“It was my father”: Ryan Day shared why the national championship win meant the most

Ryan Day led Ohio State to the national championship in the 2024 college football season in a dramatic fashion. The coach faced widespread criticism from fans after losing the fourth straight game to Michigan but turned things around with the dominant run in the College Football Playoff.

While speaking live with Colin Cowherd on Friday, Ryan Day revealed the first person who came to mind after winning the national championship. It was his late father, who passed away while he was still a child, on the same day the national championship was played.

“For me, it was my father. I didn’t really make this public before, but since you asked me, I’m going to answer the questions,” Day said on a recent installment of “The Herd.”

“I lost my father on January 20th when I was nine years old, and I saw when the schedule came out that the national championship game was on the same day that I lost my father. I just knew he was with me that day.”

Without a doubt, the national title success at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta turned out to be an emotional moment for Ryan Day. It becomes even more heartfelt considering the series of backlash he’d face from the fans following the Michigan loss.

Ryan Day explains how Ohio State won the national championship

Winning the national championship has been the goal for Ohio State since Ryan Day took over from Urban Meyer as head coach. The Buckeyes came close to it a host of times but eventually missed out. Ryan Day did a breakdown of how it was achieved this time to Colin Cowherd.

"I think about the NIL (name, image and likeness), the transfer portal, the conference realignment with 18 teams — in the Big Ten we [now] travel to the West Coast — and you have the playoff change (to 12 teams)," Day said.

"Those are just four things that have all happened. Those are major, major changes, so you just had to be comfortable being uncomfortable. … What matters is talent acquisition on the field and putting a team together.

"As much, though, as things have changed … I felt with this team [that] it was about the kind of timeless principles of hard work and sacrifice and loyalty and resilience that separated us."

Ohio State was one of the most active programs in the transfer portal last off-season. The Buckeyes added key players such as quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins, and defensive back Caleb Downs, among others.

They also had a strong 2024 recruiting class, which helped bring in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The true freshman played a crucial role in the Buckeyes’ success last season, garnering a lot of praise from Ryan Day and the Columbus fanbase.