Oh, what a difference four games make.
In December, Ryan Day wouldn't have been caught dead anywhere other than the Woody and his security-enclosed house.
One national championship later, he's in New York doing the talk show circuit.
Day did his share of post-championship interviews within the sports media, and this week he spoke to audiences that may or may not have known there was a college football national championship awarded this month.
We here in this corner of American culture are obsessed with college football, but it's easy to forget that in a nation where 22 million watched Ohio State beat Notre Dame, 313 million did not.
In between running Ohio State's defensive coordinator search, preparing for the possibility of losing his offensive coordinator and offensive line coach to the NFL, making the rounds as the Buckeyes begin assembling their 2026 recruiting class, setting the roster for 2025 and beginning Ohio State's national title defense, Day also introduced the national title trophy to a portion of the 313 million who thought Jack Sawyer was a Mark Twain character.
On Monday, Day sat with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show
Fit: Gray sport coat over black pants. It's giving Church elder in group interview with new pastoral candidate.
Chemistry with the host: Forced
Best question: "How do you keep the team motivated and positive after (the Michigan) loss?"
Day's answer: "I think that's the story of this team. I think there's so many people that can learn from this team. We have an unbelievable group of guys
What non-Ohio State topics was the host more interested in?: The viral golf chart crash after the game, LeBron James, Day's Super Bowl prediction
Next, it was time to make a different demographic aware of Ohio State football's existence by sitting down with The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Fit: Checkered button-down over khaki pants. It's giving Mortgage broker who cuts out of the office early to catch his kiddo's little league game.
Chemistry with the host: Non-existent
Best question: "It has to be just the hardest thing to be a coach. When you win I feel like they're always like, 'It's the players.' When you lose it's like, 'The coach sucks!' It's such a hard position to be put in. Do you enjoy that? Why do you do this?"
What non-football topics was the host more interested in?: Again, the viral golf chart crash after the game, and Ryan and his wife Nina meeting as six-year-olds.
Interestingly, both shows asked Day for his perspective on the Super Bowl, a game he's surely thought little about. When the entertainment media thinks football, its depth of knowledge may or may not fill up a shot glass.
Anyway, that was a fun diversion to see Day be a fish out of water for 10 minutes of "regular" television before, we assume, gladly returning to our corner of the culture.