ATLANTA — Chip Kelly was talking last weekend about his friend of nearly 30 years, emphasizing the importance of family for Ohio State coach Ryan Day.

“Every decision he makes,” said Kelly, Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, “Revolves around his family.”

It is here where we introduce Nina Day, Ryan Day’s wife of 19 years — and why the coach with the highest active winning percentage should walk away from Ohio State after Monday night’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship game. 

Get out, and get away from the toxic Ohio State fan base ― and everything that comes with it. When a job begins to suck the joy from life, it’s time to get out.

No matter how many tens of millions it pays, or how intoxicating the idea of winning it all at the biggest, baddest program in college football. No matter how important it seems.

Because nothing means more than the girl he met four decades ago in Manchester, New Hampshire, when they were both 6 ― and have since traveled life together, in one form or another, since those elementary school days.

If ever there were a doubt that Day could execute the ultimate walk-off and leave Ohio State after winning it all, consider Nina’s recent interview last week with WBNS-TV in Columbus — where she reflected on life since late November, after another loss to bitter rival Michigan.

Since they had to put an armed guard outside the family home for protection.

“The weeks between the Michigan and (CFP) Tennessee game were brutal,” Nina told WBNS. “I was very upset by what was happening to some of our players, my children. It just wasn’t right.”

It was then that Nina explained a family ritual during the season, one that – more than anything – underscores the severity of what the family has dealt with since Ryan was named head coach in December 2018.

“Before he leaves (for games),” Nina said, “He says, ‘No matter what, we always have each other.’”

As he walked off the field at Mercedes Benz Stadium, pushing through the crowd and protected by security, Day passed from the field to the tunnel and shook a triumphant fist to cheering Ohio State fans.

The same Ohio State fans who, two months ago, were chanting, ‘F– you, Ryan Day’ to the uber-successful Buckeyes coach as he walked off the field at Ohio Stadium, another brutal loss to Michigan in tow.

‘This game can bring you to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,’ Day said after the confetti fell Monday night and the remarkable turnaround was complete.

Rarely have the tables turned so quickly, with so much at stake.

‘It can bring you to your knees,’ he added.

It can bring a family to a breaking point.

Never, under any circumstance, should the coach at any university leave his home, his safe solitude from high-level stress, and reassure his family that – no matter what – they always have each other because some lunatic fan base isn’t happy that Michigan has the upper hand in a rivalry. 

Forget about what Day said in November about the rivalry, how he compared the game to war. How there are casualties and consequences for the loser. 

That’s a desperate man tossing chum to a rabid fan base, a group of unreasonable and unapologetic fans doling out the unthinkable to young men playing a game.

A game, everyone. 

The Day family has three children under the age of 16, three kids who clearly have been impacted by the 24/7, 365 nonsense of ‘Ohio Against The World.’ Or whatever strange soliloquy the scarlet and gray mob spout these days. 

This is the same fan base that once protected former coach Urban Meyer, and his history of poor personal decisions, at all cost. All because he was 7-0 vs. That Team Up North. 

Meanwhile, the wife of the coach who just lost for the fourth consecutive time to Xichigan (they refuse to use the “M” in Columbus), told WBNS that she had to see a therapist because of the absolute insanity surrounding the program. 

And when Nina Day was done pouring her heart out on local television – what coach’s wife in their right mind would publicly pour their heart out unless it had truly hit a breaking point? – the bobblehead anchors on local Columbus television applauded her for perseverance through “tough times.”

Tough times? Tough times?! What world are we living in?

I have some advice for Ryan Day, 45, who earns $10 million annually to be the caretaker of this zoo: leave.

Now.

Walk away with your pride, your dignity and your wife’s and family’s safety and security. Drop the mic after reaching the mountaintop of college football, and leave with no regrets.

He has an athletic director (Ross Bjork) who will fight for and with him, and he can name his salary. But is it really worth it? 

What looked strange and bizarre at the end of the Michigan game is now coming into focus. Day looked dazed and confused that day, standing and watching his players fight Michigan players at midfield in the aftermath ― and doing nothing about it. 

