Grade the take: Should Ryan Day bail on Ohio State after quelling the fan backlash?

I want to be nice, but I cannot. CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd wrote hundreds upon thousands of words arguing for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day to take things into his own hands and step down from his post, no matter what, after the end of the season. No, no, no, no, no! Ohio State is the best job in college football. You either leave by retirement, termination, or an NFL head-coaching job. That is it.

While I understand that Day and the rabid Ohio State fanbase are becoming more and more like oil and water with each passing game, you do not abdicate the thrown of a marquee job like this willingly. Day should keep coaching the Buckeyes until Ross Bjork tells him otherwise. Although Day may get some consideration for NFL jobs, pretty much all of them suck when compared to the Ohio State gig.

Not all jobs are created equally, as Ohio State is one of the best out there. You are the traditional college football power of the midwest. Ohio State is in a talent-rich state for high school recruiting. The NIL war chest is bigger than just about anyone's. You can win national championships here. Ohio State does not have the academic rigors of other schools comparatively. You do not leave this job!

With Dodd comparing Day to a mattress salesman, I do not think I have seen a worse analogy in 2025.

Ryan Day stepping down at Ohio State after this year is career suicide

Taking back control of one's professional career and overall livelihood is one thing, but complete and utter career suicide is another. Why would you leave a final four team in the College Football Playoff to go be a quarterbacks coach or an offensive coordinator in the NFL? This is not Jeff Hafley stepping down from Boston College to go run the Green Bay Packers defense. This is Ohio State!

As far as Day being a candidate for one of the six head-coaching positions available in the NFL, I would not rule that out. However, we have seen other college coaches such as Marcus Freeman, Steve Sarkisian and Matt Campbell garner more interest from the pros than Day. Keep in mind he did serve on both of Chip Kelly's pro staffs in Philadelphia and San Francisco before going to Ohio State.

And that is the other thing. He got his mentor in Kelly to leave UCLA to become his offensive coordinator on this team willingly! Not only that, but Jim Knowles did not get a head-coaching opportunity in college this season, nor did Brian Hartline. I understand the intrigue of potentially a more challenging gig in the NFL, but Day will never have a better job than the one he is currently in.

Although Bjork did not hire him, I do not think he has as quick of a trigger finger as the Ohio State fanbase does. They are more concerned about Day not beating Michigan any more than winning the playoff. Get over yourselves, guys. There are bigger fish to fry than The Game. Y'all are in a far better position than Michigan year in and year out, especially with Sherrone Moore still be largely unproven.

Overall, the opportunity for Day to leave Ohio State this offseason has come and gone. By clobbering Tennessee in their first-round home game and then wiping the floor with the forever soft Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl means Day is not getting fired; he is getting a raise! The ball may be in his court, but I would rather continue to work at Ohio State than deal with someone like Jerry Jones.

Ultimately, this is Day's choice and I respect that. I may not be a card-carrying member of Team Ryan Day Was Born On Third Base, but I get that notion from some. If I were to subscribe to that, why would a prince subscribe to the idea of potentially being a pauper, rather than waiting his time to be a king? I do not see Day abdicating the Ohio State thrown unless the absolute best NFL job opens up for him.

I think everybody who covers football for a living should resign to a life of selling mattresses today!

Grade the Take: There are too many D's in Dennis Dodd to give one more, so let's give him an F!