Who is Ryan Day: Meet Urban Meyer's substitute at Ohio State

Who is Ryan Day: Meet Urban Meyer’s substitute as Ohio State coach

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 02: Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer on the sidelines during the Big 10 Championship game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Ohio State Buckeyes on December 2, 2017, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

With Urban Meyer on paid leave from his post as Ohio State coach, let’s meet his acting replacement Ryan Day.

In the wake of a report he knew about domestic violence allegations against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith before it came to public light, Urban Meyer has been placed on paid administrative leave by Ohio State. During the investigation, offensive coordinator Ryan Day will take over as acting head coach for the Buckeyes.

Day is entering his second season as co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Ohio State. But at just 39 years old, he has a pretty extensive coaching resume spanning the college game and the NFL.

Day started his coaching career as tight ends coach at New Hampshire, when some guy named Chip Kelly was offensive coordinator there. From there, Day served as a graduate assistant at Boston College (2003-2004) and Florida (2005), then wide receivers coach at Temple (2006), wide receivers coach back at Boston College (2007-2011), offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach for a second stint at Temple (2012) and then offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach back at Boston College yet again (2013-2014).

Day worked under Meyer for that one year at Florida. He has also worked under Frank Spaziani (Boston College) and Steve Addazio (Temple and Boston College) in prominent assistant roles at the college level.

Day jumped to the NFL in 2015, serving as quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles during Kelly’s final season as the head coach. He followed Kelly to the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, also serving as quarterbacks coach for Kelly’s lone season as the head coach there.

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For however long Meyer is on leave, even if it’s only for a portion of preseason camp, Day will get some sort of a test run as the man in charge of a major college football program on the field. As he’s virtually certain to surface as a candidate for head coaching jobs in the future, it will be a mark on his resume aside from any label as a Kelly disciple.

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