Ohio State coach Ryan Day's son breaks the school's career passing record as a sophomore

Ohio State coach Ryan Day leads the Buckeyes to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Big Ten play this season. While he focuses on securing a win against Northwestern this weekend, his son, RJ Day, is making a name in Ohio High School football. As a sophomore quarterback for St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, RJ has become the school’s all-time career passing leader.

RJ Day achieved the milestone during St. Francis DeSales’ 48–28 win over New Albany on Nov. 1. He connected with Jordan Karhoff on a 24-yard touchdown pass to make the record.

This season, RJ Day threw for 1,425 yards and 14 touchdowns with just three interceptions. His efforts earned him second-team All-District honors, and his yard ranks as the fourth-best single-season passing performance in school history.

As a freshman in 2023, RJ Day burst onto the scene, starting the final 10 games of the season and completing 71.1% of his passes for 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns. Over two years, he has amassed 2,993 passing yards and 29 touchdowns.

Football runs deep in the Day family. Ryan Day was a standout quarterback at Manchester Central High School in New Hampshire, earning the New Hampshire Gatorade Football Player of the Year award in 1996. He continued his football career at New Hampshire, setting program records for pass completions (653) and total offense (8,492 yards).

RJ Day’s mother, Christina, also played college basketball at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont.

RJ Day opens up about Ryan Day's role in his career

Last year, RJ Day received his first Division 1 scholarship offer from former Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and current Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley. Since then, Marshall and Toledo have also extended scholarship offers.

RJ Day has expressed his interest in playing for Ryan Day at Ohio State, saying it’s always been a dream to play for his father. However, Ryan has given RJ some independence in his decision-making process.

“He doesn't tell me to make any decision, he just guides me,” RJ told Eleven Warriors in April. “He just sets me on the path. When I’ve fallen off, he kind of sets me straight. But he always tells me, it's my journey. So you got to figure it out. Because everybody else figures it out."

RJ Day is yet to be ranked by major recruiting channels like On3, 247 Sports, Rivals and ESPN. However, his performance during his sophomore season suggests that a ranking may be in his future.