Ohio State head coach Ryan Day turned to an unlikely source of inspiration as the Buckeyes prepared for the College Football Playoff: NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Ahead of their matchup against Oregon, Day showed the team a clip of Bryant looking angry in a news conference after the Lakers went up 2-0 in the 2009 NBA Finals. The goal was simple: to remind the players that the moment belonged to them and that they needed to thrive under pressure.
The message did the job from a five-time NBA champion: the Buckeyes won 34-0 in the second quarter. Ohio responded in the field with a composed and disciplined performance, demonstrating that the message had taken hold. As Kobe said: ”Job's not finished”, and they still had two games to come.
It seemed to work as Ohio State defeated Oregon, 41-21, in the Rose Bowl. That also put an end to the Ducks' undefeated season and gave the Buckeyes plenty of momentum to kick off the College Football Playoff, which ultimately ended in a national title win.
In Columbus, the atmosphere around Day and the Buckeyes had changed dramatically from the year before. Sitting in his office just days before a season-opening clash with Texas, Day could glance at the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl trophies gleaming on the shelf, reminders of a playoff run that culminated in Ohio State's first national championship in a decade.
The road to that triumph was anything but smooth. Just months earlier, Day endured his toughest stretch as a head coach, losing to Michigan for the fourth straight time. The aftermath was brutal, with public criticism, hostile chants at Ohio Stadium, and even threats directed at his family. A closed-door meeting with players turned into an emotional turning point: the Buckeyes dismantled Tennessee and Oregon before Notre Dame, capturing the championship.
Day's use of Kobe Bryant's words wasn't just motivational theater: it became the mindset of the team, and the message was clear: success is never complete until the ultimate prize is won. With veterans and young stars buying that philosophy, Ohio State found resilience in moments where past teams had faltered.
Now with expectations even higher, Day acknowledges the weight of the job that surrounds the program, and he also embraces it. This responsibility goes beyond trophies, using it to shape players and living up the the history of the Block O, and proving that Ohio State's resurgence under his leadership is no one-year wonder. Ohio State’s next matchup will be against Texas on August 30, a game the Longhorns view as a chance for revenge.