He must have been imagining just how bad it would get with the wacko fan base. The same fan base that nearly 15 years ago, forced Kirk Herbstreit – ESPN’s college football analyst and a former Ohio State quarterback – to move his family from Columbus to Nashville to escape the madness. 

A beloved alum, the definition of ambassador for the university and all it holds sacred, Herbstreit walked away because he feared for his family’s safety. Now Day, after winning the school’s first national title since 2014, should do the same. 

Walk away and coach somewhere else, or don’t coach at all. 

Take a job in the NFL, where he spent time with the Eagles (2015) and 49ers (2016) as quarterbacks coach, before arriving at Ohio State as Meyer’s offensive coordinator. Leave for the (mostly) sane professional process of the NFL, where the Saints, Cowboys, Jaguars, Raiders and Jets are looking for new direction. 

Where the league that values the vertical passing game – Day has developed some of the best quarterbacks and receivers for the NFL draft – would embrace his elite track record. 

A record that, prior to the 2023 season at Ohio State with first-year starting quarterback Kyle McCord, had produced quarterbacks who averaged 41 touchdown passes per season.

A record that saw quarterbacks Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud selected in the first round, and wide receivers Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr. join the elite of the league.    

More than anything, Day should walk away from the nonstop circus inside the Ohio State bubble. It’s not worth it mentally, physically and emotionally.

“When you go through difficult times,’ Nina Day told the Ohio State cheer squad at WBNS, “you hold on tight to the ones you love.”

And you do what’s right for them, and protect them.

No matter what. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

Ohio State played like a juggernaut in College Football Playoff en route to national championship.
Notre Dame rally turns blowout into tight finish.
Once widely ridiculed, Ryan Day earns crowning achievement.

ATLANTA — College football’s regular season told us no super team existed. The regular season lied. The College Football Playoff unmasked the truth.

Nobody could keep up with the Buckeyes when they performed at their best, and that includes Notre Dame.

Ohio State completed their march to national championship glory by turning back the Irish, 34-23, on Monday.

The Irish used a second-half rally to turn what had become a blowout in the third quarter into a tight finish. That Notre Dame refused to go without a fight should come as no surprise. These Irish dripped with resilience, but no opponent could match Ohio State’s personnel.

Buckeyes fans like to say their quest is one of Ohio against the World. Well, the World got humbled in these playoffs. Ohio State smashed Tennessee, blitzed Oregon, survived Texas and worked Notre Dame.

Coronate these Buckeyes as the worthy kings of this first 12-team playoff.

The way Ohio State played on this night, nobody in this playoff bracket would have stopped it, and 2019 LSU or 2020 Alabama or one of Kirby Smart’s national championship squads would have needed to appear up at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to topple the Buckeyes. The Irish used toughness and grit and timely big plays to advance this far, but they were outclassed against this opponent.

Will Howard masterful for Ohio State against Notre Dame

Ohio State’s offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson ripped off big runs and Notre Dame’s man coverage became no match for the Buckeyes inimitable cast of wide receivers.

In the middle of it all, maestro Will Howard just kept moving the chains. One completion, two completions, three completions, more. Thirteen completions, Howard fired, before one of his passes finally hit the turf.

By halftime, Howard had twice as many touchdown passes (two) as incompletions.

With Howard’s offensive line protecting him like royalty, he comfortably scanned the field and carved up the defense with the ease of a captain guiding a ship through still waters. He sprinkled in a handful key runs, while proving the Buckeyes made a wise choice plucking Howard out of the transfer portal to complete this puzzle.

The Buckeyes converted seven consecutive third downs before their placekicker finally had to shake loose the dust in the third quarter.

Needing one big play to finish this victory, Howard cemented his Buckeyes legacy with a 57-yard dime to Jeremiah Smith. Simply put, an iconic performance from the Buckeyes quarterback.

Ryan Day silences critics as Buckeyes roll through playoff

The Buckeyes outmanned, outschemed and outwitted the Irish.

This Ohio State team became the juggernaut we expected from a roster full of blue-chippers, bankrolled by $20 million in NIL booster bucks.

Even superheroes, though, buckle from kryptonite, and the Buckeyes shrank against Michigan in a stunning November upset that the CFP selection committee overreacted to when they seeded Ohio State eighth, a joke of a seed when considering OSU’s résumé and talent.

