Eddie George lavishes praise on "phenomenal" Ohio State HC Ryan Day

The whispers questioning the safety of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day's job turned to shouts following a disheartening loss to Michigan in his team's regular season in November 2024. The defeat was the Buckeyes' fourth in a row to their rival, but it just might have sparked Ohio State's blaze.

Now, Ohio State faces off against Notre Dame for the College Football Playoff national title on Monday night. Ryan Day and the Buckeyes enter Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the favorite, after bashing Tennessee and Oregon, jumping out to 21-0 and 34-0 leads in those matchups, respectively.

Former Buckeyes running back Eddie George, who won the Heisman Trophy during his time in Columbus, has taken notice of how Day has turned it around:

"For Ryan, it comes with the territory at Ohio State," George said Wednesday on The Paul Finebaum Show,ifirst transcribed by Athlon Sports. "Sorry, but not sorry. That's just how it is. He's a phenomenal coach, and I think he's done an outstanding job getting these kids focused on the task at hand."

Against Texas in the Cotton Bowl semifinal, Ohio State survived a late push that could've tied matters at 21 points apiece. Jack Sawyer cemented his status as one of the program's greats with a strip sack of former roommate Quinn Ewers to help seal things.

For George, it circles back to how Ryan Day and the Buckeyes came out against the Volunteers at home in the first round. Tennesse fans occupied a good part of Ohio Stadium that night.

"This thing could've easily gone off the rails," George said. "Coming off a loss to That Team Up North, playing a hot Tennessee team at home — had they not won that game, the talk would've been louder about making a change. How you respond to adversity is probably more impressive than even beating Michigan, and now we're finding out exactly who Ohio State is."

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Was it a good thing for Ryan Day to lose to the Wolverines again?

George isn't the only former Ohio State player to suggest some good might have come out of the setback to Sherrone Moore's Michigan outfit.

"I almost feel like in a weird way — as Ohio State people — it's weird to say that it was a good thing to lose to Michigan," former Buckeys quarterback Kirk Herbstreit said leading into the Cotton Bowl. "But I do think that the loss to Michigan and the reaction from the media and from some of the fans brought them together. They were either going to crack and fall apart (or) they were gonna come together more."

Ryan Day and Ohio State are now just one win away from quieting any doubt whatsoever.