Ohio State head coach Ryan Day lands on the watch list for a major award for 2026.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is one of the best coaches in all of college football. "One of" is actually doing him a disservice; depending on the week, he fluctuates between being the best coach in America and maybe the second-best coach.
He is back for vengeance in 2026 as the Buckeyes came up short in 2025 from repeating as National Champions. As we are just a few short weeks away from the beginning of training camp, Day found himself on the preseason watch list for the Dodd Trophy, given to the coach who showcases scholarship, leadership, and integrity.
Day is one of 20 coaches named to the watch list this year, and ironically enough, 8 of the 20 nominees are Big Ten Coaches.
Day enters the season as not only one of the greatest coaches in the modern game, but truly one of the greatest coaches of all time. In his career as the Ohio State head coach, Day has posted an 82-12 record, good for an 87.2 win percentage.
Day has been, and will forever be, jockeying with Knute Rockne for the greatest win percentage, as Rockne posted an 86.0 percent winning percentage in his time at Notre Dame.
Day has taken the torch that Urban Meyer gave him in 2019 and has totally run with it.
The program never even thought about taking a step back; it simply picked up right where Meyer left it, and Day continued it on this amazing trajectory.
The 2026 season is going to be one of Day's biggest challenges in the last couple of years. This upcoming roster will have the most turnover that he has experienced in his time as the head coach. One new lineman, three new tight ends, three new wide receivers, three new defensive linemen, two new linebackers, a couple of new safeties, two new cornerbacks, and a new offensive coordinator.
As if that wasn't going to be challenging enough, the Buckeyes' schedule is one of the hardest in the country. As it stands right now, they play three of the four teams in the top-5 (not including them) and just a very hard Big Ten schedule, period.
His team is going to have to be on it from Week One all the way to the final week in January. It will be an uphill battle, but if the Buckeyes make it happen, it will be one of his best coaching jobs ever.
For that, he will absolutely be in final consideration to earn The Dodd Trophy.
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