Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day Could Earn Up To $1.55 Million In Incentives This Season

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day could receive as much as $1.55 million in incentives this season after the university approved a contract amendment on Wednesday that updated the bonus structure of Day’s contract to reflect the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

According to the amendment, which still needs to be approved by Ohio State’s Board of Trustees on Thursday, Day would receive a $1 million bonus if he leads Ohio State to its first national championship in a decade. 

The Buckeyes’ head coach will receive a bonus worth $500,000 if he leads his team to the national championship, $350,000 if Ohio State makes the CFP semifinals, $250,000 if Ohio State makes it to the second round of the CFP and $100,000 if it makes the 12-team playoff. 

Day would also earn an additional $250,000 bonus if Ohio State wins the Big Ten Championship Game, and a $50,000 bonus for an appearance in the conference final. 

Other bonuses for Day include $50,000 if he wins Big Ten Coach of the Year, $100,000 if he wins national coach of the year honors and $150,000 if his team earns a combined team GPA of 3.5 or better. 

These amendments could give the sixth-year Ohio State coach an added increase in earnings from last season, which totaled over $10 million, $9.96 million in pay along with a $250,000 retention bonus. 

In addition to Day’s contract amendment, four new head coaches also received contract extensions on Wednesday. 

Women’s basketball’s Kevin McGuff received a two-year contract extension through 2028 and a 3.25 percent merit increase to bring his salary to $1,111383 after leading the Buckeyes to a 26-6 record and Big Ten regular season title. 

Longtime men’s tennis leader Ty Tucker, who led the Buckeyes to a 34-2 record and appearance in the NCAA Tournament semifinals last season, received a three-year contract extension through 2029 and a 14.85 percent increase in base salary to $390,000. 

Finally, women’s volleyball’s Jen Flynn Oldenberg and wrestling’s Tom Ryan both earned two-year extension that will have them under contract through 2027, with Oldenberg also earning a 32.48 percent base salary increase to bump her salary up to $400,000, and Ryan getting a 5 percent increase to $446,500.