The Inside Story of How Ryan Day Built an NFL Quarterback Factory at Ohio State
College football programs have long carried nicknames for producing certain positions. Penn State churns out linebackers, LSU feeds the NFL defensive backs, and Wisconsin has a pipeline for offensive linemen. Columbus, however, was instead known for what they could not produce. For decades, Ohio State quarterbacks were game managers at best, athletic runners at worst, and almost never serious NFL prospects. That reputation is now gone, but it didn’t change by accident.
The Buckeyes’ shift started when Ryan Day walked into the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in 2017 as a relatively unknown quarterbacks coach with NFL ties. By the time he replaced Urban Meyer as head coach two years later, Ohio State’s passing game had exploded into one of the most feared in the country. Suddenly, the Buckeyes had something they hadn’t produced in more than three decades: first-round quarterbacks.
Flipping The Script
Before Day, the numbers were brutal. Between Art Schlichter in 1982 and Dwayne Haskins in 2019, Ohio State sent 48 players to the first round of the NFL Draft, but not one was a quarterback. The offense relied on option runs and play-action, which rarely put quarterbacks in a pro-style system. Coaches like Jim Tressel and Meyer won national titles with the formula, but the NFL wasn’t buying stock in Buckeye passers.
That changed when Haskins got his shot. After Tristen Wallace, a dual-threat QB prospect, flipped his commitment in 2015, the staff pivoted to Haskins, a polished passer committed to Maryland. He landed in Columbus and, under Day’s direction, delivered a historic 2018 season: 4,831 passing yards, 50 touchdowns, and a completion rate of 70 percent.
Ohio State shattered Big Ten records for passing yards and completions, and the stereotype of the run-heavy Buckeye quarterback became outdated. Washington drafted Haskins 15th overall in 2019, and made him the first Buckeye passer selected in the first round since the Reagan administration.
Recruiting Shifts Into Overdrive
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With Haskins as proof of concept, Day didn’t need to pitch much. Quarterback recruits started calling him. Justin Fields, frustrated at Georgia, transferred in 2019 and quickly developed into an NFL-ready passer. Over two seasons in Columbus, he threw 63 touchdowns against only nine interceptions. His performance vaulted him into the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, where the Chicago Bears selected him 11th overall.
The effect rippled through recruiting. Kyle McCord flipped his interest after watching Ohio State’s offense torch Penn State in a White Out in 2018. C.J. Stroud, an elite California passer, bought into Day’s system and emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in program history by throwing for more than 8,000 yards in two seasons. When Stroud went second overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, Ohio State had consecutive first-round signal callers in Haskins, Fields, and Stroud.
Day was winning recruiting battles and developing transfers on the side. Will Howard, an efficient but unspectacular quarterback at Kansas State, jumped to Ohio State in 2024 and saw his passer rating skyrocket. McCord transferred out to Syracuse but had already boosted his stock after a season under Day. Even when not producing top 10 picks, the Buckeyes were pumping out NFL draft selections.
Pressure, Setbacks, And Breakthrough
For all the quarterback success, Day’s tenure hasn’t been smooth. He endured four straight losses to Michigan, each adding more heat to his seat. By 2024, the criticism was deafening, and fans were calling for change despite the NFL quarterbacks the program had developed.
The breakthrough came in January 2025 when Ohio State outlasted Notre Dame to claim its ninth national championship. Day’s celebratory headset toss became an image of relief as much as triumph.
Howard delivered in the playoffs, and freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith made the defining catch. Day’s decision to hand play-calling to Chip Kelly freed him to manage the bigger picture.
The Next Chapter
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Now the job belongs to Julian Sayin, a five-star transfer who originally enrolled at Alabama before Nick Saban’s retirement shook the college football world. At 6-foot-1, Sayin doesn’t fit the NFL prototype on paper, but he has what Day values most: accuracy, quick decision-making, and poise. He takes the reins in 2025 with the expectation of keeping the streak alive.