Ross Bjork: Ryan Day is 'absolutely' right coach for Ohio State, will 'figure out' Michigan losses

Fresh off Ohio State’s first national title under Ryan Day as head coach, he has the full support of his athletics director. Ross Bjork made it clear Day is “absolutely” the guy for the Buckeyes.

Brjork’s comments came during an interview with Front Office Sports this week. He also acknowledged Ohio State’s recent struggles against Michigan, losing four straight rivalry games for the first time since the late 1980s and early 1990s.

But Bjork takes solace in the fact there’s a national championship trophy in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. He sees the work Day and the staff put in, which shows him the Buckeyes have the right person as head coach – though they’ll “figure out” the Michigan situation.

“Absolutely,” Bjork said on FOS Today. “He’s young. He’s got tons of energy. Maybe what you’re referring to is The Team Up North game. We’ll figure that piece out. But we do have the championship trophy.

“Coach Day’s awesome. The way he leads, his culture of the program, it’s been really great to work with Coach Day.”

Ryan Day entered the 2025 season with a 70-10 record as Ohio State head coach and led the program to its first national title since he took over. The Buckeyes have two Big Ten titles under his leadership and won at least 11 games in each year of Day’s tenure, outside of the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Still, the losses to Michigan loom large. Last year’s loss to the Wolverines kept Ohio State out of the Big Ten Championship, though the Buckeyes still made the College Football Playoff as an at-large team before going on their title run.

The program is out for revenge, though, according to wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. He was on the losing end of the rivalry in his first go-round and promised Ohio State would not lose to Michigan again. When asked about those comments, Ryan Day said it speaks to Smith’s competitive mindset.

“He’s very, very competitive and he’s not used to losing,” Day said. “We lost the first game against Oregon and he was angry. He wasn’t the only one and certainly for him he expects to win every single game. He expects to win every drill he’s in. That’s just the way he’s wired. So, when you ask a question, you’re going to get a genuine response from Jeremiah. And I think the guy’s feed off of that, and when he tells you something you believe it.”

“There’s no reading between the lines with him. He may not be a man of many words, but when he talks you listen and we’re all listening. He’s the ultimate competitor.”