Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Ryan Day yell from the sideline. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Urban Meyer Sends Warning to Ohio State Buckeyes Coach Ryan Day

Originally posted on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Before Ryan Day became the Ohio State Buckeyes' head coach, he was brought onto the staff as an offensive coordinator by then-head coach Urban Meyer. It then didn't take long for Day to succeed Meyer following Meyer's retirement.

It has certainly been a wild ride for Day ever since, with the 46-year-old battling through harsh criticism and incessant firing rumors before finally winning a national championship last season.

It seems pretty safe to say that Day is now off the hot seat (if he was ever truly on it to begin with) and that the burden of failing to win big games has certainly been lifted. But that does not mean the path is suddenly going to be come easy for Day. Actually, Meyer feels it's quite the contrary.

While discussing Day recently, Meyer revealed that winning a national title is both a blessing and a curse.

“Mack Brown once said to me, ‘I have good news and bad news. Good news is you won a national championship. Bad news is you won a national championship,’” Meyer said, via Cameron Teague Robinson of The Athletic. “Now everything is, ‘Why didn’t you win it this year?’”

Ryan Day remains under pressure at Ohio State

Day delivered the Buckeyes' first championship in a decade, which should be enough to get the fans off of his back. For now. But the grace period may be shorter than you think.

“Ohio State has extremely high expectations, and it’s kind of changed even since Jim Tressel took over,” Meyer added. “It’s been not just high expectations, but almost unfair expectations, but in turn they give you the most incredible support that exists.”

Day has gone 70-10 as Ohio State's head coach, representing the best active winning percentage in the country. His players love him, and he has done a tremendous job on the recruiting trail.

Taking all of that into consideration, no one should be able to find anything negative to say about Day at this point. But really, all the Buckeyes need to do is drop their season opener against the Texas Longhorns later this month, and the angry fans will surely emerge.

This article first appeared on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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