Ryan Day will make $9.96 million this year after receiving an offseason salary increase.
The Ohio State coach received a 5.25% pay bump of $446,250 this offseason, according to a letter sent to Day by Gene Smith on May 1 that was released by the university on Wednesday, which brings his total guaranteed compensation for 2023 to $9,960,650.
Day’s pay for the 2023 season includes a $2 million base salary, $5.69 million in media payments, $1.25 million in Nike contract payments, a $10,000 Coca-Cola sponsorship and a $1 million annual retention payment. The increase in pay was effective dating back to February 1.
Ohio State did not formally announce Day’s salary increase, which comes after he received a seven-year contract extension last year that started with an annual compensation of $9.5 million. The Columbus Dispatch first reported on Day’s pay raise Wednesday afternoon.
If Day remains Ohio State’s coach through the end of January, he would receive an additional $250,000 retention bonus, which would bring his pay for the year to more than $10.2 million.
According to USA TODAY’s college football coach salary database, which has not yet been updated for 2023, only three college football coaches made more than $10 million in 2022: Alabama’s Nick Saban, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Georgia’s Kirby Smart.
With Day’s raise, Ohio State is now set to pay its football coaching staff $19.283 million this season, as its 10 full-time assistant coaches are set to make $9.323 million this year. Five of Ohio State’s full-time assistant coaches received pay bumps of at least $200,000 this offseason: offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, offensive line coach Justin Frye, secondary coach Tim Walton, special teams coordinator Parker Fleming and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey.
| Coach | Title | 2022 Salary | 2023 Salary | Increase | Contract End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RYAN DAY | HEAD COACH | $9,500,000 | $9,960,650 | $446,250 | 2028 |
| JIM KNOWLES | DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/LINEBACKERS COACH | $1,900,000 | $1,957,000 | $57,000 | 2025 |
| BRIAN HARTLINE | OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/WIDE RECEIVERS COACH | $950,000 | $1,600,000 | $650,000 | 2026 |
| LARRY JOHNSON | ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE LINE COACH | $1,133,000 | $1,166,990 | $33,990 | 2024 |
| JUSTIN FRYE | RUN GAME COORDINATOR/OFFENSIVE LINE COACH | $800,000 | $1,000,000 | $200,000 | 2024 |
| TIM WALTON | DEFENSIVE PASS GAME COORDINATOR/SECONDARY COACH | $700,000 | $1,000,000 | $300,000 | 2025 |
| TONY ALFORD | ASST. HEAD COACH FOR OFFENSE/RUNNING BACKS COACH | $750,000 | $772,500 | $22,500 | 2024 |
| PERRY ELIANO | SAFETIES COACH | $500,000 | $515,000 | $15,000 | 2024 |
| PARKER FLEMING | SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR | $300,000 | $500,000 | $200,000 | 2025 |
| COREY DENNIS | QUARTERBACKS COACH | $400,000 | $412,000 | $12,000 | 2024 |
| KEENAN BAILEY | TIGHT ENDS COACH | $150,000 | $400,000 | $250,000 | 2025 |