The Buckeyes define their worth based on results against Michigan, and arrows fired at embattled coach Ryan Day from every quiver and from every corner after his fourth consecutive loss to the Wolverines. Ohio State fans turned on him, and tens of thousands of Tennessee fans gobbled up tickets for OSU’s first-round home playoff game, tinting the Horseshoe orange.

Day silenced the naysayers with his postseason run through four opponents ranked within the top seven of the final CFP rankings. Now, he’s one of three active coaches with a national championship, and he’s won as many national titles as Urban Meyer produced in seven seasons coaching the Buckeyes.

How about that, huh? Fire him? No, give that man a raise!

And raise the banner for a team that played hide and seek during the regular season before roaring in this playoff like the beast it is.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

But where do the Buckeyes rank among the national champions of the playoff era?

Regular-season losses to Oregon and rival Michigan dent theirds case for coming in atop the list of 11 teams, though the Buckeyes did achieve something no one in Bowl Subdivision history had never done: win four postseason games. That gives them a unique argument for being compared to the best of the best since the playoff debuted in 2014.

The résumé still doesn’t stack up with teams such as 2020 Alabama and 2019 LSU, which lead the way in our rankings of playoff champs:

1. 2020 Alabama (13-0)

Led by an unstoppable offense starring Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, the 2020 Crimson Tide have an argument for being counted among the top teams in modern FBS history. Against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic, Alabama went unbeaten in games against 11 SEC teams, Notre Dame and Ohio State, scoring at least 31 points in every game, at least 41 points in every game but two and winning every game by at least 15 points. This was a dominant group and the most impressive team of the Nick Saban era.

2. 2019 LSU (15-0)

This offense will live in FBS history. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and others formed one of the most intimidating and explosive groups to ever grace the Power Four. Burrow threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns and won the Heisman. LSU beat seven ranked teams, including Alabama and Georgia, but the Tigers didn’t really take off until getting past Auburn on Oct. 26. From there, though, this team was an all-timer.

3. 2022 Georgia (15-0)

Very close behind this top two are the 2022 Bulldogs, the second of back-to-back championships and the program’s first team since 1980 to run the table. Another dominant defense was joined by an improved offense that ranked fourth nationally in yards per play. Georgia beat five teams ranked in the top 15 and put a ribbon an unforgettable year with a 58-point destruction of TCU to become the first repeat champs of the playoff era.

4. 2018 Clemson (15-0)

Until LSU matched or even exceeded the feat a year later, the 2018 Tigers put together the most dominant two-game run of the four-team playoff era, beating Notre Dame 30-3 and Alabama 44-16. Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence put himself on the map with an epic game against the Crimson Tide, throwing for 347 yards and three touchdowns. The Christian Wilkins-led defensive line is one of the most memorable in history. Overall, Clemson beat 12 bowl teams but didn’t have to deal with the same strength of schedule as the other undefeated teams on this list.

5. 2024 Ohio State (14-2)

Beating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame should be recognized as the ultimate postseason achievement. Before this season, teams had to win two games for the national title; Ohio State won two, and then two more. When on their game, the Buckeyes were the best team in the Bowl Subdivision and an unstoppable offensive force. But the loss to Michigan is a big part of OSU’s story and impossible to ignore. To be the first playoff champ with more than one loss is also something to keep in mind. But the overall road through the playoff puts OSU in elite company.

6. 2021 Georgia (14-1)

The Bulldogs did have the one blemish against Alabama in the SEC championship game but avenged that loss by topping the Tide 33-18 in the playoff title game. More so than the 2022 squad, which had a bit more balance, the Bulldogs were defined by a suffocating defense. Georgia allowed 10.2 points per game to lead the FBS and gave up just 16 touchdowns all season. The offense, however, didn’t have the explosiveness it did with former quarterback Stetson Bennett’s improvement the following season.

7. 2023 Michigan (15-0)

A relatively weak regular-season schedule that featured just two legitimate contenders (Penn State and Ohio State) and many of the worst offenses in college football docks Michigan a bit, though there’s no doubt the Wolverines were a deserving national champion and one of the best teams in program’s proud history. The offense never received much credit but married physicality with extremely strong play from quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Defensively, Michigan took care of business in Big Ten play and proved itself by rallying past Alabama and shutting down Washington in the title game.

