When Ryan Day spilled beans on key factor that proves decisive to win national championships

For Ryan Day, it's the journey, not the destination. While winning the College Football Playoff national title adds a prestigious feather to the Ohio State coach’s cap, he realized early on that reaching the pinnacle required his team to stay within itself.

Following a crushing loss to bitter rival Michigan, the Buckeyes refocused and knocked down four tough opponents in a row to hoist the championship trophy. Day spoke about the process with former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel on Tressel's podcast, "It's All About the Team," in May 2024.

"You have these wounds coming off the last year, unless you won them all," Ryan Day said. "That's the hard part. So, when you come into the next year — and you can get into a rhythm here, and you can win some games here — but if the focus is on the result? Not good."

"It has to be on the process, it has to be on your habits becasue in matchup games down the road, in the playoffs, in the rivalry game, if we're not at our best in these areas, if we're not getting better at our fundamentals, if we're not focusing on the process, it's gonna catch us."

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What has Ryan Day won since winning the national title?

Ryan Day wasted little time preparing for next season after winning the national championship. Soon after, he was back on the road recruiting and building the Buckeyes’ roster to contend for years to come.

During an appearance on a Columbus sports talk radio show earlier this month, he said he is still trying to find a balance between coaching and spending time with his family, even in the offseason.

"People have asked, 'Have you been able to enjoy it yet?'" Day said. "It's kind of, I gues, a hybrid, you know, where the game doesn't stop, and we've got to keep moving forward."

Day and the Buckeyes now shift their attention toward repeating as champions. That journey begins against Texas on Aug. 30.