Ohio State HC Ryan Day under 'extreme pressure' heading into 2024

There's always pressure at Ohio State. The Buckeyes boast one of the only programs in all of college football that have a year-to-year expectation of winning championships.

That's just part of the gig when you're Ohio State's head coach, but unfortunately for Ryan Day, his last six years in Columbus haven't produced a championship.

To his credit, the Buckeyes did make the national championship in 2020 but they ended up losing to Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. They made the College Football Playoff again in 2022 but lost to the Georgia Bulldogs in the semifinal.

Ohio State has been great but not great enough in the Day area, which must be way the latest "pressure check rankings" from On3 believe he's under extreme pressure heading into 2024.

"Extreme? For a coach who’s 56-8? Yup. That’s the unique pressure cooker Day faces after losing to Michigan three times in a row and seeing their rival team up north win the championship in 2023," Jesse Simonton wrote. "Ohio State has pushed its chips all-in on this season, loading up on some of the top transfers in the portal and bringing back close to a dozen starters with NFL futures. If Day, who is stepping away from play-calling duties and is taking a more CEO approach to his role as head coach, can’t deliver a Big Ten title — and more — with this roster then he’ll face a fever-pitch of criticism and heat."

The 2024 season really does feel like Day's Hail Mary to finally win it all.

He won star safety Caleb Downs from Alabama in the transfer portal. Also, he brought in former Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins (1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns last season) and former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard (2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 2023).

Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, a former five-star and No. 1 overall recruit , has superstar potential and don't forget about TreVeyon Henderson, who rushed for 926 yards and 11 touchdowns last season in just 10 games.

Ultimately, the Buckeyes are stacked. Throw in some uncertainty over in Ann Arbor where Michigan — albeit the defending national champion — is breaking in a new head coach in the post-Jim Harbaugh era, and there's no reason to believe that OSU shouldn't be a championship contender yet again.

Can Day get the Buckeyes over the hump, though? That's the big question in Columbus heading into 2024, and thus the reason for the extreme pressure on the head coach.