On the last weekend of November, there wasn’t a head coach on a hotter seat in college football than Ohio State’s Ryan Day.
The team was fresh off of a 17-10 home loss versus the 7-5 Michigan Wolverines that kept them out of a fourth consecutive Big Ten Championship Game.
Since taking over for former head coach Urban Meyer in 2018, Day has had more losses to Michigan (4) than Big Ten titles (3) and hasn’t won a single national championship.
In the wake of potential buyout talks after losing to their biggest arch rival for a fourth consecutive season, Day has delivered postseason success that many of his detractors didn’t believe was possible. Two statement wins in the 12-team playoff against the Tennessee Volunteers and during the Rose Bowl versus the top-seeded Oregon Ducks has Ohio State two wins away from their first national title in 10 years.
In the process, the seven-year head coach has been able to collect a well-deserved pay bonus within his current contract.
Day’s Continued Postseason Success Leads To Guaranteed Bonuses
According to Front Office Sports, Day’s seven-year deal that runs through 2028 features a guaranteed bonus of $350,000 for reaching the College Football Playoff Semifinals. The pay bump will add to his annual $10 million salary following OSU’s dominant 41-21 victory yesterday afternoon versus Oregon.
If the Buckeyes continue their decorated run, Day could accumulate contractual bonuses of $500,000 for winning the Cotton Bowl versus Texas and $1 million for winning the program’s second-ever CFP title.
Day has already squandered the chance of cashing in on a $250,000 buyout this season for winning the Big 10 title. He could’ve even cashed out with a $50,000 bonus for just making the conference title game and losing to eventual champion Oregon as well.
Nonetheless, the program’s recent success has Day at the precipice of head coaching immortality; A national champion at the FBS level.
