Ryan Day reveals how he reacted to Nick Saban's comments after retirement

The college football landscape was shocked when longtime Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement in January. But what was a little bit less surprising to those who closely follow the sport were his comments about name, image, and likeness following his retirement. Having changed the game of recruiting, the priorities of players, and the priorities of coaches as a result.

This offseason Saban didn’t just retire, but several other college head football coaches made the jump up to the NFL level and even jumped down within the college ranks to become coordinators and position coaches. Which many believe is a side effect of the new demands asked of a head coach involving NIL and the transfer portal.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has been in the center of college football’s changes and adaptations. Stepping down from his playcalling duties for the Buckeyes to serve more in the general manager role and hiring former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly as his new offensive coordinator. And in a recent conversation with Joel Klatt, Day opened up about his reaction to Saban’s comments and the evolution of college football.

“Well I felt that pain because I’ve gone through some of those similar things and Coach Saban’s past, and history, and what he’s done is just unbelievable,” Day said. “So to hear somebody that’s been through all these different things in college football and these changes in college football kind of recognize that as such a big challenge right now, it gives you some pause. It makes you really think.”

Age definitely played a factor in Saban’s retirement as well, boasting 50 years of coaching experience as a 72-year-old who many regard as the greatest college football coach of all time. But with Day entering his sixth full season as the Buckeyes’ head man at the age of 45, he’s come to terms with college football’s changes, imperfections, and the necessary adjustments to maintain success.

“But I also am trying to really put perspective on it all. Because I know it sounds a little deep, but the truth is the order of the entire universe is chaos, and that’s kind of the way life is. It’s chaotic,” Day explained. “And I know there’s a lot of chaos right now in college football, but the product’s never been better.”

Along with NIL and the transfer portal, conference realignment and the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff have many excited about the historic upcoming college football season that feels like a positive, watershed moment for the sport. Presenting a year where there are potentially more high stakes and high-quality games than ever before that could set the standard moving forward for the sport.

But at the same time, it’s no secret that college football still has areas off the field to improve upon. As Day and others will look to navigate through these uncharted waters as best as possible and hope for positive change sooner than later to one of the nation’s most beloved pastimes.

“And so I think it’s a little bit of a tumultuous time right now, but if we can just kind of steady the boat a little bit and work through this, then we’re going to come out the other end and that’s what we’re looking to do,” Day concluded.