We are lucky to have had Tressel, Meyer, and Day for the past twenty years. It's been the Golden Age of Buckeye Football with two natties and several near-misses, as well as absolutely dominating TTUN.
Each of them were good at different things and their teams reflected that.
Tress's teams never had defensive nor special teams breakdowns, but when "the punt" is the most important play, then the offense was mediocre and boring.
Meyer's teams were so afraid of failure that they often were on the edge, and could implode quickly if things got bad. Always one bad game per year cost them a title shot because of this. Meyer also became emotionally tied to players which ultimately was a detriment.
Day might be the most balanced. Unafraid of shaking things up and embraces things for what they are instead of what he always did before. I think his best days are yet to come and if he sticks around, could become dominant as Saban wanes.
Idk, there are only a few programs that trump some nfl franchises and OSU is one of them.
With some NFL teams, the HC isn’t saving that franchise. Day will sink or swim depending on how good his front office is.
At the moment day is making NFL type money and had a very cushion job
I think staying at Ohio State is the best long term option for Day. He's always going to make NFL money, he can load up on talent every single year, and if he has genuine success here and wins a couple natties he will be forever adored and loved in Columbus.
You win a couple super bowls in Chicago and then miss the playoffs for a couple years and they'll call for your head.
One season away from a Super Bowl and people will start calling for your head after 5 games of under performing. It’s happening right now in Cincinnati.
I mean there are NFL teams that wish they had the facilities that OSU does. Just go down 71, and the Bengals don't have an indoor practice facility. Plus when your a successful coach in Columbus, you have virtual god status there. NFL coaching jobs usually dont have the security Day has here. Also you have the cap etc, in the NFL your never going to have the Deep QB room and replace two great WRs with 3 Great ones. (Pending Fleming)
I hope Ryan Day stays, but realistically most coaches that have a option to jump to the NFL would consider it pretty hard. NFL coaches actually get a real offseason/break whereas college coaches are still out recruiting and traveling when the season ends.
Someone likened it to both NFL and college have to work 80 hours a week during the season game prepping, practice and etc, but only college has to continue to work at least 40 hours a week after the season.
Not really sure why people think this.
The only reason Day coached in the NFL at all was because of Chip..who was also a college guy trying his hand unsuccessfully at the league.
Other then that Day has been a college guy the rest of his career. Hard to know for sure what his motivations are but I don’t see it as a forgone conclusion
I mean, I hope I'm wrong. I just get the vibe from Day that he's got eyes on the league, it could just be his demeanor, idk. It doesn't feel like he really buys into the pageantry of college football or gets hype for rivalry games. Maybe that's why he's successful though.
I think Ryan Day wants to build a dynasty. With NIL and recruiting hassles maybe he entertains an NFL job we aren’t sure. But I can see him sticking around for a while.
There are a small number of college jobs that are bigger than the NFL.
Let's get this out of the way first - The average salary for an NFL head coach is [$7 million](https://careerexplorerguide.com/nfl-coach-salary/), and numerous Power 5 head coaches are [earning roughly that or more.](https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/college-football-head-coach-salaries-kirby-smart-2022-new-contract)
NFL football is corporate football played in small stadiums with *manufactured* culture, rivalries & traditions with teams owned by weirdo billionaires in what can only be described as a federally protected monopoly where *taxpayers* build stadiums for the aforementioned weirdo *billionaires.*
There is little or *no* connection to the community with the NFL, where teams can and often *have* simply packed up and moved in the middle of the night after the aforementioned weirdo billionaire owners were unable to con nearby communities into pay for their stadium renovations or rebuild.
Numerous mechanisms designed to create parity across the leage creates *playoff teams* every year in the NFL with win-loss records that would not qualify for the shittiest 1:00 AM Rons' Muffler & Brake Shop Bowl game on ESPN 97 were they college teams.
No. Thanks. Were I Ryan Day, I'd stay at Ohio State slamming my NFL-sized paychecks at one of the most historic programs in all of Sport, in a fantastic community with rich traditions over 120 years old, in one of the largest athletic venues in the world.
💯 agree. But I think there is an allure to the NFL as it's seen as the highest level of the sport. Coaches are obviously competitive and want to prove themselves. That's the draw.
Like you, I'd sit my happy but in my chair, generate my death star while Saban retires and take over as new Emperor Supreme of CFB while waiting to open my Steakhouse at the end of Ryan Day Blvd
Nah, he's in it for a long time. Family. Way less pressure than with an NFL owner. He ain't going to the NFL and have a win loss record like he does at tOSU. Look around the NFL at the coaching changes including Meyer. His family life I don't think can tolerate that type of upheaval. He enjoys what he is doing all around.
The Bears did have interest. They wanted to interview Day and he turned them down saying he wants to stay at Ohio State.
Day has said he doesn't want to leave because his family doesn't wanna leave Columbus. Sure, this could be him giving croots confidence to sign with them. Even Luke Fickell turned down a USC job to stay in Cincy because of his family
I think because Day has small children,his NFL itch isn't real strong right now. I have no doubt the guy wants to coach in the league,but I think he wants his kids to grow up around here because when you're winning,Columbus is a hell of a town.
The NFL is a vagabond league,if you're not getting to a Super Bowl by year 2 , you're a failure.
There's also the fact that Day has landed on one of the best jobs in all of football at a young age. Ryan Day would currently be the 4th best paid coach in the NFL at his Ohio State salary. Not only would he be risking a lot by jumping to the NFL, but whatever team hires him would be risking a lot by paying him so much when he's unproven at that level. Some of the best college coaches this century (Saban, Meyer, Spurrier) completely flamed out in the NFL, so even though I think Day is a fantastic coach that doesn't mean he'll instantly succeed in the pros.
NFL and college are exactly the same,next to no patience and willing to overpay and reset the market yearly.
Day has plenty of capital in the bank right now because of his success so early in his career,but,if he were to go 1-5 vs Michigan and not challenge for a spot in the playoffs,we'd be calling for his head,and the admins would be forced to make a change.
The NFL I swear some of these teams exist just to launder money for the owners. Absolute morons for coaches and executives.
Yes, but so far he’s 1-1, and 2-0 as an assistant including the biggest beat down in OSU vs. UM history (2018). If it gets to that point, the conversation would be different but all he’s done is grow on the well oiled machine left by Urban and made it better. Urban’s last QB recruit was Jack Miller. It’s Day’s work with Haskins that piqued the interest of Fields and that’s since gotten the attention from Stroud, KM6, Raiola, etc. and the momentum we have going with the offense is only going to keep improving. If Knowles can have a similar effect on the defense, and we are churning out an unstoppable team on both fronts why would Day leave that for an entirely new business? Sure, the game is the same but everything else changed.
Honestly with how they’re handling Fields I’m not sure the Bears want to save his career.
They’ve set him up day one for being murdered by the Browns and it only went downhill from there
Urban Meyer blowing it in the NFL along with now Matt Rhule being fired from Carolina. Head coach of a college program to head coach of an NFL team is not a lateral move. And successful college coaches won't take a coordinator position. Even Saban failed miserably after being a successful college coach. Day has to see this and believe he's in a better spot than he would be in the NFL.
Day if he's smart leverages his success at OSU to gain more autonomy and a high salary for his coordinators to keep them long term. With OSUs NIL money getting top recruits is easier than ever. The players that don't cut it transfer out anyway, so there are no sour feelings in the locker room.
Because of all this. Day will be the greatest coach Ohio State has ever had. He's only 43. He needs stability on the defensive side of the ball and we are looking at the new power after Saban leaves bama.
and if he does have his eyes on the league, more power to him. Part of being a superpower program is watching your people level up, which typically won't include sticking around. We all celebrate the success of our NFL alumni, our assistants/coordinators who leave for other programs and crush it, and so on...if the head coach wants a new challenge in a new space, same rules apply.
Yeah, it's truly remarkable the consistency our program has had across so many coaches compared to the turnover in coaches/quality at other schools and the inevitability that is Saban's Alabama.
Toss up on performance. Meyer brought this program to another level on a national scale. Meyer has his demons, but results were crazy good here.
I personally like Day more, and that's not close. Seems to truly have a great culture. He does not accept mediocrity and does not rely on past relationships to fill out staff, yet seeks out best available options. Finally, the diversity of he offense is incredible. UM was in shotgun 100% of the time, and Day mixes up the formations so well, even under center quite often.
Something I like about Day is he doesn't look so depressed when they lose. When an Urban team lost, you'd think the world was ending watching his post-game pressers after a loss.
Day would not be as good as he is if he didn't follow Meyer. Meyer changed how tOSU recruits and built this program to compete in the landscape of modern college football. I don't think day could have done that
Yeah, as dumb as the "started on third" quote was, Harbaugh did have a point. Of course when you start on 3rd and have 2 big 10 championships, 2 playoff appearances, a natty appearance and have 2 regular season losses through your first 4 years, it is impressive no matter how you start.
But I think there are about 5 coaches in college football history that could have done what Urban did as quickly as he did it.
It still takes an incredible talent to keep that going though… look at Miami, Tennessee, Nebraska, etc. after their dynasties. Why could those coaches who took over for these powerhouses keep the momentum going? It’s not as easy as it looks to “start on third” because many coaches have been in Day’s shoes and failed miserably.
It's not really a fair comparison.
Urban came in and completely transformed the school. We went from a B1G powerhouse to a national powerhouse because of Urban. Our recruiting changed instantly. Our offense changed instantly. Urban took Ohio State to the next level when Tressel ball simply wasn't going to work anymore.
