Ryan Day admits there has been a change in his life since winning national championship

The confetti fell over the Ohio State Buckeyes for their national championship in January and with that, plenty has changed for head coach Ryan Day. He had gotten over the hump, and in the process, largely gotten the monkey off his back.

Day recently appeared on the College GameDay Podcast. There, he explained just how much has changed for him, especially in how he has interacted with fans, since the national championship.

“Every year it’s become a little more amplified, I guess is probably the best way to put it,” Day said. “It is real that you have to have a plan. There’s two million people in the city of Columbus. I think the people who are closest to me and my family get numb to it. So, it’s okay, the places I try to frequent, the kids’ games, different places that will go to eat. After a while, people get used to it. It’s usually where we go outside of that circle where you just have to have a plan in place.”

One of the biggest changes that Day has seen over the course of his career is fans asking for pictures. There was a big bump once he became the head coach, and that hasn’t dropped off at all since winning a national championship.

“People are great,” Day said. “But the one thing that people ask me all the time, what’s the biggest change from when you became an assistant coach to a head coach and now at Ohio State? It’s pictures. It’s just amazing wherever you go, people want pictures. So, be as gracious as you can, especially with young people who are fans. It just comes with the job. One thing though is, asking my wife to take the picture of somebody is usually not going to go very well. So, I try to get out in front of that pretty good.”

Following the loss to Michigan in the regular season, Day faced immense criticism from fans over his struggles in big games. That included fans calling for him to be fired. Criticism got back to his family, too, at one point, needing police protection. That was all before the College Football Playoff run and national championship.

“But, no, it’s great. People are great as well. They’re excited. They’re excited about the season. The biggest feedback no matter where we are, whether we’re in Ohio or across the country is people just say, ‘Thank you,'” Day said. You know, thanks for the season. Thanks for the memories. Thanks for sticking with the team and the resilience, and there’s just so many things that they have great memories over.”

Ryan Day will look to cement his legacy in Columbus and around the country in 2025 with back-to-back national championships. That journey begins with a challenging first game against the Texas Longhorns.