Dynasty Bound: Ryan Day Inks Monumental 2031 Extension After Delivering National Championship—Buckeye Faithful Already Eye 2026 Repeat

The scarlet-and-gray confetti from Ohio State’s latest national-title celebration has barely been swept off the Mercedes-Benz Stadium turf, yet the university has already locked in the architect of that triumph for the rest of the decade. On Monday morning, athletic director Ross Bjork announced that head coach Ryan Day has agreed to a new seven-year contract—valued at a staggering $12.5 million annually and running through the 2031 season—firmly planting a Buckeye flag atop college football’s financial summit and signaling that Columbus intends this championship to be the first stroke of a crimson dynasty.

Day’s pact extends his previous agreement by three seasons, rewarding a 70-10 coaching record that now includes Ohio State’s first national crown since 2014 and the program’s ninth overall. The timing is no coincidence: the extension arrives four months after the Buckeyes navigated a grueling College Football Playoff gauntlet—dispatching Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame—to hoist the trophy in Atlanta. Bjork called the deal “an investment in sustained excellence,” emphasizing that stability is the new currency in an era of realignment and portal chaos.

At $12.5 million per year, Day vaults to No. 2 on the salary list behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart, resetting the Big Ten pay scale and further flexing the conference’s media-rights muscle. The package reportedly carries an $11.5 million school buyout for each remaining year and $1.55 million in potential performance bonuses, along with a $250,000 retention kicker in 2027. For comparison, Day’s previous contract averaged just over $10 million—meaning a nearly 25 percent raise for a coach whose win percentage already tops every active FBS leader not named Smart.

In a statement released by the university, Day thanked players, staff, and fans “for making Columbus the epicenter of college football” and reiterated his core mantra of “Fight, Finish, Family.” Translation: the culture that forged a championship roster in 2025 must now sustain the program through the portal frenzy and NIL arms race. Internally, Day is expected to keep offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and defensive wunderkind Jim Knowles in place with salary bumps, preserving the schematic continuity that carried Ohio State past previously lethal Michigan and into playoff domination.

Within minutes of the news, The Foundation, Ohio State’s primary NIL collective, reported a 28 percent spike in new booster subscriptions. Social-media feeds flooded with calls for back-to-back titles, and Columbus sports-talk lines lit up with debate over whether Day can match Urban Meyer’s 90-percent win clip—or even surpass the legendary Woody Hayes in total rings. One prominent booster quipped, “If Smart can build a dynasty in Athens, what’s stopping Day from doing the same in Columbus—especially now that he’s getting paid like it?”

Day’s first priority this summer is retaining quarterback phenom Grant Kienholz, the playoff MVP who surprised many by announcing he’ll return for his junior season. Alongside Kienholz, All-American left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.—a 2024 portal coup—anchors a line expected to send three starters to the NFL next spring. Defensively, Knowles’ vaunted “jack” position will be manned by five-star edge rusher Zion Lynch, part of a 2025 recruiting haul ranked No. 1 by every major service. With a College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams in 2026, Ohio State’s path to January glory looks both wider and more treacherous, but Day’s roster management game plan—blend veteran super-seniors with immediate-impact freshmen—has already proven playoff-caliber.

Day’s raise amplifies pressure on Michigan’s Sherrone Moore and Penn State’s James Franklin, neither of whom has yet won the expanded CFP. Meanwhile, USC’s Lincoln Riley and Oregon’s Dan Lanning—fresh entrants to the Big Ten this fall—now face an Ohio State administration willing to spend SEC-level cash to stay ahead. Multiple agents told CBS Sports that Day’s extension will become “the new north star” for elite coaching negotiations heading into the 2025 season.

Critics once wondered whether Ryan Day could win “the big one.” That question died the moment the Buckeyes sealed a 35-31 thriller over Notre Dame. The next benchmark is more daunting: can Day construct a run of championships that echoes Alabama’s 2010s stretch or even rides beyond? By locking him up through 2031, Ohio State is betting the answer is yes—and Buckeye fans, invigorated by fresh hardware, believe the dynasty clock has already started.