8. 2016 Clemson (14-1)

Clemson faced a run of solid-to-very-good teams, with 13 of 15 opponents advancing to the postseason. The Tigers played single-possession games against Auburn, Troy, Louisville, North Carolina State, Florida State and Virginia Tech while losing to Pittsburgh, so it wasn’t always pretty. But the Tigers are boosted by winning a classic championship game against Alabama with a memorable last-second touchdown.

9. 2015 Alabama (14-1)

The 2015 Tide finished by beating teams then-ranked No. 1 (Clemson), No. 2 (LSU) and No. 3 (Michigan State), and there’s something to be said for that. But Alabama also lost to Mississippi in September and weren’t always consistent on offense, ending the year 49th nationally in yards per play and 46th in yards per carry. But this group stepped up when it mattered to beat Clemson 45-40 in the title game.

10. 2014 Ohio State (14-1)

The Buckeyes rocketed into the top four of the final playoff rankings by demolishing Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship and then beat Alabama and Oregon. Ohio State gets credit for winning it all despite losing two starting quarterbacks (Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett) and prevailing in the final three games behind third-stringer Cardale Jones. But the Buckeyes lost to Virginia Tech in non-conference play, needed double overtime to top Penn State and weren’t always reliable on defense.

11. 2017 Alabama (13-1)

The 2017 team comes in last as the only champion of the four-team playoff era to not even win its own division. Despite dropping the Iron Bowl and the SEC West to rival Auburn, the Tide reached the playoff as the No. 4 seed, beat Clemson in the semifinals and then topped Georgia 26-23 in overtime after making a halftime quarterback change from Jalen Hurts to Tua Tagovailoa that ended with a walk-off touchdown pass in overtime.

The 2024 college football season came to a close Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Ohio State defeating Notre Dame for its first national championship in a decade.

So: Who is going to win it all this time next January?

In the seconds following their ninth national championship victory, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes were picked by oddsmakers, including BetMGM, to repeat as national champions.

As was the case this season, the Buckeyes are expected to have one of the top rosters in the country next year, highlighted by star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The 6-foot-3 wideout, who is not eligible for the NFL draft for two more years, finished with five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State’s win Monday.

Behind the Buckeyes are two SEC powerhouses Texas and Georgia. The Longhorns finished 13-3 overall in 2024 and made it to the Cotton Bowl, where they lost to Ohio State. After earning one of the four first-round byes, the Bulldogs saw an early exit from the CFP after losing to Notre Dame in the CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal.

Texas and Georgia will also enter the 2025 season with new quarterbacks in Arch Manning and Gunner Stockton.

Here’s what you need to know on who is favored to win the national championship in the 2025 college football season:

College football 2025 national championship odds

Behind Ohio State is Texas and Georgia, who are tied for the second-best odds on BetMGM, at +650.

Rounding out the top five is Oregon in fourth place and Penn State in fifth at +700 and +800 odds, respectively. Penn State has already received announcements from several members of its roster that they will be returning for next season, including running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and quarterback Drew Allar.

After finishing as runner-up this season, Notre Dame has the seventh best odds on BetMGM, at +2500, to win it all next year.

Here’s who has the top-15 best odds, including ties, to win the national championship heading into the 2025 college football season:

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, Jan. 21

1. Ohio State (+450)
T-2. Texas (+650)
T-2. Georgia (+650)
4. Oregon (+700)
5. Penn State (+850)
6. Alabama (+1600)
7. Notre Dame (+2500)
T-8. Tennessee (+2000)
T-8. Clemson (+2000)
T-8. LSU (+2000)
11.Ole Miss (+2500)
12. Texas A&M (+3000)
T-13. Miami (+4000)
T-13. South Carolina (+4000)
T-13. Michigan (+4000)

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ATLANTA – Before a young Marcus Freeman revealed his college commitment, he laid the hats of the finalists on a table, in classic fashion. Among those hats: Notre Dame. 

