The reality of Ryan Day’s buyout makes his ideal replacement glaringly obvious

No matter how badly Ohio State fans might be clamoring for it right now, it doesn't sound like a Ryan Day firing is imminent. Despite Saturday's shocking upset loss to Michigan, the Buckeyes are in good position to make the final College Football Playoff field, and maybe even earn a home game in the first round; with a national title still a possibility (however faint), athletic director Ross Bjork is reticent to blow things up and begin the search for a new head coach.

But there are other concerns beyond the rest of the 2024 season. There's also the matter of money: Day's buyout is a healthy $37 million, and when you add in the cost of paying a new coach, hiring a new staff and the NIL funds required to retain and build a championship-caliber roster, suddenly things have gotten even more expensive. And according to several reports, that price tag might be enough to scare Bjork and Ohio State boosters away from making the change that this program desperately needs; it's easy to think about making a move in the abstract, but much more difficult when staring down a price tag that could get as high as $75 million.

If cost really is the school's top concern, though, there's a dream candidate who just so happens to come with far less money attached. And the Buckeyes would be crazy not to offer him the job, no matter how early they have to act.

Mike Vrabel checks every box to replace Ryan Day at Ohio State

There are a zillion reasons why Vrabel should be very high up, if not at the very top, of Ohio State's list of potential Day replacements. He's a beloved alum, for starters, and as a coach he's proven to be everything that Day isn't: a developer of both talent and culture, someone who knows how do to more with less. (And, not for nothing, someone who knows how to beat Michigan.) While it's unclear just how eager Vrabel is to shift from the NFL to the college ranks, he still lives in Ohio, and you'd have to imagine that if he were going to do it for any job, it would be this one.

But in case Ohio State needs even more convincing, there's also the fact that Vrabel would be cheap: Unlike just about every other realistic option, he's not currently under contract, and therefore wouldn't require a buyout of his own. Day's buyout on its own is substantial, but this is Ohio State we're talking about; money has never, and should never, be an issue for arguably the richest program in the country. And no matter what, coaching changes and NIL investment will be necessary moving forward, as the team looks to finally get over the hump and back atop the Big Ten.

Vrabel is likely to still be available by the time Ohio State's playoff run comes to an end; the Buckeyes would have to make it all the way to the semifinals to reach the end of the NFL regular season, and the college coaching carousel is curiously light on marquee jobs this year. But even if Bjork insists on waiting, his first call couldn't be more obvious.