CFB insider sets expectations straight for Ryan Day to achieve Nick Saban-like status in college football 

Since winning the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last month, Ryan Day has seen three of his assistant coaches depart. His response and the hires he makes to replace them will likely determine whether Ohio State remains at college football's mountaintop.

On3's J.D. PicKell has a blueprint for Day to follow if he wants to keep the crown, one that a legendary coach left behind after he walked away from the game before last season.

"Adaptation is what gets you a statue in front of your stadium," PicKell said Tuesday. "Nick Saban is the greatest of all time because from era to era — playoff era, BCS era, it didn't matter — he adapted with the game and got the same level results

"'Hey, the offensive flow is changing in college football!' [He] changes defensive personnel — 'We're big, we've got to get faster.' [Then], 'Hey, we've got to find a way to score with these guys.' ...Okay, bring in Sarkisian, bring in Kiffin, cool. They adapted. That's what great coaches — that's what great people in life — do," he added.

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Day is aware of how Saban kept consistent, having talked about it Friday during an appearance on Columbus' 97.1 The Fan.

"We want to be thorough, make sure we're doing what's right going forward," Day said. "But, you know, we want to have as much continuity as we can. I think I've learned, watching guys like Nick Saban and different coaches who have had success for extended periods of time, to make sure that you have continuity in all three phases."

Ryan Day and Ohio State, coming to theaters near you?

Despite winning it all, Day still has a good bit of work to do to really cement his coaching legacy in Columbus. PicKell used a big-screen metaphor to lay out Day's situation.

"The difference of how we're gonna remember him from this year forward is, 'How does he choose to adapt?'" PicKell said. "You can have a great storybook season. They can make a great movie about you and say, 'Ohio State won the national title in 2024.' Curtain drops, roll credits. What are they gonna say though when they do the 'Where are they now?' segment?

"'Ryan Day went on to win three more national titles at Ohio State.' Will they say that or will they say, 'Ryan Day coached the next three years at Ohio State. He then pivoted to the NFL,'" he added.

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Ryan Day will almost certainly stay with the Buckeyes for at least the foreseeable future. Ohio State President Ted Carter told Eleven Warriors that the two sides were working on a contract extension last week.