Ryan Day enjoyed the peak of his football coaching career on Monday, January 20 as the Ohio State Buckeyes won the College Football Playoffs against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but his bonus pales in comparison to previous ones.
The Buckeyes ran out 34-23 winners at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to win their ninth claimed championship in the history of the organization, with Will Howard starring on the night by throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns.
Upon claiming the 26.5-inch-tall and 50-pound bronze NCAA trophy with the final whistle, Day also netted himself a sweet bonus of $500,000 to take his net winnings from the postseason up to one million dollars.
Day makes less than his subordinates
However, that still trails Jim Harbaugh, who took three million dollars home with the Michigan Wolverines throughout the 2023/24 season, including one million dollars just for winning the CFP final.
Even within his own team, Day is not the biggest earner. Jim Knowles, the defense coordinator, took home $770,000 and Chip Kelly, the offensive coordinator, took home $700,000 for winning the last game of the season.
Buckeyes assistant coaches, in total, earned 35% of their base salary for the season with the triumph with five percent of that coming from the game against the Fighting Irish in the heart of Georgia.
It also highlights the vast funding the Buckeyes’ program has at their disposal considering Knowles‘ bonus alone eclipses the salaries of 18 head coaches, but the cash was clearly well placed with their new status as national champions.
Day won’t be too fussed, however. He ultimately earns a salary of $10 million per annum so he’s not exactly strapped for cash and is one of the highest-earning NCAA football coaches.
The overall highest-paid head coach, though, is Kirby Smart with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Smart made $13m in 2023/24.