Ohio State Buckeyes' Coach Ryan Day Has Interesting Take On Pressure

Ryan Day is under some duress heading into 2024, but the Buckeyes coach seems perfectly fine with it.

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 /

Ryan Day is entering his sixth full season as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, but he may never have faced pressure like he will this year.

Ohio State is widely considered to boast the most talented roster in the country heading into 2024, and the expectation is a national championship.

To be fair, the Buckeyes are always hoping to win a title. It's what the program is all about. But this coming season just feels a bit different.

If Ohio State doesn't win it all this time, it will be considered a massive disappointment.

The Buckeyes also need to snap their three-game losing streak against Michigan, which is nearly as important as bringing hardware home to Columbus.

Day seems to understand that, and he is prepared to take on the responsibility.

“At my opening press conference, they said you’ve got to beat The Team Up North (Michigan) and win every game after that,” Day said, via Marcus Hartman of The Dayton Daily News. “That’s just the expectations. When you come up short, you’ve got to figure out a way to get those things fixed. I think we have done that, but the expectations are the same every year. Pressure is the same every year."

When you are Ohio State's head coach, it always comes with some form of pressure. But again, sometimes, the pressure is more intense.

For example, as great of a job as Day has done thus far, there is already speculation that he could be on the hot seat if the Buckeyes disappoint in 2024.

Will Day actually lose his job if Ohio State falls short this year? Barring unforeseen circumstances, almost certainly not. But the fact that it is even being discussed just tells you how heavy the expectations are for the Buckeyes, but Day is embracing it.

“I just like the pressure when you’ve got a really good team behind you," said Day.

Ohio State has not won a national championship since 2014, four years before Day was even installed as the Buckeyes' head coach.

We'll see if Day can bring Ohio State back to the promised land a decade later.