When Freeman chose Ohio State, he gave the Notre Dame hat to the biggest Fighting Irish fan he knew – his defensive coordinator, Pat Wood, at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. Wood told USA TODAY last week that he still wears the hat. He undoubtedly wore it with pride Monday night while Freeman coached Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

“I try to make him proud,” Freeman said of Wood at Saturday’s CFP Media Day. “He’s had a huge impact on my life.”

On Monday, Freeman came up short of winning a title — the Fighting Irish fell to the Buckeyes, 34-23 — but still made history. When he stepped onto the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Freeman became the first African American and Asian American head coach at a CFP national championship game. 

The underlying irony of Monday’s matchup was that Freeman is an Ohio boy at heart. He grew up just an hour drive via I-70 from Columbus. It all seemed like fate when Freeman, a top linebacker prospect, committed to Ohio State. After all, blood does run scarlet. Freeman played inside linebacker for the Buckeyes and took two trips to the BCS national title game during his career, falling short both times.

When Freeman got the head coaching gig at Notre Dame 2021, all Wood could do was smile. 

“It just seemed like things had come full circle,” said Wood. 

In high school, Wood said, Freeman’s football IQ made him stand out. He had instincts that couldn’t be taught. That sixth sense has carried over into his coaching career. 

“There are some coaches that are so caught up in the X’s and O’s, offensive schemes, defensive schemes,” Wood said, “that they overlook the people that have to implement that, and that’s the kids. (Freeman) makes every kid feel special.”

After the Fighting Irish’s early season loss to an unranked Northern Illinois at home, Freeman never wavered. He “plotted a course that everybody could have a piece of,” a journey that led to the national championship game.

“(Marcus Freeman) deserves every credit, every accolade,” defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “It’s really – it’s one of the best examples of human spirit that I’ve witnessed.”

Mia Fishman is a student in the University of Georgia’s undergraduate Sports Media Certificate program.

ATLANTA – As a junior at Downingtown West High School in suburban Philadelphia, Will Howard was emerging as a potential top recruit as the Whippets’ signal-caller. But when he broke his arm, ending that season early, the odds of reaching the stage where Howard found himself Monday night seemed as bleak as ever.

“If you were to ask a 19-year-old or 18-year-old Will Howard if he’d be at Ohio State playing in the national championship, I think he’d probably say, ‘You’re crazy, man,’” Howard said days before taking the field against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

But Howard was the star of the show Monday night, as he led the Buckeyes to a 34-23 win over Notre Dame to secure their first national championship in 10 seasons. In the first half, he broke the record for consecutive completions in a CFP national title game with 13, including going 6-for-6 on third down. He finished 17-of-21 passing for 231 yards and two TDs to go along with 16 carries for 57 yards.

‘I wouldn’t be here without my teammates, without my family, without everybody who bet on me back in Downingtown, Pennsylvania,’ Howard said in a postgame broadcast interview. ‘I’m at a loss for words right now.’

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Amidst the chaos and celebration on stage, Howard attempted to soak in the moment. Not many of his Ohio State teammates had been through a journey like his.

But as he made his way to the stands to embrace his family, the emotion began to show. He shared a tearful hug with his mom, Maureen. He reflected on a career filled with plenty of ups and downs with the people who had seen it all.

“Between all the people back home in Downingtown and my family, and then my family at Kansas State, my family here at Ohio State, I leaned on a lot of people,” Howard said in a postgame press conference. “I wouldn’t have been able to get through some of the stuff that I had to go through myself.”

Howard’s adaptability to new situations has long defined him as a football player. It’s also a clue as to why he reached new heights as a Buckeye. 

When Ryan Wetzel took over quarterback duties for the injured Howard in fall 2018, Howard became ‘one of the best assistant coaches on our staff,’ Mike Milano, longtime Downington West head coach, told USA TODAY Sports last week.

“We went on and won five or six more games, went three rounds deep in the playoffs with a tight end playing quarterback, and Will was his personal caddy,” Milano said. “He coached his tail off with this guy, which was pretty awesome to see.”

Fast-forward to his junior season at Kansas State, and Howard found himself in another make-or-break situation. When Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez announced his transfer to Manhattan, Howard’s role as the imminent starter was cast into doubt. Howard and his mom met with Milano to discuss the situation, but he returned to school determined to prove his worth.