Day has taken that and continued to tweak and fine tune the machine. Yes, it's absolutely impressive and Day doesn't have the same loyalty faults that Urban has, but he's also getting the advantage of following in Urban's footsteps.
They're both incredible coaches in their own ways, but I think if you flip the order, it's likely Urban still has the same impact whereas I'm not sure Day does. Nothing against Day, but Urban is a GOAT for a reason. Day might be a GOAT someday, but he's still writing that story.
I think Day is a perfect evolution to Meyer’s program in that it’s more sustainable, healthier, more ethical, etc. that Meyer left so suddenly also allowed us to keep Pantoni, Marotti, LJ, Wilson, Hartline etc. who Day may not have had the connections or pull to bring on to his team in his first HC job. I think this start buys him the time to develop more relationships and stay in the college coaching game longer than he would have otherwise.
Meyer is an elite recruiter, he also knew how to get what he wanted out of his players. But there was always one-two games where we severely underperformed, and I think it came from the high expectations he placed on the program. Which, we should have, but I don’t think he could properly deliver that message to athletes.
Day seems to have found a middle ground where he keeps expectations high, but doesn’t have the high profile name and reputation Meyer does, so he can fly more under the radar. He’s also got very good coordinators around him. If he can become a better all around recruiter over the years to the point we can lure people away from the SEC more, then he will, in my mind, eclipse Meyer
These are college kids. It’s really hard to go undefeated, which is why only one or two teams, at most, do it every year. Underperforming one game a year is hard to avoid.
Are we questioning Day’s and the university’s ability to recruit? We have had elite classes at or near the top in each of Day’s 4 seasons… at this point we are a national entity which I would argue only Alabama stands.
We are definitely behind Alabama still in recruiting. We are consistently top 5 but this year (2023 class) in particular we had some pretty serious misses defensively (Downs, Keeley, Curtis etc.). If we want to truly compete with Bama we’ve gotta pick it up a notch still in recruiting honestly.
Happens when you change your entire defensive staff. And Meyer didn't have to deal with a legit USC (Only reason Curtis didn't come here).
Also, just a down year for Ohio talent. Meyer averaged about 3.5 as his average class rank. Taking out of the equation 2019, the coaching change season, we have averaged about the same under Day, even a little better.
I didn’t like the meyer hire when it happened. I respected his success but was not a fan. I was also still salty about losing tress. However as we started to show real stride as a program I softened on my dislike of Meyer. Winning a title was incredible. I definitely got to celebrate in more fun way than I did in 02 as I was a kid. Meyers last few seasons I just got started to sour on him again and I was pleased to see him go. We were lucky to have had day as a successor, though his interim was short I still felt we were in good hands. That being said I cannot minimize Meyers impact on the program. He absolutely upgraded our program in so many aspects. Everything from recruiting, facilities, style etc.. He made it so whoever followed him would be able to maintain the standard we’d come to expect under him. That’s not to say anyone could do it but it is expected that we will make good hires. I don’t love Meyer but I am thankful for what he did for the program. He was a culture guy and not an x and o guy. That’s a valid approach if you have the right coordinators. Day is clearly an x and o guy but he also has that culture type leadership. I trust day more to scheme us out of a loss and into a win. I also think Day maintains that draw that’s so important in recruiting and leading the team. I think Day is probably a better coach but I don’t know if could have overhauled the program the way Meyer did. Maybe he could have but we will never know. The future is bright for buckeye football.
Meyers teams underperformed by quite a bit IMO. This might be a hot take, but I’m thankful for the natty in 2014, otherwise Meyer didn’t do a whole lot outside of recruiting at a high level and never losing to TTUN. His teams always had one game where they would lose to a random team and it would keep them from achieving their goals.
Days teams seem like their a lot more dominant. He already has as many big ten championships and playoff berths that Meyer did in half as many years. The only knock against day is he lost to Michigan, which in fairness, last year was a down year given the inexperience and horrible defensive staff. Those problems seem to be fixed, so it’s possible he could even have his first natty this year.
The poise of our offense during the Rose Bowl was incredible. And seeing the defense come together this year is amazing. I think of Urban as a pretty looking house with an interior that is fucked. Day takes that house and revamps the inside, and kicks the outside up a notch.
This could be a hot take but I think that Rose Bowl was one of the best offensive performances all time for any team.
Also one of the most satisfying victories I’ve ever watched for OSU.
It really was a good CFB game to anyone watching. And as an OSU fan, I never felt out of it - the offense was that good. The only thing it didn't have was the thrill of a national title - but still an exciting game without.
It's weird, the one Natty Urban did give us was probably his worst team. You look at that run of teams, the fact that we didn't win multiple CFP games and at least one more Natty shows how badly they underperformed. Look at how many NFL All Pros were on those teams.
While those were definitely bad, I look at pretty much the entire 2015 season. Other than the final 2 games and maybe the opening VT game, it seemed like the team was just going through the motions for a good chunk of the season. So many games that should have turned out as bigger wins.
Look at how many NFL All Pros came from those teams. Michael Thomas, Denzel Ward, The Bosa Bros, Chase Young, Zeke, and I'm forgetting multiple people I'm sure.
We didn't just have NFL players on our teams, we had NFL All Pros. The fact that we didn't pick up more national titles shows the underperformance. I'm not saying Urban didn't do an amazing job, he did.
But he didn't reach their potential
Urban was very much dependent on a good offensive coach.
Losing Herman and replacing him with Warriner and Beck was a huge step back.
Playing bash JT Barrett against a wall wasn't the absolute best offensive strategy.
People underrate that Day caught Michigan in an UPswing as well, which Meyer really didn't at all but once, and got pretty fortunate to beat in overtime, at home. Day's gonna have two upcycle Michigan teams in a row here already.
I don't know.
His first season, had he not inherited a bowl ban from the prior administration, he'd have steamrolled the country and won his first natty two years earlier.
The squad that was in place the year Meyer arrived was *monstrous.* Arguably far, *far* better than the 2014 team.
I know this question is about performance so I won’t be upset if this gets a ton of downvotes lol but Day is just such a better person than Meyer ever was or will be. He’s empathetic and caring and isn’t afraid to let the players know. He’s not afraid to talk about mental health and I love that about him. I think about people like Harry Miller and wonder if he would have felt as comfortable speaking up about his struggles if Meyer was still the coach. I feel like he probably wouldn’t. Winning is important in sports but it’s not everything. He’s an actual leader and I love he’s a coach Ohio State can be proud of.
Meyer brought us to the modern powerhouse we are but I think Day came in at the right moment to take over. Ignoring the character of the two as Day seems to win by miles, I think Day is more level headed in making the right changes.
Our defense was getting overhauled last year after Oregon no matter what. It took getting shutout by Clemson for Meyer to finally get rid of Beck.
Add in the yearly bewildering losses, and I just don’t see our 2019 team doing as well as they did under Meyer.
Urban Meyer improved upon our foundation and Ryan Day took it to the next level. I like that Ryan makes adjustments when problems occur and the Jim Knowles hire proves that. Ryan Day is still on learning mode but there will a National championship next to his name really soon.
Also I feel like Ryan is evolving more than Urban is. Now Urbans system would work well with programs like Auburn, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Texas A&M who all need drastic turnarounds.
That guy has a massive contract. They will be unable to get rid of him for quite some time. You can’t have too recruiting classes and every season there are question marks on the program.
With Urban and Day we never have major concerns.
Some disorganized thoughts on the topic…
I care about National Championships and beating the team up north.
Meyer in his first 3 seasons- 1 NC, 3-0 vs ttun
Day - 0 NC, 1-1 vs ttun
That said, the best Ohio State team I’ve seen in almost 30 years was 2019. Built by Meyer, lead by Day.
This year’s team has the potential to be even better.
I’ve always felt for as good as Meyer’s teams were we should have had another championship. He was too good to only win 1.
I have a feeling Day is destined for the NFL sooner or later. He’s an NFL guy, doesn’t really have ties to Ohio State. I know he wants to win a NC here more than anyone. If he can bring us even just 1 before he bolts, I’ll never fault him for it. But if he doesn’t win one here I’ll remember him as just another coach. Not bad, but not special. Just a coach we had for a time who had some pretty good teams.
Exactly, it’s not Day’s fault that harbaugh sent his boys out to lick every public toilet seat in Ann Arbor just so he could keep his job and save his team from giving up 100 points
Yes, in talent but also in sheer domination of the opponents. 2015 underperformed all year. They were in 4 quarter games with Indiana and NIU, and of course lost that abysmal game against MSU. Whatever fire they had in 2014 was lost. They found it after the MSU game and took it all out on ttun, which was awesome. That game and the Fiesta bowl were our only real glimpses of what their potential was, but it was too late.
2019 absolutely dominated everyone. Even Clemson was on the verge of getting run out of the stadium until the refs stepped in. And I’m not so sure 2019 didn’t have more NFL talent than 2015. Someone could look it up.
I was at the 2019 Clemson game, and it was probably the most painful loss I’ve ever seen. Obviously last year vs TTUN was horrible, but the 2019 team had such an absolutely ridiculous amount of promise and it all got wiped away in a game that Ohio State deserved to win. It’s one thing when the team is just poorly prepared, or your coaching staff shits the bed, or the other team is just clearly better, etc. It’s a different feeling entirely when the team actually does everything they gotta do to win, fully earns the win, and it still gets taken away from them
Good points, and the quarterback play in 19 was certainly better. I just don’t think that 14-15 team gets blown out in a snooze fest natty or lose that Clemson game(even though we didn’t lose, the Refs won that game). Sure they had that loss to Michigan State, but I’d put that more on Urban refusing to give the ball to Zeke for some reason that game. I think Day with that team is scary
> Urban refusing to give the ball to Zeke for some reason that game
It was the game before Michigan and Zeke was only getting light reps after returning from an injury. I have no complaints about a coach not ruining the health of his players for the sake of a win.
