After winning the national championship, Michigan football rival, Ohio State, extended head coach Ryan Day for three years and is now getting paid $12.5 million according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.
Here's the @espn story on Ryan Day's new seven-year deal at Ohio State. He'll make a $12.5 million flat base for seven seasons. Per sources, his bonus structure will be similar to his last deal, which gives him the opportunity to earn more. https://t.co/wFRoBRIszY
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 6, 2025
It's very similar to the number Michigan football offered Jim Harbaugh to stay last season, before he chose the NFL and the chance to chase a Super Bowl with the Chargers.
Day didn't have that opportunity. NFL teams weren't knocking down his door and I don't see that happening anytime soon. Few coaches can have success in college and the NFL. Day doesn't strike me as one.
Still, he's an elite college football head coach. Day led Ohio State on a great run to win the national title, one of the best four-game stretches we have ever seen. That still doesn't change the fact that he's 1-4 against Michigan with four straight losses.
Ohio State won the natty. The Buckeyes also finished fourth in the Big Ten, lost to Michigan and had two losses, making them the first two-loss national champion in almost two decades.
All that being said, Ohio State won the national title. It might not compare to the Michigan football national championship in 2023, but it's a title nonetheless. And Ryan Day deserved his extension.
Michigan football fans should also be cautious about celebrating Day's extension. A bunch of Ohio State fans did that -- even the official Ohio State football account acted happy when Harbaugh was re-signed.
And we all know what happened next. Harbaugh didn't lose another game to Ohio State or Day and after three straight Big Ten titles and wins over Ohio State, Harbaugh left U-M after a national championship -- something few thought possible.
So even though it would be easy to celebrate Day's new deal as a sign of continued success, Michigan fans don't want to become like Ohio State fans.
Not that what fans do will impact anything on the field, but Karma is a real thing, and, cheering Day's extension is tempting Karma a little too much for my liking.