Winning 90% of your games is usually enough to get a statue built in your honor. In Columbus, Ohio, it’s apparently enough to get death threats and an armed guard stationed at your front door.
That is the bizarre, high-stakes reality for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.
Honestly, it’s a situation that has reached a boiling point, prompting former Buckeye quarterback and current ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit to go on the offensive. He isn't just offering a mild "stick with your guy" speech. He’s actively calling out a segment of the population he’s dubbed the "lunatic fringe."
If you’ve been following the soap opera that is Big Ten football over the last couple of years, you know the narrative. Day is the guy who "inherited a Ferrari" from Urban Meyer but can’t seem to drive it past the Michigan finish line. Or at least, that was the story until very recently.
The Breaking Point: Death Threats and Armed Guards
During the 2024 College Football Playoff run, specifically during the Buckeyes' 42-17 dismantling of Tennessee, Herbstreit didn't use the broadcast to just talk X's and O's. He used it as a shield for his friend.
Herbstreit revealed some pretty dark details that the average fan watching at home probably didn't realize. We're talking about Ryan Day needing 24/7 armed security at his home. We're talking about his wife, Christina "Nina" Day, and their children receiving death threats from people who claim to "love" the Buckeyes.
"That hurts my heart," Herbstreit said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. He wasn't just being a "shill" for the program. He was speaking as a guy who gets texts from the coach’s wife asking how to handle the devastation of being hated by your own community.
It’s easy to forget these are actual human beings when you’re screaming at a TV screen because of a botched screen pass. Herbstreit’s defense isn’t just about the record on the field; it’s about the fact that 15-20% of the fan base has, in his eyes, completely lost their minds.
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Kirk Herbstreit Defends Ryan Day from Ohio State Critics
The term "lunatic fringe" has become Herbstreit’s favorite weapon. He estimates that this group used to be about 5-10% of the fan base back in the early 2010s. Now? He thinks it’s nearly a fifth of the Buckeye nation.
Why the spike in vitriol?
Social media is the obvious culprit, but there’s also the psychological trauma of the "The Game." Before 2021, Ohio State fans had basically forgotten what it felt like to lose to Michigan. When Jim Harbaugh and later Sherrone Moore ripped off four straight wins against the Buckeyes, the collective psyche in Columbus fractured.
Herbstreit pointed out a massive irony during the 2024 postseason:
"First Take tried to fire him. They thought he was done... They had him out, trying to find replacements. But here he is. He’s still got his hat on. He’s still coaching."
He was taking a direct shot at his own colleagues, specifically Stephen A. Smith, who had been banging the drum that Day should be fired if he couldn't get past the first round of the playoffs. Herbstreit’s point was simple: the "punditry" and the "fringe" feed off each other. It creates a vacuum where a coach with an 80-10 record is treated like he’s 0-12.
The Michigan Dragon Finally Slain
The pressure reached a literal fever pitch in late 2025. Entering "The Game" in Ann Arbor, Ryan Day was carrying the weight of a four-game losing streak to the Wolverines. The "fire Day" chants weren't just on Twitter; they were happening in the stands at Ohio Stadium.
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Then, November 29, 2025 happened.
Ohio State didn't just win; they strangled Michigan 27-9. It was a masterclass in "toughness"—the very thing critics said Day’s teams lacked. After the game, Day was visibly emotional, a guy who looked like he’d finally put down a 500-pound backpack he’d been carrying for four years.
"You could see it in my face the last couple of years," Day admitted. "You just feel like you’re letting everybody down."
Herbstreit was right there to remind everyone that the "lunatic fringe" would probably find something else to complain about—maybe the margin of victory or a missed field goal—but the win essentially validated everything Herbie had been screaming about. Day didn't suddenly become a better coach overnight. He was always that coach. The "fringe" just refused to see it because they were blinded by one specific scoreboard.
Why This Matters for the Future of the Sport
What Herbstreit is doing is actually kind of dangerous for his own "brand." Ohio State fans are notoriously defensive, and many have turned on Herbstreit, calling him an "SEC shill" or saying he hates his alma mater.
He doesn't care.
His son, Chase Herbstreit, actually committed to play for Michigan. Think about that for a second. The vitriol from the Ohio State fan base toward the Herbstreit family reached a point where the next generation of that family decided to go to the "enemy."
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Herbstreit’s defense of Day is a warning. If you run off a coach who wins 90% of his games because he isn't "perfect," who are you going to get? You risk becoming Nebraska. You risk decades of irrelevance because you couldn't handle the "psychotic standard" of modern college football.
Basically, the "pundits" want the drama. The "fringe" wants blood. Herbstreit is the only one standing in the middle saying, "Look at the actual numbers, you jackasses."
How to Evaluate the Ryan Day Era
If you want to look at this like a rational human being (the "80%" Herbstreit actually likes), here is how you should actually judge Ryan Day:
- Recruiting Prowess: He has consistently kept Ohio State in the top 3-5 of talent composites.
- The Michigan Hurdle: He is now 2-4 against Michigan. Not great, but the 2025 win snapped the narrative that he "couldn't" win the big one.
- Playoff Consistency: Under Day, Ohio State is a perennial playoff team. In the 12-team era, they are essentially a lock.
- Human Element: He has handled more personal attacks and family-targeted Vitriol than almost any coach in the country with a winning record.
The reality is that Ryan Day is one of the top three coaches in college football. Period. If he were fired tomorrow, he’d have 20 job offers by lunchtime. Herbstreit isn't defending a "friend" because he's biased; he's defending him because the alternative is madness.
Moving forward, the focus for the Buckeyes shifts to the expanded playoff. With the Michigan monkey off his back, Day has the "freedom" to coach without looking over his shoulder at his own front lawn.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Critics:
- Check the context: Before joining the "fire everyone" bandwagon, look at the historical winning percentages of "legendary" coaches. Day's is higher than almost all of them.
- Separate the person from the play: Criticism of a game plan is fair. Contacting a coach’s family or sending threats is a criminal issue, not a sports debate.
- Ignore the "Hot Take" economy: Shows like First Take are designed to provoke. They aren't coaching searches.
- Watch the 2026 recruiting cycle: See if the stability Day has shown, backed by guys like Herbstreit, continues to attract five-star talent who want to play for a coach that survives the storm.
Day isn't going anywhere. And as long as the "lunatic fringe" keeps screaming, expect Kirk Herbstreit to keep the mic hot in his defense.