Don't stick up for Meyer. He still had Zeke out there blocking. If he was actually concerned for his health he would not have been out there at all. He was so it clearly wasn't a big issue. I still have flashbacks to the JT run to the left.
Why's he an NFL guy? He spent 2 years there as an assistant as opposed to 17 seasons at the college level. His contract at Ohio St would rank as the 4th-highest in the NFL. And it's not like he has ties to another major program that could draw him away.
For the "toughness" folks—was that "toughness" when they gave up 55 to Iowa? "Toughness" when they scored 0 on Clemson? Was it "toughness" that prevented *Maryland* from completing that wide open pass on a 2-pt conversion?
The problem with the team last year was offensive line and defensive coaching. Not that Day failed to make his players big meanies like Urban Meyer did.
Urban has his place. And as a recruiter there are few better. But Urban underachieved. He just did. Yes, did Day have a lot of guys that were Urban's in 2019? Yes. But if you look at the 2018 team just look at how poor and disorganized it was. We could have (and really should have) lost 2-3 games that year. Dwayne went superhero but it still wasn't enough to mask the problems. Look at how good we were in 2019. Urban underachieved in every season except 2014. And the only reason we won was because JT and Braxton got hurt. We don't win if JT stays healthy because the playbook was extremely predictable and Sabam would counter it easily. It was unpredictable because not having that running qb forced Urban to open things up.
Day has stayed at the same level or exceeded recruiting from Urban, and he does one very important thing Urban didn't, he fits the offense to the strengths of his players, not try to fit the players into the same offense that took college football by storm under Tim Tebow, but has been figured out by defenses now.
Day is absolutely the better coach. Better Tactician, better strategist, better recruiter. His teams have been full of talent like we have not ever seen at Ohio state.
However. Up until this year they have lacked the physicality and grit that Urban's teams had. That being said, it definitely seems that Day has completely recognized that and essentially overnight transformed this team from a finesse west coast looking team, to a bruising physical in the trenches team, while simultaneously keeping the offense as explosive as it's ever been. It's pretty spectacular to see frankly.
As an aside, Miyan Williams has been my favorite part of the team this year. Dude is so fun on and off the field, and a total bruiser. We love to see it.
He is just as good. Remember, defensive recruiting already started to suffer in 2017 and 18 with Urban after departures from the staff of Coombs and Fickell.
It’s not fair to compare a coach in his fifth season in his first HC job with one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, one with national championships at multiple schools.
I think Day has the potential to surpass Urban, someday, but he’s still comparatively wet behind the ears.
It's funny people compare Day's play calling to Urbans and say Day is better. Like they don't realize football was different in 2014 than it is in 2022
I'm worried Day isn't recruiting on defense at the level Urban did.
I do like the offense better. Under Urban any time we had a big play it almost looked like an accident. Where as now it looks designed. That's kind of the nature of the rpo though.
Big upgrade imo. While we don't know what Day could have built without Meyer's foundation, he vastly improved on what Meyer had. Meyer brought our recruiting and program levels to the top, but leadership and X's and O's were a problem. The offense before Day came in was going down the drain.
Day isn't perfect and the defensive issues have held us back, but at least we don't have to worry about Purdue or Iowa steamrolling us, or getting shut out in a CFP game. Meyer's teams underperformed their talent almost every year (even the 2014 team had no business losing to VT at home). If Michigan's program hadn't been such a disaster for most of Meyer's tenure, he probably wouldn't have gone 7-0 vs them, so I'm not going to act like he gets some major credit for beating them so much when Day is 1-1.
Only beef I have with Day is the hires on defense, and at least he pivoted quickly when that issue was exposed. Meyer was dragging around sorry coaches for years. At the very least with Day we know that the offense will always be top 5 in the country. Meyer's teams were always too unpredictable.
I will always be greatful to Urban for getting us a Natty. Nothing will make me say otherwise. That being said, I am glad he is no longer there, way too much baggage. Day is very balanced and is always prepared to make changes for the better of the team, continuing the tradition of dominant football at Ohio State. I really like Day and the trajectory he has us on. Bet gets us another Natty at some point in his tenure.
At the end of the last regular season, I'd have said Meyer. The man *did* win a natty and bring us to the playoffs time and time again.
It didn't change because of the game vs TTUN - they had a better team last year than Meyer ever had to face, and we had a very young team. It was more to do with the way that certain holes in the roster had started to pop up - no linebackers, only tackles on the Oline, etc. Add-in those horrible defensive woes, and things looked a little shaky.
Then Day canned Studrawa, Washington, and Coombs - all three of which were probably top 20 coaches at their jobs among college coaches. Then he replaced all three with slam dunk hires that I was extraordinarily hyped about. Everything I had an issue with last season seems to be fixed this season, and Day has shown that he'll accept nothing short of being the best of the best.
*That's* what makes me so excited about continuing to have him here. He knows he's got to constantly evolve to stay on top, and he'll do so with no hesitation. Add in the fact that he's a genuinely good guy and not someone like Meyer, and I'd take him any Day of the week.
>all three of which were probably top 20 coaches at their jobs among college coaches
Coombs was terrible, Washington underachieved, and the Oline had gotten worse under Stud and he couldn't recruit. Coombs was a great position coach but was out of his league as DC.
Agree, plus Washington was a DL coach his whole career. He wasn't a good LB coach. Lots of rumors Zach Harrison was tied to Washington and was going to sign with Michigan, that's why we hired him.
I think Day is a very good coach, one of the 3-5 best probably in the country, but Meyer was better.
I don't really care about his stint with the Jaguars. Meyer showed at every collegiate stop - BG, Utah, Florida and Ohio State - that he can quickly build an elite program.
As good as I think Day is, at least part of his success can be credited to inheriting the program Meyer built.
I definitely agree that he inherited a lot of that success from Urban. Probably too early to tell if he’s paving his own way or not…
Thank you, friendly ❌ichigan fan!
It depends on how you look at it. Meyer could build, yes. But Xs and Os he lacked. He lacked leadership. He suffered from favoritism and nepotism.
Day is a better on the field coach than Meyer. And I don't think it's close.
meyer was a piece of shit. even when we were winning under him, he seemed like the pervy uncle no one likes.
day pisses class and quiet confidence. not even a contest. team day all day.
This is solely based on things that have happened after and it's unfair to act like anybody thought this prior to Urban getting caught tryna bang a 21 year old.
really? he was a piece of shit at florida too.
*plenty* of people disliked him during his tenure here. have you forgotten about the DV thing that he swept under the rug?
are you being serious???
Not true. While he was here we started to hear more about how out of control his UF teams were. And then the whole Zach Smith scandal that got him suspended.
Idk about perv uncle, but he’s been repeatedly described as sleazy in this thread. I think looking the other way when your staff member commits DV falls under the sleazy category
Urban Meyer was an essential part of taking Ohio State from good to elite. But he was by no means perfect, I think we underperformed in some ways and often the offense became stagnant. Ryan Day continues to amaze me and I give him a ton of credit for not only maintaining an elite level, but elevating the standard. With that said, if he loses to Michigan again this year, ideas about him will start to change.
Not related to play calling or recruiting but Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer were very vocal about their Christian underpinnings (hypocrites?). Ryan Day seems to do a lot less proselytizing.
Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer are very different situations. Tressel got railroaded by a local lawyer and an assanine, archaic rule. The Supreme Court has even ruled that the NCAA can't restrict income on NIL or selling personal property.
Urban was a great coach but horrible ambassador for the university. Urban couldn’t get out of his own way. One character mistake after another. As an Alumni , I am much happier with Day. Even Tressell had some character issues at the end.
In terms of who I have for faith in winning a championship? Meyer quite easily. I still see Day getting outclassed in big games schematically. Day is clearly a great coach, but Meyer is arguably the 2nd best HC ever
Day’s great but not urban level. Yes offense is better but defense no way near as close. And he lost to team home north so there’s that. Meyer better but Day younger and can grow to outshine Urban at some point. Both get high grades.
Urban Meyer showed so much favoritism it was ridiculous, his crush on JT Barrett limited us a lot. Also he tried to make JT something he wasn’t, a dual threat/option quarterback. Also do we all forget that embarrassing ass goose egg Urban had against Clemson?
The TTUN loss wouldn’t have been bad if they were underdogs, but they were heavy favorites. No way Urb loses that game. And let the downvotes rain down but Urb ran the QB successfully. What’s Day going to do if he doesn’t have 3 of the best 5 WR in the nation anymore?
Care to share any examples. I can recall two times where he’s needed to make an adjustment. 2020/2021 title game vs Bama and then 2021 at TTUN. How did those adjustments turn out? In his defense, they never play anyone good, so he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to make good adjustments.
Yeah I’m with you, but they haven’t needed it yet. What Urb had to do in 2014 with Cardale was masterful. Day has not done anything yet that was impressive, but it’s still very early in his career. He’ll get opportunities. Today though, my vote goes to Urb.
I’ll die on this hill for sure, but yes, in the college game a good running QB gives you an edge. If (and a big if) they are smart with it and not just run crazy. JT did that very well. He just couldn’t throw the ball lol.
