Ryan Day rumor alleges Ohio State coach 'cussed out' staffer for leaving for Michigan

No college football head coach finds himself in a stranger situation this offseason than Ryan Day. The longtime face of the Ohio State Buckeyes is facing a year of unprecedented expectations. Not only do the Buckeyes need to beat the Michigan Wolverines for the first time since COVID, but they need to win multiple postseason games in the expanded College Football Playoff. That kind of pressure.

All the while, Day has lost his running backs coach Tony Alford to Michigan and now noted former staffer Erin Dunston. While it was strange to see Alford turn heel in this bitter Big Ten rivalry earlier in the year, the rumors coming out of Columbus and Ann Arbor in the wake of Dunston's departure to Michigan is even stranger. Apparently, Day "cussed out" Dunston for leaving for Michigan, allegedly.

We are talking about a high-ranking former recruiting staffer from inside Ohio State's buildings leaving for Michigan. With the amount of pressure Day is under, you can understand why his temper has been flaring up. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter if these allegations are true, but the fact that it cannot be easily refuted only further justifies what is going on in Columbus: National title or bust...

Should Ohio State lose to Michigan for the fourth year in a row, there is no way Day survives this year.

Ryan Day allegedly "cussed out" a former Ohio State staffer over leaving

Although I have Ohio State as one of five College Football Playoff locks this season, along with Georgia, Oregon, Penn State and Texas, none of the other Power Four coaches of note are facing anywhere near the type of pressure Day is. James Franklin is feeling some over in State College, but you have to wonder if these expectations are going to consume Day before he gets to the finish line.

When I look at other serious nation title-contending head coaches, Kirby Smart doesn't feel this. Neither does Steve Sarkisian. Heck, I would argue that Dan Lanning faces the least pressure because winning it all would be untrodden territory for his ascending Oregon program. However, Ohio State has not win it all in a decade, and its arch rival Michigan just won its first championship since 1997.

As for Michigan, I don't think the Wolverines are going to be anywhere near as good as last year. They feel like a 9-3 team to me, possibly even a 7-5 team if it hits the fan for Sherrone Moore in year one on the job. Regardless, seemingly everything else is going in Ohio State's favor. The Buckeyes need to go around 11- this fall. At the very least, they must beat Michigan at season's end to avoid going 9-3.

The only thing comparable in sports today may be Mike McCarthy in Dallas, but even that's a stretch.