Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is staying in Columbus for many years to come. Day, fresh off a College Football Playoff National Championship win, agreed to a new 7-year contract valued at $12.5 million in compensation per year. The contract keeps Day as a Buckeye through the 2031 college football season. Terms of the contract, which add three years onto his current agreement, must be approved by the Ohio State University Board of Trustees. The contract extension makes him the second highest-paid coach in the country behind Georgia's Kirby Smart. Smart makes $13.3 million per year. Day said he and his family are grateful to be a part of Buckeye Nation and thanked Ohio State President Ted Carter, Ohio State Athletic Director Ross Bjork and the Board of Trustees for their confidence in him. “I want to thank my assistant coaches and the entire staff for the tireless effort they put in to keep Ohio State positioned as one of the elite programs in the country … on and off the field," Day said. "And I especially want to thank and commend all the young men, and their families, who are a part of this football program. This is a team of tough and determined individuals who drive our culture of respect, commitment and love.” Bjork praised Day's leadership in a statement issued Thursday morning, saying Ohio State's football excellence has thrived under Day's leadership. "As a leader, mentor and coach, Ryan has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the success and well-being of our players, both on and off the field. His leadership has maintained our position of national prominence each year and winning the 2024 national championship validated his program’s culture of excellence, integrity, and perseverance," Bjork said. Day's last contract extension came in 2023 when his salary was increased to $9.5 million a year. Day, who will be entering his seventh season as Ohio State's head coach, finally broke through and brought the national championship trophy back to Columbus for the first time in a decade. Before the championship run, it wasn't clear if Day would have survived a fourth straight loss to archrival Michigan. Not only did Ohio State win the national championship under Day, but they did so in a dominating fashion. The only time the Buckeyes trailed in the CFP was in the championship game when Notre Dame scored on the opening drive. Ohio State then scored 31 unanswered points to help seal the victory. Day is 70-10 in six seasons, an .875 winning percentage that ranks first among active head coaches.