Ryan Day had to hire security for his home following Michigan loss

It was a rumor in the coaching profession that, following their 13-10 loss to Michigan in November, Ryan Day had to hire 24/7 home security to protect his family from the threat of crazed Buckeye fans. That rumor was confirmed Monday night by none other than RJ Day, the Ohio State head coach's teenage son.

“We had security at our house. School was really bad,” RJ Day told The Athletic. “I didn’t really leave the house much ’til after the Tennessee game. It was rough, but you’ve gotta hang on in those rough times because eventually things will turn back around again.”

Thankfully, we don't have any reports of that security having to do anything, but that such a sentence was even written cuts at the unique nature of coaching Ohio State, and specifically this Ohio State team. Day's two immediate predecessors primed the fan base to blame him if this Buckeye team fell short of its national-title birthright back in the summer, and it certainly appeared this team would fall short after the last Saturday in November. 

 "I hear the stories behind the curtain, I know what he and his wife and his family go through. It's really, it's tough. It's tough to be a coach at a premium school where you're expected to win every game. He handled it with such class," Kirk Herbstreit said after the Buckeyes clinched the title Monday night.

Herbstreit's place in the relationship between the Ohio State coach and the Ohio State fan base is another element of this stew. 

"The lunatic fringe at Ohio State is as powerful as anywhere in the country," Herbstreit said as Ohio State polished off Tennessee last month. "It used to be 8-to-10 (percent). I think it's grown now to 15-to-20. I'm sure they'll be happy tonight, but God forbid they lose to Oregon. They may want to fire him again."

On the other end of the spectrum, you have Urban Meyer.

"I'm going to speak about the Ohio State fan base," Meyer's former boss and now part-time tormentor said before the championship game. "Are they rugged, are they tough, are they high expectations, do they expect you to win every game, beat your rival and win a national championship? I'll help you. You're damn right they do."

Some would argue Meyer is giving the so-called lunatic fringe tacit permission, or even encouragement, to be, well, lunatics. Meyer and others would argue he's simply reflecting reality as it is, and as only he can having walked in Day's shoes. 

Caught in the middle is Day himself.

When the story of this Ohio State season is told -- there will be documentaries, plural, about this team in due time -- the tale will likely begin with a 3-hour players-and-head-coach only meeting in the week after the Michigan game. Grievances were shared, hearts were opened, tears were shed, by player and coach alike. 

“Him just looking at us and being like, ‘I messed up,’” offensive lineman Josh Fryar said.

“You don’t see too often where a head coach might take the blame or a head coach might really listen to his players and what they’ve got to say,” said safety Lathan Ransom. “That’s what he did.”

In a Players Tribune essay, defensive end Jack Sawyer reported Day pulled his three children from school in the days following the Michigan game because the Day kids were hearing it not only from their classmates, but their teachers as well. 

The reception will be, ahem, quite a bit different when the Day kids return to school on Wednesday.

“Do we all just line up at Day’s house and apologize one by one?" an Ohio State fan said after the game. "We need to have a Ryan Apology Day.”