Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Is Being Floated For NFL Job

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Nov 13, 2025 11:51 AM ET

Earlier this year Ohio State head coach Ryan Day finally got the monkey off his back and won a national championship. As his team heads into late-November and inevitably the College Football Playoff, he might be poised to parlay his success in Columbus into a job in the pros.

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky didn't mince words when speaking about Day in a recent appearance on Get Up. While addressing the recently-vacated New York Giants job, the former NFL quarterback made a case for Day along with Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Of Day, Orlovsky said that he would love to see him in New York. Orlovsky believes that Day would be "a phenomenal head coach" in the NFL.

“I’ll give you two names,” Orlovsky said. “These are names that I would like for the Giants. Realistic or not, I don’t know that. One would be Kevin Stefanski if they move on in Cleveland. A second name. I’m not saying this to be — I would love Ryan Day there... I think Ryan Day would be a phenomenal head coach… I just think he’s a great coach."

.@Espngreeny weighs in on the Giants firing Brian Daboll:

"This is yet another example of an organizational failure. ... You cannot have a lame duck coach and a rookie quarterback." pic.twitter.com/smUye1TW76
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 11, 2025

Orlovsky is hardly the only one who likes the idea of Day as a head coach in the NFL. Between his youth, QB and wideout development and ability to get players to buy in, he seems almost built for the modern NFL.

But just because Day is a fit to Orlovsky and others, it doesn't mean there aren't serious problems with the team.

Obstacles

Day might not find many people in his inner circle urging him to take his talents to the NFL.

For starters, his two biggest coaching mentors - Chip Kelly and Urban Meyer - both had miserable times as NFL head coaches, going a combined 4-25 in their final years in such a job.

COLUMBUS, OH - DECEMBER 04: Offensive coordinator Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes listens as head coach Urban Meyer answers a question during a press conference at Ohio State University on December 4, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

Kelly, who actually gave Day his first couple of NFL jobs in 2015 and 2016, saw firsthand just how bad things can get when you're not winning.

As for Urban Meyer, his failed one-year tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 might have set back the college-to-NFL coaching jump back years.

Unlike at Ohio State, where Day has earned considerable support through his national title victory, Day will be a blank slate in the NFL. He will have very few allies among the NFL front offices and ownership boxes.

Suffice it to say, it's not exactly an ideal situation to walk into - be it in New York or any other team.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: