Ryan Day Salary: Ohio State Coach Joins Top Five Highest-Paid College Football Coaches

Ohio State is giving Ryan Day a raise, making him one of the five highest-paid coaches in college football. The Buckeyes' head coach has received a two-year contract extension that includes an increase of nearly $2 million per year.

Day’s contract is worth $9.5 million a year and lasts through the 2028 college football season. Day has a base salary of $2 million per year, according to the school. Day had a salary of $7.6 million a year, which put him 10th among all college coaches before the 2022 season.

After signing the extension, Day makes less money than only a small handful of college football coaches. USC lured Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma with a contract that’s been speculated to be worth $110 million. Alabama’s Nick Saban makes more than $9 million per season.

Day is tied with Michigan State’s Mel Tucker as the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten. In November, Tucker signed a 10-year, 95 million extension.

Brian Kelly left Notre Dame to coach LSU for a reported $100 million contract.

Ohio State hasn’t taken any kind of a step back since Day replaced Urban Meyer. Day has a 34-4 record as the Buckeyes’ head coach, never suffering more than two losses in a single season. Ohio State went 11-2 in 2021, concluding the campaign with a win in the Rose Bowl over Utah.

Day has led Ohio State to a pair of College Football Playoff appearances in three full seasons as the head coach. Two seasons ago, Ohio State was defeated by Alabama in the national championship game.