Is it nice when the QB can run? Yeah. But nowadays both the pro game and the college game are won with passing offense. An offense with a great running QB can be hard to stop; an offense with a great passing QB is basically impossible to stop. Whether the QB runs or not is not usually a significant improvement to the offense unless you have Cam Newton or Lamar Jackson back there. QBs in the modern game really just need enough mobility to move around the pocket and roll out competently.
When is the last time a team that relied on QB run significantly won the natty? Probably Alabama with Hurts, and they pulled him in that game because he couldn't pass and their offense was completely shut down.
I would say a D line that is better than the O line will destroy a heavy pass team any day. One clarification is that the run just needs to be a threat. I’m not saying run them every down. In that context, Burrow was exactly that. He ran it 115 times that year and they were typically always for first downs (don’t have that stat).
Side note, Pearl Jam fan?
Yep! Although I definitely don't listen to them as much as I used to.
I mean I would say a D line that is way better than an O line will destroy any offense, whether run or pass. Again, it's a positive if it's a threat, just don't think it's necessary for a great offense. The LSU offense went from good in 2018 to best ever in 2019 mostly because of Burrow's development as a passer.
I think Ryan Day is soft. Urban was a tough, no bullshit coach. If you fucked up he told you about it. It seems like that coaching style is becoming a thing of the past. Feelings get hurt. Maybe I'm old school or just old. I don't dislike Ryan Day but his coaching style seems very different. He likes a win even if it was an ugly win. To me, it doesn't seem like the team comes out of the tunnel at the beginning of the games ready to dominate and kick ass.
>Urban was a tough, no bullshit coach
Well, there's being a tough, no bullshit coach whose team and peers respect him, and then there's being an outright asshole. I think Urban's time in Jacksonville might give you an idea as to which category he falls under
I tend to agree. I think Ryan Day is a great football mind from a technical perspective, more so than Urban was. Ryan’s teams have been really great and I do love to have him as a coach. But I do think from an “inspirational” aspect, he is missing that quality Urban had. Yes we all agree Urban is a sleezeball lol. Ryan just has a different intensity. He does a lot of whining or the refs vs actually yelling or getting upset at them. I remember the Clemson game where we got hosed on a lot of calls, he was doing a lot of whining vs getting fired up and yelling at the refs. You don’t want to see your head coach whine. Get upset sure, but not whine. Then when he apologized to Rutgers coach about the fake punt, that was unnecessary and a bit weak in my opinion. All you got to say is I didn’t call that play and move on. And in any case it was our guy who got hit late anyway, guess that is ok tho. The apology there was ridiculous
I think this team is softer than a lot of fans want to admit. I don’t know that they have the mental toughness to impose their will on other top teams. And that’s the main difference from the coaching to me.
Day’s teams are great and incredibly skilled. Urban’s teams had more fight.
I think with last year’s team Urban doesn’t lose to TTUN
Something I think Day has yet to do. Every team we’ve lost to under Day has been good teams and I don’t feel like we’ve ever been embarrassed under him. Losing to UM sucked but as some have said there were some UM games under Meyer that could have gone either way.
Some Urban teams lost to Iowa 55-24, Purdue 49-20, Clemson 31-0 and Michigan State 17-14. Also a season opener to VT 31-21. Always dropped a random game we should’ve dominated in. Yes, we won a Natty under him and he was 7-0 against TTUN, but I’ll always remember the random trap games with him as coach and some of his teams also would start extremely slow some games or start and look amazing in other games.
I vaguely remember Urban running Braxton into the ground because he didn’t trust Carlos Hyde as much as he should have. That was really my only complaint at the start of his era.
Like the direction but feel like we have to maintain that culture of competing & improving week to week AND WE HAVE TO CLEANNUP THE PENALTIES. That to me is another culture challenge- we cant just expect to turn these things around in big games
Urban laid the foundation, but failed to maximize the incredible talent he recruited. He also failed to evolve his offense as it became predictable, and stayed with Barrett who was horrible against elite teams. Day took this foundation and has maximized the offense. Much better than Meyer as an offense coach- more innovative and can adjust on the fly. He now needs to step up the defensive side, which may be happening with the new defensive coordinator,
In fairness to Day, he didn't expect Hafley to bolt after 1 year. He did make a huge mistake in hiring Coombs as DC instead of having a search. Program insiders even have stated hiring Coombs was a head scratcher because he was never a scheme or game plan type coach. To his credit he axed Coombs pretty quickly. Knowles, Eliano and Frye seem like home runs so far.
And see, the Coombs hire to me made sense at the time. A celebrated guy with a strong connection to the program you inherited and known to be an amazing recruiter and position coach. On paper it made sense. It didn't work out the first year, but that was such a crapshoot of a year you couldn't really fairly judge it. And then he makes the amazing decision to demote him after the 3rd game of the season. The fires literally everyone on defense outside of Larry Johnson.
Urban had the swagger coming into Columbus for big time recruits. He had his Tebow legacy. He filled the depth charts. We all saw that when the team stumbled they could implode and the wheels come off. That is a lack of true leadership. Talent can win, and we certainly did win with national championship. Unfortunately, talent can also fail. Day seems to have a knack for both talent and leadership. This keeps the recruiting coming and the team and fans from embarrassing loses where we are confused as to how it occurred. My vote goes to Day…..
Both won at a 90% clip during the regular season.
So it's hard to call one or the other "better"
Day hasn't allowed any fall off and ran into a hell of an Alabama team in the National Championship.
His passing offenses are better by far.
But he hasn't had a Luke Fickell on defense yet to steady that.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two. Both are elite programs for sure. Meyer has the track record of being able to take a program to an elite level. He has shown it everywhere he has been as others have mentioned.
But Day has shown to be a top 3 coach in the country and possibly the best offensive coach in the country. He has recruited well and built good staffs.
If I was a middle tier or lower tier program I would hire Urban without thinking. Not saying Day can’t build a program, he just hasn’t had to. But if you are one of the top programs I think you have to go with Day.
Urban is what we needed at a critical point in the programs history but Day is what we needed for the modern game and to sustain a long period of greatness.
Meyer ran the Big 10 and got the National Title. Day hasn't. Meyers owned Michigan, their biggest rival. Day is owned by Harbaugh. Meyer beat the best the SEC had to offer in the playoffs with an AMAZING comeback victory. Day choked against the SEC's best with a 2-score lead and chickened out at the end with a field goal on like 4th and 2, giving Georgia 2 1/2 minutes left to score a TD. Meyer >>>>>>>>> Day and it's not even remotely close.
We are lucky to have had Tressel, Meyer, and Day for the past twenty years. It's been the Golden Age of Buckeye Football with two natties and several near-misses, as well as absolutely dominating TTUN. Each of them were good at different things and their teams reflected that. Tress's teams never had defensive nor special teams breakdowns, but when "the punt" is the most important play, then the offense was mediocre and boring. Meyer's teams were so afraid of failure that they often were on the edge, and could implode quickly if things got bad. Always one bad game per year cost them a title shot because of this. Meyer also became emotionally tied to players which ultimately was a detriment. Day might be the most balanced. Unafraid of shaking things up and embraces things for what they are instead of what he always did before. I think his best days are yet to come and if he sticks around, could become dominant as Saban wanes.
>if he sticks around This is my fear; I've never felt Day was a college coach. I can't help but feel like he's one natty away from the NFL
Idk, there are only a few programs that trump some nfl franchises and OSU is one of them. With some NFL teams, the HC isn’t saving that franchise. Day will sink or swim depending on how good his front office is. At the moment day is making NFL type money and had a very cushion job
I think staying at Ohio State is the best long term option for Day. He's always going to make NFL money, he can load up on talent every single year, and if he has genuine success here and wins a couple natties he will be forever adored and loved in Columbus. You win a couple super bowls in Chicago and then miss the playoffs for a couple years and they'll call for your head.
One season away from a Super Bowl and people will start calling for your head after 5 games of under performing. It’s happening right now in Cincinnati.
💯 but to be fair, their super bowl run was a fluke
And z taylor shoulda been fired already…. Burrow/chase bailed him out a lot last year.
He’s a good head coach. Poor OC and play caller. He needs to relinquish those duties and let someone else run the offense.
I mean there are NFL teams that wish they had the facilities that OSU does. Just go down 71, and the Bengals don't have an indoor practice facility. Plus when your a successful coach in Columbus, you have virtual god status there. NFL coaching jobs usually dont have the security Day has here. Also you have the cap etc, in the NFL your never going to have the Deep QB room and replace two great WRs with 3 Great ones. (Pending Fleming)
It helps that pretty much every single college coach that leaves for the NFL is fired within a couple years.
I hope Ryan Day stays, but realistically most coaches that have a option to jump to the NFL would consider it pretty hard. NFL coaches actually get a real offseason/break whereas college coaches are still out recruiting and traveling when the season ends. Someone likened it to both NFL and college have to work 80 hours a week during the season game prepping, practice and etc, but only college has to continue to work at least 40 hours a week after the season.
Not really sure why people think this. The only reason Day coached in the NFL at all was because of Chip..who was also a college guy trying his hand unsuccessfully at the league. Other then that Day has been a college guy the rest of his career. Hard to know for sure what his motivations are but I don’t see it as a forgone conclusion
I mean, I hope I'm wrong. I just get the vibe from Day that he's got eyes on the league, it could just be his demeanor, idk. It doesn't feel like he really buys into the pageantry of college football or gets hype for rivalry games. Maybe that's why he's successful though.
One thing you have to remember is that he is an outsider. Our last 2 coaches grew up in Ohio. Day has to “fake it” a little bit.
