Columbus-area high school quarterback R.J. Day's decision to attend Northwestern has captured the attention of college football fans, not because he is an elite prospect, but because he is the son of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.
Fan Reactions to the Commitment
One fan joked on X: 'Ryan Day has been working on this recruit for 18 years but Northwestern landed him instead. Tough business!' In reality, the younger Day did not receive any official interest from the Buckeyes but chose Northwestern over reported offers from Purdue, Syracuse, Cincinnati, and South Florida.
'That's gotta be a tough convo to have as a Dad,' another commenter wrote. '[Kid] probably grew up wanting to play for OSU.' Many comments directed at R.J. were positive, congratulating him on joining a team in the elite Big Ten conference.
Announcement and Background
Now a member of Northwestern's 2027 recruiting class, R.J. announced the decision on Sunday as he and his family went out on Chicago's North Side. 'Super excited to announce my commitment to further my football and academic career at Northwestern University!!' he wrote on X. 'Thank you to everyone along my journey who has made this possible from my family... Excited for the next step and ready to get to work! Go 'Cats!'
R.J. played high school football at Columbus' St. Francis DeSales, in the shadow of a Buckeyes program his father led to a national championship in 2024. Although Ohio State was overtaken by conference rival and current reigning national champion Indiana last season, Day's Buckeyes enter the 2026 campaign with one of the country's top quarterbacks in Heisman finalist Julian Sayin. Additionally, Ryan Sr. added quarterbacks Luke Vahey in his 2026 recruiting class and Brady Edmunds for 2027, both standout prospects from California.
Future Speculation
R.J. will join a Wildcats roster slated to have eight quarterbacks in 2027, leading many to speculate he could ultimately leave the program to return to Columbus. 'He might be a graduate transfer at Ohio State,' one commenter wrote on X. For now, his decision to play for Northwestern gives him the chance to learn under first-year Wildcats offensive coordinator and former NFL head coach Chip Kelly. Interestingly, Kelly was the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire when R.J.'s father, Ryan, set several school passing records. Kelly later served as offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes in 2024 en route to the program's ninth national title.
Ryan Day is currently the fourth highest-paid college football coach in the country at $12.5 million a season. Indiana rival Curt Cignetti now tops the list with a $13.2 million annual salary.
