Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was under a lot of pressure last season. The criticism of Japan has intensified after the Buckeyes failed to beat their top rival, Michigan Wolverines, in late November.
When he brought Ohio State to the college football playoff national championship, Day ended up sending a strong message to the skeptics. In a recent appearance on the "Triple Option" podcast, Day believes the Navy SEALs have provided some motivation for the Buckeyes when they run for the national championship.
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Ohio State head coach Ryan Day defeated Notre Dame at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 21, 2025. (Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today via Imagen Images network)
Clint Bruce, who previously played in the NFL and was a former Navy SEAL, stepped in and shared some wisdom about leadership with the football team.
"He was really nice to me in the process of understanding what it means to be a leader," Day said. "The soldiers are doing all the battles. It's your job as a head coach, leader and captain, along with Horizon looks and figure out what’s next. There are a lot of similarities between the army and the coach. He and I will share a lot of conversations.”
Ohio State's Ryan Day agrees to the new contract, which makes him the second highest-paid coach
Bruce graduated from the Naval Academy and was with the Baltimore Ravens and the New Orleans Saints. He is currently an inspirational speaker. He gave an "incredible speech" to the Buckeyes ahead of the playoff semifinals against the Texas Longhorns in January.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day lifted the trophy after winning the CFP national championship. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn image)
"We were playing in Dallas and it happened that the fortress he was five minutes away from our hotel," Day said. "He just came over and gave our team an incredible speech. He talked about it." When seals arrived at hot spots in Afghanistan or elsewhere, they opened stores, spent a few days regulating the area, and then they created a storm and then left. As much as possible. "
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA via Imagen Images network)
Day attributes Bruce's contribution to the program's culture, but he said players should get most of their credit in the way they are built.
"Expectations come from the players," he said. "We set up a leadership committee, we voted for it before the spring ball, and then we voted again after the spring dance. We wrote expectations on the board."
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This month, the contract extension will tie him to the 2031 football program. Day also became the second highest-paid coach in college football, only behind Georgia's Kirby Smart.
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