"Without you guys, I wouldn't be here": Ryan Day gives special shoutout to his loved ones at Ohio State natty parade

Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day redeemed himself in the eyes of fans who were after him following a tough 13-10 loss to their nemesis, Michigan Wolverines, in the regular season finale. Calls for Day to be sacked picked pace as the Buckeyes made the 12-team College Football Playoff field.

However, Day's unit shut down critics with a dominant show in the playoffs, crushing the Indiana Hoosiers before toppling top seed Oregon Ducks (in the Rose Bowl). They then took out the Texas Longhorns in the CFP semifinal before a 34-23 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the national championship game.

On Sunday at the Ohio State parade, Ryan Day gave a special shoutout to his family, especially his wife, Nina and their three kids, for standing tall beside him in the wake of criticism.

"Lastly, I want to thank my family, Nina, RJ, Grace and Nia. Without you guys, I wouldn't be here. You guys are the foundation," Day said.

"Nobody lives and dies by every play more than you guys and understand what it takes. So I thank you and I love you. Now let's go get another one of these."

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Ryan Day's wife Nina reveals a death threat for Ohio State coach

After losing to the Wolverines, some fans issued death threats to the coach, as wife Nina revealed.

"They told me multiple times to have Ryan follow in his father's footsteps and kill himself," Nina told the Columbus Dispatch.

The ordeal was tough for Ryan Day and his family. Nina called it a "roller coaster ride," highlighting the highs and lows of college football.

After Day suffered his fourth straight loss to Michigan since taking the program in Columbus, some fans even threatened to kill his son, resulting in the family adopting security measures.

"It's very disappointing to me what some people are capable of, but you look at the news and you look at our society as a whole," Nina added.

"People are very mean. They're very negative. They're nasty. I'm not saying everybody is, but there's definitely a percentage of people that are just ruthless in their hate."

Amid the mounting criticism, the Day family were even contemplating leaving Columbus for good.

"I think he, at times, second-guessed his decision to get into this and be in the spotlight that we're in," Nina said. "He felt responsible and just felt bad that he had put us in this position. He promised us he'd get us out of it."

While a CFP national championship may have led fans to talk sweet of him, another loss to Michigan in 2025 could see fans get back to criticizing Ryan Day.