)
• Josh Heupel, Tennessee (965 APR)
• Brian Kelly, LSU (977 APR)
• Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss (993 APR)
• Chris Klieman, Kansas State (1000 APR)
• Lance Leipold, Kansas (1000 APR)
• Mike Norvell, Florida State (997 APR)
• Brent Pry, Virginia Tech (990 APR)
• Lincoln Riley, USC (997 APR)
• Steve Sarkisian, Texas (997 APR)
• Kirby Smart, Georgia (972 APR)
• Dabo Swinney, Clemson (997 APR)
• Kyle Whittingham, Utah (971 APR)

Ryan Day's Academic Progress Rate of 1,000 was one of just five perfect scores on the list.

Mar 7, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day addresses the team during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

There are several previous winners of this coveted coach's award on this year's list, including reigning winner Mike Norvell of Florida State. The other previous winners are Dabo Swinney (2011), Kirk Ferentz (2015), Brian Kelly (2018) and Kyle Whittingham (2019).

Ohio State has not had a winner of this award since Jim Tressel back in 2002. If Ryan Day can win the Dodd Trophy in 2024, then he will become only the second Ohio State head coach to ever win the award since the start of the annual honors back in 1976.

There will be a midseason watch list that will either add to the list or narrow it later in the fall. The 2024 winner will then be announced in Atlanta during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.