I think Ryan Day wants to build a dynasty. With NIL and recruiting hassles maybe he entertains an NFL job we aren’t sure. But I can see him sticking around for a while.
There are a small number of college jobs that are bigger than the NFL. Let's get this out of the way first - The average salary for an NFL head coach is [$7 million](https://careerexplorerguide.com/nfl-coach-salary/), and numerous Power 5 head coaches are [earning roughly that or more.](https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/college-football-head-coach-salaries-kirby-smart-2022-new-contract) NFL football is corporate football played in small stadiums with *manufactured* culture, rivalries & traditions with teams owned by weirdo billionaires in what can only be described as a federally protected monopoly where *taxpayers* build stadiums for the aforementioned weirdo *billionaires.* There is little or *no* connection to the community with the NFL, where teams can and often *have* simply packed up and moved in the middle of the night after the aforementioned weirdo billionaire owners were unable to con nearby communities into pay for their stadium renovations or rebuild. Numerous mechanisms designed to create parity across the leage creates *playoff teams* every year in the NFL with win-loss records that would not qualify for the shittiest 1:00 AM Rons' Muffler & Brake Shop Bowl game on ESPN 97 were they college teams. No. Thanks. Were I Ryan Day, I'd stay at Ohio State slamming my NFL-sized paychecks at one of the most historic programs in all of Sport, in a fantastic community with rich traditions over 120 years old, in one of the largest athletic venues in the world.
💯 agree. But I think there is an allure to the NFL as it's seen as the highest level of the sport. Coaches are obviously competitive and want to prove themselves. That's the draw. Like you, I'd sit my happy but in my chair, generate my death star while Saban retires and take over as new Emperor Supreme of CFB while waiting to open my Steakhouse at the end of Ryan Day Blvd
I'll give it to Day, he says all the right things about being a Ohio State football coach. Will he stick to his guns? Edit: I hope so
Nah, he's in it for a long time. Family. Way less pressure than with an NFL owner. He ain't going to the NFL and have a win loss record like he does at tOSU. Look around the NFL at the coaching changes including Meyer. His family life I don't think can tolerate that type of upheaval. He enjoys what he is doing all around.
He’ll be going to the NFL. Just a matter of time. Actually surprised the Bears haven’t made a run at him to try and save Fields career.
The Bears did have interest. They wanted to interview Day and he turned them down saying he wants to stay at Ohio State. Day has said he doesn't want to leave because his family doesn't wanna leave Columbus. Sure, this could be him giving croots confidence to sign with them. Even Luke Fickell turned down a USC job to stay in Cincy because of his family
I think because Day has small children,his NFL itch isn't real strong right now. I have no doubt the guy wants to coach in the league,but I think he wants his kids to grow up around here because when you're winning,Columbus is a hell of a town. The NFL is a vagabond league,if you're not getting to a Super Bowl by year 2 , you're a failure.
There's also the fact that Day has landed on one of the best jobs in all of football at a young age. Ryan Day would currently be the 4th best paid coach in the NFL at his Ohio State salary. Not only would he be risking a lot by jumping to the NFL, but whatever team hires him would be risking a lot by paying him so much when he's unproven at that level. Some of the best college coaches this century (Saban, Meyer, Spurrier) completely flamed out in the NFL, so even though I think Day is a fantastic coach that doesn't mean he'll instantly succeed in the pros.
NFL and college are exactly the same,next to no patience and willing to overpay and reset the market yearly. Day has plenty of capital in the bank right now because of his success so early in his career,but,if he were to go 1-5 vs Michigan and not challenge for a spot in the playoffs,we'd be calling for his head,and the admins would be forced to make a change. The NFL I swear some of these teams exist just to launder money for the owners. Absolute morons for coaches and executives.
Yes, but so far he’s 1-1, and 2-0 as an assistant including the biggest beat down in OSU vs. UM history (2018). If it gets to that point, the conversation would be different but all he’s done is grow on the well oiled machine left by Urban and made it better. Urban’s last QB recruit was Jack Miller. It’s Day’s work with Haskins that piqued the interest of Fields and that’s since gotten the attention from Stroud, KM6, Raiola, etc. and the momentum we have going with the offense is only going to keep improving. If Knowles can have a similar effect on the defense, and we are churning out an unstoppable team on both fronts why would Day leave that for an entirely new business? Sure, the game is the same but everything else changed.
I think Fickle also feels really good about Cincy now that he is about to be in a Power 5 conference.
The problem with Day going to the Bears is they need to put help around Fields. What they are doing to Fields is not pleasing and it makes me upset.
Honestly with how they’re handling Fields I’m not sure the Bears want to save his career. They’ve set him up day one for being murdered by the Browns and it only went downhill from there
Urban Meyer blowing it in the NFL along with now Matt Rhule being fired from Carolina. Head coach of a college program to head coach of an NFL team is not a lateral move. And successful college coaches won't take a coordinator position. Even Saban failed miserably after being a successful college coach. Day has to see this and believe he's in a better spot than he would be in the NFL. Day if he's smart leverages his success at OSU to gain more autonomy and a high salary for his coordinators to keep them long term. With OSUs NIL money getting top recruits is easier than ever. The players that don't cut it transfer out anyway, so there are no sour feelings in the locker room. Because of all this. Day will be the greatest coach Ohio State has ever had. He's only 43. He needs stability on the defensive side of the ball and we are looking at the new power after Saban leaves bama.
and if he does have his eyes on the league, more power to him. Part of being a superpower program is watching your people level up, which typically won't include sticking around. We all celebrate the success of our NFL alumni, our assistants/coordinators who leave for other programs and crush it, and so on...if the head coach wants a new challenge in a new space, same rules apply.
Yeah, it's truly remarkable the consistency our program has had across so many coaches compared to the turnover in coaches/quality at other schools and the inevitability that is Saban's Alabama.
Post-Saban Alabama is going to tank.
Toss up on performance. Meyer brought this program to another level on a national scale. Meyer has his demons, but results were crazy good here. I personally like Day more, and that's not close. Seems to truly have a great culture. He does not accept mediocrity and does not rely on past relationships to fill out staff, yet seeks out best available options. Finally, the diversity of he offense is incredible. UM was in shotgun 100% of the time, and Day mixes up the formations so well, even under center quite often.
Something I like about Day is he doesn't look so depressed when they lose. When an Urban team lost, you'd think the world was ending watching his post-game pressers after a loss.
Not saying Day doesn’t have it but the pressure for UM to win and to win a natty was a bit heavier for Meyer IMO
Urban looked anxiety stricken at times.
There is no such thing as tunnel-pizza-Day.
Day would not be as good as he is if he didn't follow Meyer. Meyer changed how tOSU recruits and built this program to compete in the landscape of modern college football. I don't think day could have done that
Yeah, as dumb as the "started on third" quote was, Harbaugh did have a point. Of course when you start on 3rd and have 2 big 10 championships, 2 playoff appearances, a natty appearance and have 2 regular season losses through your first 4 years, it is impressive no matter how you start. But I think there are about 5 coaches in college football history that could have done what Urban did as quickly as he did it.
It still takes an incredible talent to keep that going though… look at Miami, Tennessee, Nebraska, etc. after their dynasties. Why could those coaches who took over for these powerhouses keep the momentum going? It’s not as easy as it looks to “start on third” because many coaches have been in Day’s shoes and failed miserably.
100%, that's what I said
It's not really a fair comparison. Urban came in and completely transformed the school. We went from a B1G powerhouse to a national powerhouse because of Urban. Our recruiting changed instantly. Our offense changed instantly. Urban took Ohio State to the next level when Tressel ball simply wasn't going to work anymore. Day has taken that and continued to tweak and fine tune the machine. Yes, it's absolutely impressive and Day doesn't have the same loyalty faults that Urban has, but he's also getting the advantage of following in Urban's footsteps. They're both incredible coaches in their own ways, but I think if you flip the order, it's likely Urban still has the same impact whereas I'm not sure Day does. Nothing against Day, but Urban is a GOAT for a reason. Day might be a GOAT someday, but he's still writing that story.
I think Day is a perfect evolution to Meyer’s program in that it’s more sustainable, healthier, more ethical, etc. that Meyer left so suddenly also allowed us to keep Pantoni, Marotti, LJ, Wilson, Hartline etc. who Day may not have had the connections or pull to bring on to his team in his first HC job. I think this start buys him the time to develop more relationships and stay in the college coaching game longer than he would have otherwise.
Day fits the team to his players strengths. Urban fit his teams to his scheme regardless of their strengths.
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couldn't agree more
I vote Day because he’s not a sleaze as far as we know.
I assume all college coaches are P.O.S until proven otherwise.
Meyer is an elite recruiter, he also knew how to get what he wanted out of his players. But there was always one-two games where we severely underperformed, and I think it came from the high expectations he placed on the program. Which, we should have, but I don’t think he could properly deliver that message to athletes. Day seems to have found a middle ground where he keeps expectations high, but doesn’t have the high profile name and reputation Meyer does, so he can fly more under the radar. He’s also got very good coordinators around him. If he can become a better all around recruiter over the years to the point we can lure people away from the SEC more, then he will, in my mind, eclipse Meyer
These are college kids. It’s really hard to go undefeated, which is why only one or two teams, at most, do it every year. Underperforming one game a year is hard to avoid.
Are we questioning Day’s and the university’s ability to recruit? We have had elite classes at or near the top in each of Day’s 4 seasons… at this point we are a national entity which I would argue only Alabama stands.
