The son of Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day has committed to play for a Big Ten rival.
R.J. Day announced his commitment to Northwestern on social media. Rated as a three-star quarterback by Rivals out of St. Francis DeSales in Columbus, Ohio, Day chose the Wildcats over Purdue, Cincinnati, Syracuse and Boston College for the recruiting class of 2027.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound prospect also took visits to Clemson, Iowa State, Kentucky, UCLA and Virginia Tech, according to ESPN. Additionally, he drew interest from South Florida, now coached by former Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.
Super excited to announce my commitment to further my football and academic career at Northwestern University!! Thank you to everyone along my journey who has made this possible from my family, @BradMaendler , the Desales coaching staff and Jay Hooten at the Armory. Excited for… pic.twitter.com/3hLTnjsdSf
— RJ Day (@rj_day1) May 10, 2026
At DeSales, Day has been the starting quarterback for the past three years. Going into his senior season, he is the school’s leader in career passing yards (5,714) and touchdowns (54). Last year, he set single-season passing records with 2,710 yards and 25 TDs.
Day choosing to play a conference rival of the Buckeyes might appear curious, yet he’ll play for a coach that has familiar ties to his father.
Chip Kelly joined Northwestern’s staff as the offensive coordinator following last season’s 7-6 campaign under head coach David Braun. Kelly, 62, was Ohio State’s OC for Ryan Day during the 2024 season. And he ran the offense at New Hampshire from 1999 to 2006 when Day was a three-year starter at QB.
Playing in Kelly’s offense, Ryan Day set school records for career passing touchdowns (53) and completion percentage (59.9%) and total offense (8,492 yards). Each of those marks have since been surpassed by Ricky Santos. At the time his college career finished, Day also had the second-most passing yards (7,670) in school history.
“”It’s really surreal when you think about the relationships that we’ve had with those two as a family over the years,” R.J. Day told ESPN’s Eli Lederman. “Coach Kelly coached my dad in college, so that adds another layer to it.”
