"Tough times": Ryan Day's father-in-law reveals extra steps family took in dark times after Michigan loss 

Ryan Day is a national champion, and the Ohio State Buckeyes head coach is soaking up the acclaim after his team beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2024 CFP National Championship Game on Monday. The win silenced much of the accusations that the Buckeyes are regular-season merchants and big-game chokers.

While the Buckeyes' story ended in success, it's important to note that their head coach faced severe adversity a couple of weeks ago following their loss to rivals, the Michigan Wolverines.

Ryan Day's father-in-law reveals extra steps family took

According to Ryan Day's father-in-law, Stan Spirou, things got rather bleak, so much so that he had to remain in town for around 10 days after the defeat to take care of his home and family.

In the aftermath of the loss, many called for Day to be fired and the family subsequently had to keep a security detail to guard their home for a period of time.

Spirou said via ESPN:

"Just to help the family out because there were some tough times. You know what I mean? Tough times. Having security and all that. And tonight was a redemption tour. And I think the whole playoff thing was to win four games. It is hard enough to win one ball game. And they won four, and they did it the tough way."

Thankfully for Day and his family, the Michigan loss was their last of the season as they went on to capture the national title.

What next for Ryan Day and Ohio State?

Ryan Day will embark on his first offseason as a college football national champion after five seasons of almosts and what-ifs.

Day must now decide whether to continue coaching the Buckeyes or rejoin the NFL coaching ranks. His stock is at an all-time high, and a couple of decent jobs are still on the market.

For Ohio State, the school can bask in the glory of being national football champions. This should put the Buckeyes in a position of strength when they look to recruit new players.

Day has proven his ability to build a contender and take them all the way to the national title, so Buckeyes fans will hope he can create a dynasty with the program.

It will be interesting to see if Ryan Day chooses to return to Columbus or take his talents to the NFL next season.