Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day walks into Ohio Stadium behind Brutus Buckeye prior to the NCAA football game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ryan Day: 'I respect P.J. Fleck as much as anybody in the country'

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 2:11 PM ET

This week's game at Ohio State will be P.J. Fleck's fourth game against the Buckeyes since he became head coach of the Gophers in 2017, and it will be his third against Ryan Day.

Day and Fleck have never overlapped at any of their coaching stops, but at 46 and 44 years old, respectively, there's a mutual respect between both head coaches.

"I have a ton of respect for Coach Day, I mean a ton," Fleck said at his weekly press conference. "He's an incredible man, first of all, and then just a fabulous coach."

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The 2025 season is Day's seventh full season as Ohio State's head coach since replacing Urban Meyer following the 2018 season. He finally got over the hump with his first National Championship in January. He has a similar respect for Fleck's tenure at Minnesota.

"I respect P.J. Fleck as much as anybody in the country, and their coaching staff — how hard they play. It will be a challenge. You don't play Minnesota and just think you're going to run the ball without a lot of hard work," Day said. "We're working hard this week to put a good game plan together, and we need to put that to work here."

Day respects Fleck and his Gophers program so much that Ohio State added former Minnesota offensive tackle Phillip Daniels from the transfer portal in the offseason. Daniels has transitioned into a full-time starting role with the Buckeyes at right tackle, and Saturday's game will be the first against his former team.

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"This will be a big week for him, playing against his own team for sure," Day said. "The guys appreciate what he brings every day. He brings a work ethic and toughness to work every day, and we can build off of that."

Ohio State has been known as the class of the Big Ten for as long as the conference has existed. Minnesota is currently carrying a 12-game losing streak against the Buckeyes, and it only has two wins over the scarlet and gray since 1966.

Day clearly has a respect for Fleck and the program he has built at Minnesota. He has beaten the Gophers by a combined score of 82-34 in his two games against the program. Saturday will be an opportunity for the Gophers to shock the world and knock off the No. 1 team in the country.