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Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts after a game.
The Ohio State Buckeyes finished last season with a 12-2 record. They lost the Big 10 Championship to the Indiana Hoosiers and another loss came during the playoffs against the Miami Hurricanes. Head coach Ryan Day’s squad failed to replicate the success they had in 2024. But away from the field, his boys have really improved in academics.
Ohio State football coach Ryan Day earned a $100,000 bonus after the Buckeyes posted a cumulative GPA of nearly 3.4 for the 2025-26 academic year, a school spokesperson confirmed.
That figure triggered the next tier in Day’s contract, which pays him $50,000 when the team clears a 3.0 GPA, $100,000 when it tops 3.3 and $150,000 if it reaches 3.5 across both semesters.
His latest academic bonus doubles his classroom earnings from the previous two years. During those preceding cycles, Ohio State posted a cumulative GPA just above 3.2. Those respective academic campaigns earned the head coach smaller $50,000 bonuses.
Ohio State is not alone in putting up strong classroom numbers this year. Alabama said its football team posted a program-best 3.353 spring GPA, while Georgia reported a 3.00 GPA for football and a 3.26 GPA across all student-athletes in the spring.
Texas also said its athletics department finished the spring with a 3.43 GPA, and 85% of its student-athletes earned at least a 3.0. Those numbers suggest Ohio State’s near-3.4 mark fits a wider trend among major programs that now treat academic performance as a measurable part of the job.
GettyHead coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts after a game.
The bonus was not an isolated reward. It pushed Day’s incentive pay for 2025-26 to $450,000. That total already included postseason bonuses from Ohio State’s Big Ten championship game appearance and College Football Playoff quarterfinal run. His base compensation remains $12.5 million per year, leaving his total package at nearly $13 million.
The academic payment is also part of a broader contract structure that treats classroom performance as a measurable achievement. Day’s current deal runs through the 2031 season, after Ohio State extended him following the national title run. The agreement positioned him as the country’s second-highest-paid head coach at that time.
GettyHead coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts.
Ohio State built most of Day’s earning potential around postseason results, not academic milestones. Under the contract, he can collect $250,000 for reaching the Playoff quarterfinals without a first-round bye, $300,000 with a bye, $350,000 for a semifinal berth and $500,000 for a trip to the national title game.
A second national championship would add another $1 million. The agreement also includes awards for Big Ten and national coach of the year honors.
“Stability at the head coaching position is crucial in today’s evolving college football landscape,” athletic director Ross Bjork said in the school statement back then.
He added that the deal “guarantees continued momentum in recruiting, player development, and overall program success.”
“My family and I are incredibly grateful to be a part of the Ohio State community,” Day said, while thanking his staff and players for their work “on and off the field.”
The program’s academic rise now sits alongside its national title, its playoff push and Day’s contract security.
Dibyendu Mondal Dibyendu Mondal is a contributor for Heavy Sports with special focus on golf, football, basketball and soccer. With more than two years of experience, he has managed to reach close to 7 million people through his writing. He previously worked as a contributor for Athlon Sports and Sportskeeda. More about Dibyendu Mondal
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