“We came out of that meeting and he just decided, ‘Hey, I’m going to go back to K-State, and I want to hear them tell me, ‘Hey, this is going to be an open competition,’” Milano recalled. “‘That’s all I want, is a chance to compete.’”

Despite losing out in the initial competition, Howard eventually got his shot following an injury to Martinez. After a successful 2023 campaign, he convinced the Buckeyes he was the quarterback to solve the national championship puzzle. His personality immediately won over blue-chip prospects and walk-ons alike when he arrived in Columbus 12 months ago. Receiver Emeka Egbuka said it feels as if he’s known Howard “his whole life.” 

“When he came in, he was almost immediately immersed in the culture,” Egbuka said. “It felt like he had been here for multiple years. He’s really bought into the program, bought into the brotherhood.”

Over the course of the season, Howard showed he was the perfect quarterback to lead the Buckeyes through their toughest moments, including their loss to Michigan in November. Despite all the pressure on his shoulders, the resiliency he brought was the perfect final ingredient for a milestone national championship.

Howard was quick, however, to credit his teammates for doing the same for him.

“​​I’m just so thankful,” Howard said, “that I have a group of guys in this locker room and a group of coaches, and my family, that I can lean on and they can get me through all those tough times.

“I’m just so unbelievably thankful that I got a chance to be a Buckeye even if it was for just one year.”

This story has been updated with new information.

Gunter Schroeder is a student in the University of Georgia’s Sports Media Certificate program.

ATLANTA – Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard and his longtime girlfriend, Molly Walding, started a new tradition after playoff games this season. 

They went to Five Guys for burgers and fries, because “he’s usually starving,” Walding told USA TODAY Sports last week. The two stood in line, just like everyone else, patiently waiting for their food. From time to time, a young fan would recognize Leonard. Walding would happily take a photo. Then the two would go back to eating. 

After a 34-23 loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night, Leonard walked off the field still hungry for a title. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Buckeyes’ sideline turned into chaos, and thousands of pieces of red and white confetti began pouring from the ceiling. 

Leonard kept on his helmet but found Will Howard, the fellow transfer quarterback who just led the Buckeyes to their first national title in 10 years, and embraced him. A real, genuine hug. 

Leonard lifted his helmet on his forehead just high enough to share a few words with Howard. The two, who made history as the first two transfer quarterbacks to start against each other in a national championship game, were once both seen as “underdogs” – merely dreaming of the day that they would step on the biggest stage in college football. 

Leonard then made his way to the edge of the Notre Dame endzone, pushing his helmet back into place to shield the tears, giving hugs to each teammate walking by. He inched his way off the field, with hurt in his eyes, and away from the celebration of the new national champions. 

“I think as far as this program goes, we’ve learned a lot,” Leonard said. “We’ve been through ups and downs. I’ve been through ups and downs. I don’t even recognize the person I was before I got to Notre Dame, and it’s all credit to these guys beside me and everybody else in the locker room.” 

Leonard also gives a lot of credit to his family.

“The support from my family members is unmatched,” Leonard said at Saturday’s CFP media day. 

Although most of the Leonard family can be found sitting with the other Fighting Irish families during a game, Leonard’s dad, Chad, is nowhere to be seen. It’s not because he’s not at the game. He prefers to walk the stadium concourses and watch his son play the game from his “secret spots.” This tradition dates all the way back to his son’s T-ball days. 

The last time Leonard played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, when Notre Dame played Georgia Tech in October 2024, his dad walked around each level of the stadium, scouting out new spots to keep track of the game.

On Monday, he saw Leonard set the tone on the first drive, rushing for four first-down conversions and the game’s first touchdown. 

Leonard, who finished with 238 yards and two TDs on 21-of-30 passing to go along with a rushing TD, lifted his right arm to the TV camera and flashed his sweatband that read “Matthew 23:12.” On Leonard’s left wrist was another wristband that reads “you suck,” a phrase that his mom, Heather, has texted him before each one of his games since high school. 

“If Coach wants to call my number and have me run the ball every single play, I’ve got no problem with it,” Leonard said. “You’ve seen me put my body on the line for this team over and over again. Whether I’m running the ball or passing the ball, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to do everything I can to help the team win.”

