‘Fire Ryan Day’ calls mounted for the Ohio State Buckeyes head coach. But guess what? GOAT Nick Saban was still on Ryan Day’s side. “I think it is absolutely ridiculous that Ryan Day has been criticized the way he has. Having been a coach, having coached at Ohio State and lived in the state for 12 or 14 years, I’m telling you, when the fans are negative and the media gets negative it affects so many things. You have to give the guy credit. He built the roster, he’s built the roster for three years and it’s gotten better.” The last time Alabama and Ohio State faced off against each other was back in the 2021 College Football Playoff Championship. This time, Day got lucky to share the same field with the GOAT. But wait…
No, it’s not the gridiron, the duo, along with a couple of other celebrities, had hit the golf course. While Day tries his hand with the golf club, he has to make sure that he does not embarrass himself in front of the GOAT.
A new kind of pressure for Ryan Day
Coach Day arrived at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, on what was supposed to be a calm May morning. But poor Day! He found himself thrown into another kind of high-pressure situation. Coming fresh off a College Football Playoff National Championship in January, the Buckeyes’ head coach is riding high on popularity. With this, Day made his first appearance at the 2025 Memorial Tournament Pro-Am. Well, there definitely was pressure as Day could feel threatened seeing the lineup featuring NBA star Stephen Curry and country music icon Luke Bryan. After which things turned interesting as Day was grouped with Saban. While the GOAT is considered a pro when it comes to head coaching with seven Natties, playing golf has become his favorite hobby post-retirement. On May 28, Bucknuts 247Sports caught hold of Day after the tournament and asked, “How much fun was that out there today?”
Day tried to keep things humble. “It was well, I don’t know what you call fun. That’s a very difficult course, but it was a blast to be out here just to be a part of it, be a part of what a great tradition here in Columbus.” As an OSU coach, he doesn’t have much time for golf. This was his first time playing in a Pro-Am, let alone in front of a sizable crowd, and a talented partner like Saban. More than how he would create magic with the club, something else kept replaying on loop in Day’s mind, a reminder. He thus made a three-word confession on how he ensured not to embarrass himself. “The number one goal was ‘Don’t hit anybody.’” While Day tried to portray himself as a novice, that’s not the case.
.Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
The Ohio State head coach played golf growing up in New Hampshire. During the summer, his mother would drop him and his brothers off at Derryfield Country Club, a public course in Manchester. The Day siblings would play 36 holes, even if he calls himself a “ham-and-egg” golfer. Now, how did the Ohio State head coach perform on the course after so many days?
Justin Thomas switches sides for Ryan Day
Day was walking up to the sixth hole, playing as the group’s 15th of the day. His biggest cheerleaders, wife Lina and son, RJ, were present at the site. The coach turned to them and said, “Four holes left. I need a par.” And guess what? Like always, Day walked the talk. He launched an impressive tee shot down the fairway, helping eventually set up a mid-length par putt. That’s when Saban came up with one of the better shots of the afternoon. So, the audience still could feel the heat of competitiveness between the two head coaches, even outside the gridiron. And with this, the tables turned.
As we all must be aware, Justin Thomas has been a die-hard Alabama fan. But nine holes later, he is a changed man, oops, changed fan. Thomas became a Buckeyes fan after spending time with Day. Thomas then made things spicier. “I actually joked with Coach Saban coming up 18. I was like, man, I hate to say this, but Coach Day’s a really, really good dude, and I hate that I’m going to maybe have to root for Ohio State a little bit because of how nice of a guy he was.”
While the college football world is going gaga over Ryan Day’s golf shenanigans, the Ohio State head coach hits a new jackpot. The head coach has earned a $50,000 bonus as a result of his team’s grade point average over the last academic year. The program posted a cumulative 3.22 GPA from the fall and spring semesters. As per Day’s contract, on Ohio State finishing with a 3.0 GPA, he is eligible for at least $50,000 in incentives. Good thing Day dodged the hot seat just in time—college football would’ve lost a whole lot of priceless moments.
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