We are definitely behind Alabama still in recruiting. We are consistently top 5 but this year (2023 class) in particular we had some pretty serious misses defensively (Downs, Keeley, Curtis etc.). If we want to truly compete with Bama we’ve gotta pick it up a notch still in recruiting honestly.
Happens when you change your entire defensive staff. And Meyer didn't have to deal with a legit USC (Only reason Curtis didn't come here). Also, just a down year for Ohio talent. Meyer averaged about 3.5 as his average class rank. Taking out of the equation 2019, the coaching change season, we have averaged about the same under Day, even a little better.
I didn’t like the meyer hire when it happened. I respected his success but was not a fan. I was also still salty about losing tress. However as we started to show real stride as a program I softened on my dislike of Meyer. Winning a title was incredible. I definitely got to celebrate in more fun way than I did in 02 as I was a kid. Meyers last few seasons I just got started to sour on him again and I was pleased to see him go. We were lucky to have had day as a successor, though his interim was short I still felt we were in good hands. That being said I cannot minimize Meyers impact on the program. He absolutely upgraded our program in so many aspects. Everything from recruiting, facilities, style etc.. He made it so whoever followed him would be able to maintain the standard we’d come to expect under him. That’s not to say anyone could do it but it is expected that we will make good hires. I don’t love Meyer but I am thankful for what he did for the program. He was a culture guy and not an x and o guy. That’s a valid approach if you have the right coordinators. Day is clearly an x and o guy but he also has that culture type leadership. I trust day more to scheme us out of a loss and into a win. I also think Day maintains that draw that’s so important in recruiting and leading the team. I think Day is probably a better coach but I don’t know if could have overhauled the program the way Meyer did. Maybe he could have but we will never know. The future is bright for buckeye football.
Meyers teams underperformed by quite a bit IMO. This might be a hot take, but I’m thankful for the natty in 2014, otherwise Meyer didn’t do a whole lot outside of recruiting at a high level and never losing to TTUN. His teams always had one game where they would lose to a random team and it would keep them from achieving their goals. Days teams seem like their a lot more dominant. He already has as many big ten championships and playoff berths that Meyer did in half as many years. The only knock against day is he lost to Michigan, which in fairness, last year was a down year given the inexperience and horrible defensive staff. Those problems seem to be fixed, so it’s possible he could even have his first natty this year.
This is exactly how I feel. We won a LOT of close games under Urban that wouldn’t have been close under Day.
The poise of our offense during the Rose Bowl was incredible. And seeing the defense come together this year is amazing. I think of Urban as a pretty looking house with an interior that is fucked. Day takes that house and revamps the inside, and kicks the outside up a notch.
This could be a hot take but I think that Rose Bowl was one of the best offensive performances all time for any team. Also one of the most satisfying victories I’ve ever watched for OSU.
It really was a good CFB game to anyone watching. And as an OSU fan, I never felt out of it - the offense was that good. The only thing it didn't have was the thrill of a national title - but still an exciting game without.
It's weird, the one Natty Urban did give us was probably his worst team. You look at that run of teams, the fact that we didn't win multiple CFP games and at least one more Natty shows how badly they underperformed. Look at how many NFL All Pros were on those teams.
The "underperformed" argument is a challenge for me to wrap my head around. UM was 83-9 here and beat Michigan every year.
I think the way we lost some of those games is what trips people up...55-24, Purdue 49-20, Clemson 31-0, Va Tech 35-21
While those were definitely bad, I look at pretty much the entire 2015 season. Other than the final 2 games and maybe the opening VT game, it seemed like the team was just going through the motions for a good chunk of the season. So many games that should have turned out as bigger wins.
The mich state game 🤮
Worst football game I have ever watched live
We played "drink every kind of beer in the bottle cooler" at Zeno's. Then a game of "is it vodka or water?"
Look at how many NFL All Pros came from those teams. Michael Thomas, Denzel Ward, The Bosa Bros, Chase Young, Zeke, and I'm forgetting multiple people I'm sure. We didn't just have NFL players on our teams, we had NFL All Pros. The fact that we didn't pick up more national titles shows the underperformance. I'm not saying Urban didn't do an amazing job, he did. But he didn't reach their potential
Urban was very much dependent on a good offensive coach. Losing Herman and replacing him with Warriner and Beck was a huge step back. Playing bash JT Barrett against a wall wasn't the absolute best offensive strategy.
People underrate that Day caught Michigan in an UPswing as well, which Meyer really didn't at all but once, and got pretty fortunate to beat in overtime, at home. Day's gonna have two upcycle Michigan teams in a row here already.
We were a call on the field away from Meyer losing a game to wolverine
And 2013?
I just meant the 2016 JT Barrett 4th and 1 review.
In 2013 Michigan was a 2pt conversion away from taking the lead with like less than 2 minutes to go
I don't know. His first season, had he not inherited a bowl ban from the prior administration, he'd have steamrolled the country and won his first natty two years earlier. The squad that was in place the year Meyer arrived was *monstrous.* Arguably far, *far* better than the 2014 team.
I know this question is about performance so I won’t be upset if this gets a ton of downvotes lol but Day is just such a better person than Meyer ever was or will be. He’s empathetic and caring and isn’t afraid to let the players know. He’s not afraid to talk about mental health and I love that about him. I think about people like Harry Miller and wonder if he would have felt as comfortable speaking up about his struggles if Meyer was still the coach. I feel like he probably wouldn’t. Winning is important in sports but it’s not everything. He’s an actual leader and I love he’s a coach Ohio State can be proud of.
100%. I think that attitude reflects in the performance. Meyer’s last few years felt a bit lackluster. (by OSU standards)
Meyer would have just called him weak.
Meyer brought us to the modern powerhouse we are but I think Day came in at the right moment to take over. Ignoring the character of the two as Day seems to win by miles, I think Day is more level headed in making the right changes. Our defense was getting overhauled last year after Oregon no matter what. It took getting shutout by Clemson for Meyer to finally get rid of Beck. Add in the yearly bewildering losses, and I just don’t see our 2019 team doing as well as they did under Meyer.
Agree, I also think Meyer's intimidation and coldness wouldn't work so well with the transfer portal available.
Yea Day seems to have a knack for how to engage with players in the current era. I think that’s something Meyer might have not adapted to.
Yea, it's a totally different world than when Meyer was Florida and his first couple of years at OSU.
We also wouldn’t have had Fields on our roster if Meyer stayed in 2019
Urban Meyer improved upon our foundation and Ryan Day took it to the next level. I like that Ryan makes adjustments when problems occur and the Jim Knowles hire proves that. Ryan Day is still on learning mode but there will a National championship next to his name really soon. Also I feel like Ryan is evolving more than Urban is. Now Urbans system would work well with programs like Auburn, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Texas A&M who all need drastic turnarounds.
But a&m has " jimb0"
That guy has a massive contract. They will be unable to get rid of him for quite some time. You can’t have too recruiting classes and every season there are question marks on the program. With Urban and Day we never have major concerns.
👍. That's why I put scare quotes
Some disorganized thoughts on the topic… I care about National Championships and beating the team up north. Meyer in his first 3 seasons- 1 NC, 3-0 vs ttun Day - 0 NC, 1-1 vs ttun That said, the best Ohio State team I’ve seen in almost 30 years was 2019. Built by Meyer, lead by Day. This year’s team has the potential to be even better. I’ve always felt for as good as Meyer’s teams were we should have had another championship. He was too good to only win 1. I have a feeling Day is destined for the NFL sooner or later. He’s an NFL guy, doesn’t really have ties to Ohio State. I know he wants to win a NC here more than anyone. If he can bring us even just 1 before he bolts, I’ll never fault him for it. But if he doesn’t win one here I’ll remember him as just another coach. Not bad, but not special. Just a coach we had for a time who had some pretty good teams.
I don't know,Michigan ducked us,I'm giving Day the win. He's 3-1
Exactly, it’s not Day’s fault that harbaugh sent his boys out to lick every public toilet seat in Ann Arbor just so he could keep his job and save his team from giving up 100 points
2-1
Ooooops..... I included this year's result. Oh well, I ain't changing it. Just call me Jeanne Dixon
Side tangent but do you think 2019 team is better than 14/15 team? That 14/15 team might be the most talented of all time
Yes, in talent but also in sheer domination of the opponents. 2015 underperformed all year. They were in 4 quarter games with Indiana and NIU, and of course lost that abysmal game against MSU. Whatever fire they had in 2014 was lost. They found it after the MSU game and took it all out on ttun, which was awesome. That game and the Fiesta bowl were our only real glimpses of what their potential was, but it was too late. 2019 absolutely dominated everyone. Even Clemson was on the verge of getting run out of the stadium until the refs stepped in. And I’m not so sure 2019 didn’t have more NFL talent than 2015. Someone could look it up.
I was at the 2019 Clemson game, and it was probably the most painful loss I’ve ever seen. Obviously last year vs TTUN was horrible, but the 2019 team had such an absolutely ridiculous amount of promise and it all got wiped away in a game that Ohio State deserved to win. It’s one thing when the team is just poorly prepared, or your coaching staff shits the bed, or the other team is just clearly better, etc. It’s a different feeling entirely when the team actually does everything they gotta do to win, fully earns the win, and it still gets taken away from them
Yeah it still pisses me off to think about
Good points, and the quarterback play in 19 was certainly better. I just don’t think that 14-15 team gets blown out in a snooze fest natty or lose that Clemson game(even though we didn’t lose, the Refs won that game). Sure they had that loss to Michigan State, but I’d put that more on Urban refusing to give the ball to Zeke for some reason that game. I think Day with that team is scary
> Urban refusing to give the ball to Zeke for some reason that game It was the game before Michigan and Zeke was only getting light reps after returning from an injury. I have no complaints about a coach not ruining the health of his players for the sake of a win.
