Reaffirming his status among college football’s elite coaches, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was named to the 2026 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award preseason watch list, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl Inc. announced on Thursday.
The award honors coaches in at least their second season who achieve above-average Academic Progress Rates alongside on-field, classroom, and community success.
Since he took over for former Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer in 2019, Day has the highest winning percentage among active FBS head coaches (.872) with an 82-12 overall record. Day has led Ohio State to two Big Ten Championships (2019-20), five College Football Playoff appearances with a 6-5 record in bowl games and the 2024 national title.
In 2025, Day led the Buckeyes to a 12-2 record with appearances in the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff. He was named a finalist for the Bobby Dodd Trophy alongside Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and the ultimate winner, Curt Cignetti of Indiana.
During his time with the Buckeyes, Day has coached a total of 27 first-team All-Americans, seven Heisman Trophy finalists and 69 NFL Draft picks, including 20 first-round selections.
Ohio State also has one of the best programs in the classroom under Day, posting four consecutive program-record Graduation Success Rate scores, a perfect 1,000 APR and program records with 61 Academic All-Big Ten honorees (2025) and 101 Scholar-Athletes (2025-26).
Day was among 20 coaches named to the preseason watch list, with seven Big Ten coaches earning recognition, including Cignetti, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Washington’s Jedd Fisch, USC’s Lincoln Riley and Illinois’ Bret Bielema.
The foundation will release a midseason watch list in the fall, before announcing the winner in Atlanta during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
