"Our family is never gonna be the same again": Ryan Day opens up about wife's reaction to him becoming HC in 2019

Ryan Day has succeeded at a rate that not many others have. With a 70-10 record, the Ohio State coach owns the highest win percentage (.875) of any active FBS coach. Yet even that figure doesn't alleviate the pressures that come with being in charge of the Buckeyes.

Less than two months ago, Day was receiving death threats after his fourth straight loss to Michigan. ESPN reported that Ryan Day had security guarding his home after that demoralizing defeat. He accepts that the chaos comes with the territory of such a high-profile position.

"I think every year for us, it's become easier to manage," Day said Friday on "The Dan Patrick Show." "When (I) first was named the head coach in 2019, my wife and — the kids were smaller — we were all sitting on the bed together ... she started crying and said, 'Our family is never gonna be the same again.'"

"And she was right. But, that didn't make it easy. You're expected to win them all, and when you don't, it's tough."

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Day's father-in-law, Stan Spirou, remained in town for more than a week and a half after the loss to the Wolverines. He watched as Ryan Day and Ohio State finished their journey to a national crown in Atlanta.

"Just to help the family out because there were some tough times there," Spirou told ESPN. "Know what I mean? Tough times. Having security and so forth."

"And tonight was a redemption tour. And I think the whole playoff thing was to win four. ... It's hard enough to win one ball game. And they won four, and they did it the hard way."

Ryan Day became Ohio State's acting head coach on Aug. 1, 2018. He was named the full-time head coach after Urban Meyer retired following the 2019 Rose Bowl.

Why the national title win meant so much to Ryan Day

Only Walter Camp and Knute Rockne have better career win percentages than Day does. Yet the losses might mean just as much — if not more — than the wins, at least in Ohio State fans' eyes.

"That's because of the passion, and nobody puts more pressure on themselves than my myself and my family," Day said. "Nobody wants to win more than my kids and my wife."

"They're more disappointed than anyone could possibly be in Buckye Nation. So we shared the same frustration because my family and my kids wanna win worse than even I do. That's the way they're wired."

For now, with the national crown, Ryan Day gets a reprieve. The fan base will get frustrated with him again eventually — and he knows that.

"That's also living," he said. "You're relevant. That's what makes Ohio State so special is because people care so much. With that comes some craziness, but that's okay. It also makes when you win that much more special."