The reactions came fast and furious when Ryan Day led Ohio State to a national championship after coming under intense scrutiny following the Buckeyes’ loss to Michigan at the end of the regular season.
Ohio State managed to hold off Notre Dame after a push in the fourth quarter for a 34-23 win on Monday in Atlanta for the program’s first national title since 2014.
The championship win prompted several notable individuals to speak out in support of the Buckeyes head coach on social media.
“Seems that Ryan Day CAN WIN BIG GAMES,” Robert Griffin III posted on X right after the Buckeyes secured the win.
The former NFL quarterback followed that up with another post about Day.
“They ain’t trying to fire Ryan Day ANYMORE,” Griffin wrote, referencing the calls from Ohio State fans who wanted to see Day’s tenure end.
Former Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins also chimed in on social media with a post congratulating Day by writing, “You deserve this moment!”
ESPN broadcaster and former Ohio State QB Kirk Herbstreit had an emotional reaction to the championship and everything that Day went through during his postgame analysis.
“I hear the stories behind the curtain, I know what he and his wife and his family go through,” Herbstreit said. “It’s really, it’s tough. It’s tough to be a coach at a premium school where you’re expected to win every game. He handled it with such class.”
Day even seemed to get a little respect from one notable Notre Dame fan.
Comedian and well-known Fighting Irish fan Shane Gillis posted on X, “We all agree Ryan Day is cool as hell right.”
Day led the Buckeyes to a 10-2 regular season record with their only losses coming to Oregon and Michigan.
Still, the calls for Day’s job and the questions about the team’s ability to truly compete for a national championship continued.
Ohio State had to go through a gauntlet just to reach the national championship game, defeating Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff then taking down No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl followed by a win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl.
The Buckeyes staved off the late push from Notre Dame and sealed the win when quarterback Will Howard hit Jeremiah Smith for a 56-yard pass that put the Buckeyes on the Fighting Irish 10-yard line with a little more than two and a half minutes left in the game.
“It’s the reason why you get into coaching,” Day told ESPN on the field postgame. “See guys overcome things, learn life lessons, and reach their dreams. That’s what happened tonight.”