ATLANTA (Sept. 25, 2023) - Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. today announced that Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day has been selected as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Presented by PNC Bank.
The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
No. 6 Ohio State defeated No. 9 Notre Dame in South Bend on Saturday in a top-10 showdown between undefeated teams. Ryan Day led his team to a 17-14 victory, giving the Buckeyes their sixth consecutive win against the Irish and improving Coach Day's record in true road games to 17-1. DeaMonte Trayanum scored on a 1-yard run on Ohio State's final play from scrimmage to cap off a 15-play, 65-yard drive to win the game. Quarterback Kyle McCord completed 21-of-37 passes for 240 yards, while TreVeyon Henderson led the Buckeyes' rushing attack with 104 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.
"Coach Day had his team prepared to fight to the very last second and pull out a huge road victory against a top-10 opponent," said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. "Coach Dodd would have admired the Buckeyes resiliency, coming from behind late in the fourth and winning the game on a last-second touchdown."
Day was named head coach at Ohio State following the 2018 season when he served as interim head coach for three games. Coach Day has guided Ohio State to a 49-6 overall record, which includes a 32-2 mark against Big Ten competition and 17 wins against top-25 teams. He has led Ohio State to back-to-back Big Ten championships in 2019 and 2020, and his Buckeyes are the only program in the nation to qualify for the College Football Playoffs three times since 2019. Day has coached 18 first-team All-Americans, six consecutive Big Ten Quarterback of the Year honorees, five consecutive Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honorees and five Heisman Trophy finalists. Before being named head coach in Columbus, Day also coached at New Hampshire, Boston College, Florida and Temple on the collegiate level, along with stops in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers.
In the classroom, Ohio State's student-athletes have reached new milestones under Day, earning an impressive 993 Academic Progress Rate during the last academic year, while also recording a Graduation Success Rate of 86 in 2022. Under his leadership, the Buckeyes have also set program records for the number of OSU Scholar-Athletes (61 in 2020-21) and Academic All-Big Ten Conference honorees (46 in 2021).
Off the football field, Day and his wife, Christina, announced a $1 million donation in 2022 to the OSU Wexner Medial Center and College of Medicine through their newly established Nina and Ryan Day Resilience Fund. This fund focuses on young adults and will be used to fight the stigma of mental health challenges, creating more and easier-to-access resources for treatment of mental health issues. His philanthropy has been an extension of what changes Day has made in the football program, which has prioritized mental health since he was named the Buckeyes head football coach.
"Coach Day continues to make tremendous progress within his football program, not only prioritizing success on the gridiron, but also in the classroom and in the community," said Gary Stokan, CEO and president of Peach Bowl, Inc. "With his leadership to coach his student-athletes into becoming great young men after their time at Ohio State, coach Day epitomizes what this award truly stands for and is truly deserving of this honor after his impressive win over the weekend."
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank – along with the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Award – celebrates the head coach of a FBS team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
A panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2023 season. The winner of the 2023 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
