Ohio State football's Ryan Day one of 4 coaches to earn $1 million in bonuses
01/21/2025 08:49 PM
For Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day, a trophy wasn’t the only reward as his Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff Championship on Monday night. Day claimed $1 million in bonuses during the team’s run through the playoffs, which included $500,000 alone for winning the national championship.
The other $500,000 in bonuses were gained by:
- Making the College Football Playoff ($100,000)
- Making the CFP quarterfinals ($150,000)
- Making the CFP semifinals ($100,000)
- Making the CFP championship game ($150,000)
Day became the fourth coach in college football this season to reach at least $1 million in bonuses, joining Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham ($2.6 million), Indiana’s Curt Cignetti ($1.5 million), and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell ($1.35 million).
Day’s success trickled down to other Ohio State staffers, who were also able to reap the benefits of a national championship. The team’s 10 “primary” assistant coaches, along with the program’s head strength coach, will combine for $4.3 million in bonuses, while Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork will claim $50,000 solely due to the Buckeyes reaching the CFP championship game.
After receiving “rough” treatment from Ohio State fans following the team’s fourth straight loss to rival Michigan to end the regular season, Day channeled all the anger and frustration onto the field for a dominant playoff run.
The Buckeyes annihilated Southeastern Conference foe Tennessee in the first round, 42-17, before stunning top-ranked and previously undefeated Oregon 41-21 in the quarterfinals. After dispatching of Texas in a hard-fought semifinal, Day and Buckeyes held on for a 34-23 championship victory over Notre Dame in Atlanta on Monday night.
"The story gets to get told now, and it’s a great story about a bunch of guys who have just overcome some really tough situations," Ryan Day told ESPN after Monday’s win. "There was a point where there was a lot of people that counted us out and we just kept swinging and kept fighting. It’s the reason why you get into coaching, is to see guys overcome things, learn life lessons, and then reach their dreams. That’s what happened tonight."
Day and his staff will have the opportunity to collect more bonus money next season, as Ohio State has been slated as the early favorites by FanDuel Sportsbook to repeat as national champions. The Buckeyes are sitting at +450 followed by Texas and Oregon, both at +650.
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