Ohio State football coach Ryan Day received a pay raise earlier this year bringing his compensation for this season to over $10 million, according to documents obtained by the USA TODAY Network through a public records request.
In a letter dated May 1, the university outlined a 5.25% bump in salary for Day, who is seeing an increase in his media payments.
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Day will pick up a total of $5.69 million for media, promotions and public relations services, an increase of nearly half a million dollars after making $5.24 million in such payments a year ago, as Krissy Mullins, an associate athletic director for human resources, wrote in an email. The increase was effective in February.
His compensation package from Ohio State for this year further includes $2 million as base salary, as well as $1.25 million as consideration for participation in the school’s shoe and apparel contract, $1 million annual retention payment, $10,000 for a Coca-Cola sponsorship and $250,000 as an additional retention bonus if he remains at the helm of the program through next January, adding up to a total of $10.19 million in compensation.ADVERTISING
As part of a two-year contract extension that was finalized last September, Day is eligible for annual raises to his compensation. Pay raises for his assistant coaches were awarded during spring practice.
The Buckeyes reached the College Football Playoff for the third time in four seasons since Day succeeded Urban Meyer in 2019, a postseason track record that athletic director Gene Smith cited first in his annual performance evaluation this past summer.
Smith also praised Day for the program’s culture.
“He continues to develop young men holistically and builds them not only to be great football players but better men,” Smith wrote. “The culture of the program is outstanding because of Ryan’s leadership. It is the best it has ever been.”
But the Buckeyes have also gone consecutive seasons without winning the Big Ten or defeating archrival Michigan.Get the OSU Headlines newsletter in your inbox.
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Prior to falling to the Wolverines in 2021, Ohio State had been riding an eight-game winning streak in “The Game.”
