"I know one day he's going to be a coach": Ryan Day gets 100% real about his son RJ Day's college future and football recruitment

Two years from now, Ryan Day won't be the only "Day" who will grab college football headlines. His son, RJ Day, is coming through the high school ranks and is a 2027 Class quarterback, playing for St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, Ohio.

As he grows up, Ryan has been more than a fatherly figure to his son, RJ. As friends, both share a love for football, with the son of the national championship-winning coach often visiting the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and sharing in the day-to-day of Buckeye football life.

During an appearance on the College GameDay Podcast on Thursday, Day spoke about what he's looking for in a coach who would mentor his son in the college football landscape.

"When we go on these recruiting visits, I don’t really care about the facilities or the weight room or anything like that," Day said. [41:00]

"I just want to know who’s going to help raise my son—who are the men he’ll be around to help him become not just a better football player, but a better man off the field. Someone who actually cares about him. I think that makes us all better coaches when you look at it like that. And that’s the truth."

Day also mentioned that his son ran a 4.76 40-yard dash at a combine and that he's really developing as a quarterback. As he sheds more light on his football future, Day thinks his son will follow in his footsteps and become a coach one day.

"I’m excited to see what spring looks like for him. But I know one day he’s going to be a coach. So all this time—it’s going to be very well spent,” Day added.

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Ryan Day's son RJ Day already standing out in high school

Per MaxPreps, RJ Day has become the all-time passing yardage leader of his school in November, with 1,425 passing yards on the season.

Apart from that, RJ's recruitment has started to pick up, even though he is still two years away from entering college.

During the 2024 spring, RJ Day took official visits to visits to Clemson and South Carolina. He has already received offers from Marshall, Boston College, Miami (OH), Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, Eastern Michigan, Rhode Island, Cincinnati and Toledo.

RJ Day has previously said that he is open to playing for his father's program, Ohio State, if he gets an offer.