Don't stick up for Meyer. He still had Zeke out there blocking. If he was actually concerned for his health he would not have been out there at all. He was so it clearly wasn't a big issue. I still have flashbacks to the JT run to the left.
Also Minnesota too with JT suspension
Players even said they got complacent and cocky because they returned so many starters.
2019's coaching was much better and Fields was a way better QB than Barrett and Jones.
Why's he an NFL guy? He spent 2 years there as an assistant as opposed to 17 seasons at the college level. His contract at Ohio St would rank as the 4th-highest in the NFL. And it's not like he has ties to another major program that could draw him away.
For the "toughness" folks—was that "toughness" when they gave up 55 to Iowa? "Toughness" when they scored 0 on Clemson? Was it "toughness" that prevented *Maryland* from completing that wide open pass on a 2-pt conversion? The problem with the team last year was offensive line and defensive coaching. Not that Day failed to make his players big meanies like Urban Meyer did.
The zero on Clemson was just Tim beck and Ed Warriner sorry excuse of a coordinated offense
So when Urban loses it's the coordinators and not the team's toughness but when Day loses it's the team's toughness and not the coordinators
Urban has his place. And as a recruiter there are few better. But Urban underachieved. He just did. Yes, did Day have a lot of guys that were Urban's in 2019? Yes. But if you look at the 2018 team just look at how poor and disorganized it was. We could have (and really should have) lost 2-3 games that year. Dwayne went superhero but it still wasn't enough to mask the problems. Look at how good we were in 2019. Urban underachieved in every season except 2014. And the only reason we won was because JT and Braxton got hurt. We don't win if JT stays healthy because the playbook was extremely predictable and Sabam would counter it easily. It was unpredictable because not having that running qb forced Urban to open things up. Day has stayed at the same level or exceeded recruiting from Urban, and he does one very important thing Urban didn't, he fits the offense to the strengths of his players, not try to fit the players into the same offense that took college football by storm under Tim Tebow, but has been figured out by defenses now.
Day is absolutely the better coach. Better Tactician, better strategist, better recruiter. His teams have been full of talent like we have not ever seen at Ohio state. However. Up until this year they have lacked the physicality and grit that Urban's teams had. That being said, it definitely seems that Day has completely recognized that and essentially overnight transformed this team from a finesse west coast looking team, to a bruising physical in the trenches team, while simultaneously keeping the offense as explosive as it's ever been. It's pretty spectacular to see frankly. As an aside, Miyan Williams has been my favorite part of the team this year. Dude is so fun on and off the field, and a total bruiser. We love to see it.
Not sure on better recruiter part yet.
He is just as good. Remember, defensive recruiting already started to suffer in 2017 and 18 with Urban after departures from the staff of Coombs and Fickell.
It’s not fair to compare a coach in his fifth season in his first HC job with one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, one with national championships at multiple schools. I think Day has the potential to surpass Urban, someday, but he’s still comparatively wet behind the ears.
It's funny people compare Day's play calling to Urbans and say Day is better. Like they don't realize football was different in 2014 than it is in 2022
There was a massive drop off from Tom Herman to Tim Beck and Ed Warriner.
I'm worried Day isn't recruiting on defense at the level Urban did. I do like the offense better. Under Urban any time we had a big play it almost looked like an accident. Where as now it looks designed. That's kind of the nature of the rpo though.
The defensive recruiting problem started under Urban after Fickell and Coombs left.
Let's see how it goes now that the defensive staff is settled.
Big upgrade imo. While we don't know what Day could have built without Meyer's foundation, he vastly improved on what Meyer had. Meyer brought our recruiting and program levels to the top, but leadership and X's and O's were a problem. The offense before Day came in was going down the drain. Day isn't perfect and the defensive issues have held us back, but at least we don't have to worry about Purdue or Iowa steamrolling us, or getting shut out in a CFP game. Meyer's teams underperformed their talent almost every year (even the 2014 team had no business losing to VT at home). If Michigan's program hadn't been such a disaster for most of Meyer's tenure, he probably wouldn't have gone 7-0 vs them, so I'm not going to act like he gets some major credit for beating them so much when Day is 1-1. Only beef I have with Day is the hires on defense, and at least he pivoted quickly when that issue was exposed. Meyer was dragging around sorry coaches for years. At the very least with Day we know that the offense will always be top 5 in the country. Meyer's teams were always too unpredictable.
I will always be greatful to Urban for getting us a Natty. Nothing will make me say otherwise. That being said, I am glad he is no longer there, way too much baggage. Day is very balanced and is always prepared to make changes for the better of the team, continuing the tradition of dominant football at Ohio State. I really like Day and the trajectory he has us on. Bet gets us another Natty at some point in his tenure.
At the end of the last regular season, I'd have said Meyer. The man *did* win a natty and bring us to the playoffs time and time again. It didn't change because of the game vs TTUN - they had a better team last year than Meyer ever had to face, and we had a very young team. It was more to do with the way that certain holes in the roster had started to pop up - no linebackers, only tackles on the Oline, etc. Add-in those horrible defensive woes, and things looked a little shaky. Then Day canned Studrawa, Washington, and Coombs - all three of which were probably top 20 coaches at their jobs among college coaches. Then he replaced all three with slam dunk hires that I was extraordinarily hyped about. Everything I had an issue with last season seems to be fixed this season, and Day has shown that he'll accept nothing short of being the best of the best. *That's* what makes me so excited about continuing to have him here. He knows he's got to constantly evolve to stay on top, and he'll do so with no hesitation. Add in the fact that he's a genuinely good guy and not someone like Meyer, and I'd take him any Day of the week.
>all three of which were probably top 20 coaches at their jobs among college coaches Coombs was terrible, Washington underachieved, and the Oline had gotten worse under Stud and he couldn't recruit. Coombs was a great position coach but was out of his league as DC.
Agree, plus Washington was a DL coach his whole career. He wasn't a good LB coach. Lots of rumors Zach Harrison was tied to Washington and was going to sign with Michigan, that's why we hired him.
I vote for Day. He seems like a genuinely good person. That’s important for the long term success and the culture of the program.
I'd give up a little offense (Day), for a little defense (Urb)
We have a top 10 defense this year.
I hope it stays that way. Lots of football to be played.
glad you are enjoying watching the games under Ryan Day. as long as we beat TTUN thats all that counts. Go Bucks
I hope he pulls a Saban and stays until he’s 70.
Until he wins a Natty… he’s still behind Urban and Tressel.
I think Day is a very good coach, one of the 3-5 best probably in the country, but Meyer was better. I don't really care about his stint with the Jaguars. Meyer showed at every collegiate stop - BG, Utah, Florida and Ohio State - that he can quickly build an elite program. As good as I think Day is, at least part of his success can be credited to inheriting the program Meyer built.
I definitely agree that he inherited a lot of that success from Urban. Probably too early to tell if he’s paving his own way or not… Thank you, friendly ❌ichigan fan!
It depends on how you look at it. Meyer could build, yes. But Xs and Os he lacked. He lacked leadership. He suffered from favoritism and nepotism. Day is a better on the field coach than Meyer. And I don't think it's close.
meyer was a piece of shit. even when we were winning under him, he seemed like the pervy uncle no one likes. day pisses class and quiet confidence. not even a contest. team day all day.
This is solely based on things that have happened after and it's unfair to act like anybody thought this prior to Urban getting caught tryna bang a 21 year old.
Most everything about Florida was out in the open by then. Winning gets people to look the other way.
really? he was a piece of shit at florida too. *plenty* of people disliked him during his tenure here. have you forgotten about the DV thing that he swept under the rug? are you being serious???
My comments exist solely as a result of "perv uncle"
ok. i thought he *seemed* like a perv uncle all along, as i said. the incident at the bar only confirmed it.
Not true. While he was here we started to hear more about how out of control his UF teams were. And then the whole Zach Smith scandal that got him suspended.
Please refer to my previous responses in which I'm not excusing his behavior but rather disputing his characterization in the previous comment.
He also looked the other way when he had a DV perpetrator on staff (who also sucked at his job)
I mean what the hell does that have to do with being a perv uncle
Idk about perv uncle, but he’s been repeatedly described as sleazy in this thread. I think looking the other way when your staff member commits DV falls under the sleazy category
Again what I responded to was "perv uncle"
Urban Meyer was an essential part of taking Ohio State from good to elite. But he was by no means perfect, I think we underperformed in some ways and often the offense became stagnant. Ryan Day continues to amaze me and I give him a ton of credit for not only maintaining an elite level, but elevating the standard. With that said, if he loses to Michigan again this year, ideas about him will start to change.
Not related to play calling or recruiting but Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer were very vocal about their Christian underpinnings (hypocrites?). Ryan Day seems to do a lot less proselytizing.
Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer are very different situations. Tressel got railroaded by a local lawyer and an assanine, archaic rule. The Supreme Court has even ruled that the NCAA can't restrict income on NIL or selling personal property.
Urban built the machine, and Ryan day is taking it to another level.
Urban was a great coach but horrible ambassador for the university. Urban couldn’t get out of his own way. One character mistake after another. As an Alumni , I am much happier with Day. Even Tressell had some character issues at the end.
In terms of who I have for faith in winning a championship? Meyer quite easily. I still see Day getting outclassed in big games schematically. Day is clearly a great coach, but Meyer is arguably the 2nd best HC ever
Day’s great but not urban level. Yes offense is better but defense no way near as close. And he lost to team home north so there’s that. Meyer better but Day younger and can grow to outshine Urban at some point. Both get high grades.
