Ryan Day earns $12.5 million a year at Ohio State on a seven year, $87.5 million contract that runs through the 2031 season. Ohio State agreed to the deal in February 2025, weeks after Day won the first 12 team College Football Playoff, and two months after a fourth straight loss to Michigan had put him on the hot seat. It added three years to his previous contract.
| Annual compensation | $12.5 million, including a $2 million base salary |
| Total value | $87.5 million over seven years |
| Buyout if Ohio State fires him | $11.5 million for each remaining year, but he must look for other work and the payments are reduced by whatever his next job pays (an offset) |
| If he leaves for another job | $4 million from Feb. 1, 2026, dropping $500,000 a year to $2 million after Feb. 1, 2030 |
| Signed after | The 2024 national title, with a 70 and 10 career record at the time |
How It Compares
| Coach | School | Annual pay |
|---|---|---|
| Curt Cignetti | Indiana | $13.2 million |
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | $13 million |
| Lane Kiffin | LSU | $13 million |
| Ryan Day | Ohio State | $12.5 million |
Contract terms are from Ohio State’s announcement and reporting by Eleven Warriors and the Associated Press. The full national list is on our college football coaching salaries page.
Why the Offset Matters
Unlike Kirby Smart or Curt Cignetti, Day’s buyout includes an offset: if Ohio State fired him, he would have to pursue another job and his new salary would come off what Ohio State owes. That makes his contract less protected than the other top earners, even though the per year guarantee is large. His own cost to leave is modest and falls every year, which matters given how often his name has been floated for other jobs.
The Bottom Line
Ryan Day makes $12.5 million a year on a seven year, $87.5 million Ohio State contract through 2031, with a $2 million base salary, an $11.5 million per year buyout that is offset by any new job, and a $4 million cost to leave that drops each year. Follow the Buckeyes on the Ohio State football schedule, Ohio State score today and Ohio State NIL.