After that first touchdown, the Fighting Irish struggled to move the ball throughout the second quarter and much of the third. Leonard connected with Jaden Greathouse for two touchdowns in the second half to create some back-half momentum, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to make the comeback Notre Dame needed. 

Unlike his dad, Leonard’s mom sits in the stands, next to his older brother Cole and younger brother Devin, who have started a tradition of their own with Leonard at Notre Dame: They paint their bodies head to toe in green and gold. Despite the 20-degree temperatures in Atlanta on Monday, the two walked from their tailgate to the stadium wearing nothing but that paint and their shorts to cheer on their brother. 

Although Monday night’s game didn’t end with happy photos for Leonard and the Fighting Irish, the new Five Guys tradition could be an add-on to the things his family does when he’s playing sports. Once a local basketball and football legend in his blue and gold Fairhope High School jerseys, Leonard has closed this chapter of his life donning the same colors. 

“I’m tremendously grateful for what Riley and these guys have done for our program,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said.

This story was updated with new information.

Ansley Gavlak is a student in the University of Georgia’s undergraduate Sports Media Certificate program.

ATLANTA – Following Ohio State’s 34-23 national championship victory over Notre Dame on Monday night, Ryan Day took a deep breath – a sigh of relief, some may say.

The noise after Ohio State’s loss to Michigan just 51 days prior was deafening. It seemed like the only thing Day could do to drown it out was to win the Buckeyes’ first title in 10 years. 

And on Monday he did just that. 

“When you go through great moments, you really grab on to the people that are around you, and it’s the same thing when you go through difficult moments,” Day said. “That’s it. That’s why you have family. That’s why you build relationships.”

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After a moment to take it all in, Day found “the truth tellers” in his life. His wife and three kids stood there, arms open, ready to celebrate Day becoming a national title coach. Nia, Day’s youngest daughter, was in tears. 

“We’ve got to go celebrate,” Day said to his family. “We’re gonna go on stage and hoist this trophy.”

Day took a moment on stage to embrace an emotional Caleb Downs before the Buckeyes were introduced as the 2025 national champions.

“Coach Day is probably one of the most ecstatic people you can be around,” Downs told USA TODAY Sports at Saturday’s CFP Media Day. “He’s so happy to see us have success and to see the work that we put in come to fruition. So just being around him postgame, you definitely get a smile on your face because you can see how excited he is.”

Day said it from the get-go. He really just “wanted to finish this thing the right way.”

With a multi-million dollar roster on hand and a championship legacy for the ages, pressure came from all sides. It was time for Day to win big.

“So, when you look at the game against Michigan, it could be one of two things,’ said Chip Kelly, Ohio State offensive coordinator who was also Day’s coach when he played at New Hampshire. ‘It could be your tombstone or it could be a stepping stone. And Ryan and our players turned it into a stepping stone.”

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Ohio State’s 13-10 loss to Michigan on its own turf was a gut punch for Day. Day, who’s faced constant pressure to meet the standard of Buckeyes fans, is 1-4 against the Wolverines in his time as head coach – a record some deem as “fireable.” 

“I was upset, but yet, (I) know that he’s a great coach, and unfortunately, some of our fans take it a little extreme,” longtime Ohio State fan Todd Adcock told USA TODAY Sports before kickoff on Monday. 

In the news conference following the now-infamous postgame scuffle between the two rivals, all Day could say was “I don’t know.” Tensions were high and uncertainty loomed over a team favored to win it all.  

“This game can give you the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” Day said after Monday’s win. “It can take you to your knees some days as a player and as a coach.”

Monday’s win put Day firmly on his feet – standing with his family and his players in front of the national championship trophy.

All that noise from 51 days ago fell quiet. 

“(The players are) my motivation. My family at home, my wife and kids, and these guys. That’s why I get up in the morning every day is just to try to make sure these guys reach their dreams and goals,’ Day said in a postgame broadcast interview on Monday.

‘We hung in there like a family does when things get hard.’

This story has been updated with new information.

Mia Fishman is a student in the University of Georgia’s undergraduate Sports Media Certificate program.