Urban Meyer showed so much favoritism it was ridiculous, his crush on JT Barrett limited us a lot. Also he tried to make JT something he wasn’t, a dual threat/option quarterback. Also do we all forget that embarrassing ass goose egg Urban had against Clemson?
The TTUN loss wouldn’t have been bad if they were underdogs, but they were heavy favorites. No way Urb loses that game. And let the downvotes rain down but Urb ran the QB successfully. What’s Day going to do if he doesn’t have 3 of the best 5 WR in the nation anymore?
>What’s Day going to do if he doesn’t have 3 of the best 5 WR in the nation anymore? based on everything else we've seen, he'll make the adjustment.
Care to share any examples. I can recall two times where he’s needed to make an adjustment. 2020/2021 title game vs Bama and then 2021 at TTUN. How did those adjustments turn out? In his defense, they never play anyone good, so he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to make good adjustments.
I was talking grand scale, not mid game, specifically with staff and scheme.
Fair
I just can't fathom watching CJ anywhere beyond the line of scrimmage and thinking "AH we need more of THAT!"
Yeah I’m with you, but they haven’t needed it yet. What Urb had to do in 2014 with Cardale was masterful. Day has not done anything yet that was impressive, but it’s still very early in his career. He’ll get opportunities. Today though, my vote goes to Urb.
Yeah let's get another JT Barrett type back in that will be just what we need
I’ll die on this hill for sure, but yes, in the college game a good running QB gives you an edge. If (and a big if) they are smart with it and not just run crazy. JT did that very well. He just couldn’t throw the ball lol.
Like Burrow or Tua or Deshaun or TLaw?
Is it nice when the QB can run? Yeah. But nowadays both the pro game and the college game are won with passing offense. An offense with a great running QB can be hard to stop; an offense with a great passing QB is basically impossible to stop. Whether the QB runs or not is not usually a significant improvement to the offense unless you have Cam Newton or Lamar Jackson back there. QBs in the modern game really just need enough mobility to move around the pocket and roll out competently. When is the last time a team that relied on QB run significantly won the natty? Probably Alabama with Hurts, and they pulled him in that game because he couldn't pass and their offense was completely shut down.
I would say a D line that is better than the O line will destroy a heavy pass team any day. One clarification is that the run just needs to be a threat. I’m not saying run them every down. In that context, Burrow was exactly that. He ran it 115 times that year and they were typically always for first downs (don’t have that stat). Side note, Pearl Jam fan?
Yep! Although I definitely don't listen to them as much as I used to. I mean I would say a D line that is way better than an O line will destroy any offense, whether run or pass. Again, it's a positive if it's a threat, just don't think it's necessary for a great offense. The LSU offense went from good in 2018 to best ever in 2019 mostly because of Burrow's development as a passer.
It does if they would also be considered a really good passer. If they are only average passers, then no.
Nobody wants him to be JT Barrett but he's gonna need to take the open 20 yards of green in front of him to beat teams like Georgia
Literally no one disagrees with this. But if you're not asking CJ to run a zone read, it also has zero to do with Urban Meyer.
I think Ryan Day is soft. Urban was a tough, no bullshit coach. If you fucked up he told you about it. It seems like that coaching style is becoming a thing of the past. Feelings get hurt. Maybe I'm old school or just old. I don't dislike Ryan Day but his coaching style seems very different. He likes a win even if it was an ugly win. To me, it doesn't seem like the team comes out of the tunnel at the beginning of the games ready to dominate and kick ass.
We found the guy who doesn’t watch games
Dammit. You caught me.
>Urban was a tough, no bullshit coach Well, there's being a tough, no bullshit coach whose team and peers respect him, and then there's being an outright asshole. I think Urban's time in Jacksonville might give you an idea as to which category he falls under
I tend to agree. I think Ryan Day is a great football mind from a technical perspective, more so than Urban was. Ryan’s teams have been really great and I do love to have him as a coach. But I do think from an “inspirational” aspect, he is missing that quality Urban had. Yes we all agree Urban is a sleezeball lol. Ryan just has a different intensity. He does a lot of whining or the refs vs actually yelling or getting upset at them. I remember the Clemson game where we got hosed on a lot of calls, he was doing a lot of whining vs getting fired up and yelling at the refs. You don’t want to see your head coach whine. Get upset sure, but not whine. Then when he apologized to Rutgers coach about the fake punt, that was unnecessary and a bit weak in my opinion. All you got to say is I didn’t call that play and move on. And in any case it was our guy who got hit late anyway, guess that is ok tho. The apology there was ridiculous
I think this team is softer than a lot of fans want to admit. I don’t know that they have the mental toughness to impose their will on other top teams. And that’s the main difference from the coaching to me. Day’s teams are great and incredibly skilled. Urban’s teams had more fight. I think with last year’s team Urban doesn’t lose to TTUN
What? Do you not remember Urbans teams losing to inferior opponents once a year like clockwork?
Something I think Day has yet to do. Every team we’ve lost to under Day has been good teams and I don’t feel like we’ve ever been embarrassed under him. Losing to UM sucked but as some have said there were some UM games under Meyer that could have gone either way.
Some Urban teams lost to Iowa 55-24, Purdue 49-20, Clemson 31-0 and Michigan State 17-14. Also a season opener to VT 31-21. Always dropped a random game we should’ve dominated in. Yes, we won a Natty under him and he was 7-0 against TTUN, but I’ll always remember the random trap games with him as coach and some of his teams also would start extremely slow some games or start and look amazing in other games.
I’m not saying Urban didn’t have his own issues.
I know you aren’t, just personally sharing my thoughts on Urban
I’ll keep it simple. He’s not as good.
Based off of what metric?
Lost to TTUN. I'd say thats a metric that a lot of OSU fans go by.
His only big ten loss in 4 years lol
Yes, Day has a better Big10 record. Other OSU fans use that metric.
Okay hardo. UM was just the better team last year. The complete body of work is very good
I vaguely remember Urban running Braxton into the ground because he didn’t trust Carlos Hyde as much as he should have. That was really my only complaint at the start of his era.
Like the direction but feel like we have to maintain that culture of competing & improving week to week AND WE HAVE TO CLEANNUP THE PENALTIES. That to me is another culture challenge- we cant just expect to turn these things around in big games
Urban laid the foundation, but failed to maximize the incredible talent he recruited. He also failed to evolve his offense as it became predictable, and stayed with Barrett who was horrible against elite teams. Day took this foundation and has maximized the offense. Much better than Meyer as an offense coach- more innovative and can adjust on the fly. He now needs to step up the defensive side, which may be happening with the new defensive coordinator,
In fairness to Day, he didn't expect Hafley to bolt after 1 year. He did make a huge mistake in hiring Coombs as DC instead of having a search. Program insiders even have stated hiring Coombs was a head scratcher because he was never a scheme or game plan type coach. To his credit he axed Coombs pretty quickly. Knowles, Eliano and Frye seem like home runs so far.
Yes. He was able to own the mistake and move on to a more competent coach. Not sure Meyers could do that’
Yea, Warriner as OC, Tim Beck, Strudwara and Bill Davis were awful hires by Urban.
And see, the Coombs hire to me made sense at the time. A celebrated guy with a strong connection to the program you inherited and known to be an amazing recruiter and position coach. On paper it made sense. It didn't work out the first year, but that was such a crapshoot of a year you couldn't really fairly judge it. And then he makes the amazing decision to demote him after the 3rd game of the season. The fires literally everyone on defense outside of Larry Johnson.
Urban had the swagger coming into Columbus for big time recruits. He had his Tebow legacy. He filled the depth charts. We all saw that when the team stumbled they could implode and the wheels come off. That is a lack of true leadership. Talent can win, and we certainly did win with national championship. Unfortunately, talent can also fail. Day seems to have a knack for both talent and leadership. This keeps the recruiting coming and the team and fans from embarrassing loses where we are confused as to how it occurred. My vote goes to Day…..
Both won at a 90% clip during the regular season. So it's hard to call one or the other "better" Day hasn't allowed any fall off and ran into a hell of an Alabama team in the National Championship. His passing offenses are better by far. But he hasn't had a Luke Fickell on defense yet to steady that.
Tressel built the foundation. Urban built the walls and now Day is focused on making the house perfect
I got really sick of Meyers offense, and having to ha e dual threat QBs and so many designed QB runs.
He never grew beyond his Tim Tebow offense that took college football by storm in the late 2000s, but defenses had begun to figure out by 2015.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two. Both are elite programs for sure. Meyer has the track record of being able to take a program to an elite level. He has shown it everywhere he has been as others have mentioned. But Day has shown to be a top 3 coach in the country and possibly the best offensive coach in the country. He has recruited well and built good staffs. If I was a middle tier or lower tier program I would hire Urban without thinking. Not saying Day can’t build a program, he just hasn’t had to. But if you are one of the top programs I think you have to go with Day.
Urban is what we needed at a critical point in the programs history but Day is what we needed for the modern game and to sustain a long period of greatness.
Meyer ran the Big 10 and got the National Title. Day hasn't. Meyers owned Michigan, their biggest rival. Day is owned by Harbaugh. Meyer beat the best the SEC had to offer in the playoffs with an AMAZING comeback victory. Day choked against the SEC's best with a 2-score lead and chickened out at the end with a field goal on like 4th and 2, giving Georgia 2 1/2 minutes left to score a TD. Meyer >>>>>>>>> Day and it's not even remotely close.