Like father, like son, but OSU head coach Ryan Day’s son, RJ Day, is heading down his own road. Fresh off a record-setting performance and a push toward the Ohio regional championship, RJ is emerging as one of the state’s most promising young quarterbacks. And with all the attention comes the inevitable question of his father’s opinion on what comes next for him.

In a conversation with Dom Tiberi, Coach opened up about his son’s amazing feat. “I’m definitely proud,” said Day, admitting that he had never reached 480 yards in his college days. Over the weekend, Day was present at St. Francis High campus, watching the 60-minute thriller unfold on the artificial turf of the Alumni Stadium. It’s no surprise that when RJ accomplished that feat, his dad was all smiles. “I said to him…I’m proud of you regardless of what you do.”

During the last minutes of the fourth quarter, RJ threw a game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Karhoff, and Coach Day shot both arms in celebration, cherishing the 33-29 win. RJ threw three touchdowns for 482 yards, leading his school to its 28th OHSAA tournament qualification.

While DeSales High celebrated the dominant victory, the Stallions’ locker room had far more to cherish. RJ Day created a school record. “RJ Day sets a school record with unofficially 482 passing yards and 3 touchdowns,” Pouring Purple shared his achievement. Following the weekend’s win, RJ, along with his five teammates, received First Team All-Central Catholic League honors.

The junior QB has been grinding all season long. Among his most prolific performances came against Columbus Africentric Early College after he delivered five touchdowns for 275 yards, nearly completing all his throws.

Coming up next, he is gunning for the National Male Athlete of the Week title.

Just like his dad, RJ is a true team-first player. Day has watched him put in the hours, step into a leadership role, and take ownership of the locker room. “To see somebody who’s put so much time in and loves what he’s doing and then have some success with all the work he puts in…I mean, if there’s somebody who works harder out there, I’d like to meet him,” he says, every word glowing with pride, “…because there’s nobody who cares more about his teammates and loves to play more than he does.”

With great teammates and a wonderful head coach in Ryan Wiggins, RJ is working on his development. Presently, he holds the 61st rank as a quarterback in the Class of 2027 and is a top 40 prospect in the state of Ohio. “It’s great to see all the hard work pay off,” Day concludes.

And as his momentum builds, the question of whether he’ll someday join his father’s program has resurfaced. State?

Is RJ Day going to Ohio State?

Ryan Day has received offers from Akron, Boston, Syracuse, and several other schools. Having already been on unofficial visits to Purdue and Kentucky, Ohio fans have been wondering when Dad Day will offer a scholarship to Jr.

Along with recording 482 passing yards over the weekend, the 6’0, 204-pound QB broke a 2006 record by Jimmy Vahalik. So far, he has tallied 2,056 yards and 21 touchdowns, the most TDs recorded in the school’s history. Winning the National Athlete of the Week title will reflect well on his resume, and he is working hard to achieve that.

So far, the Buckeyes haven’t extended a scholarship offer to the Columbus native. If RJ continues to smash records and boost his resume, he might soon find himself getting a call from the NFL factory. However, Austin Ward and Jeremy Birmingham believe that RJ might not be interested in his dad’s program. “I am confident RJ does not want to play at Ohio State. He wants to build his own path. He has two years left of high school and has made himself into a pretty good quarterback over the last couple of years,” Birmingham opines.