New AP No. 1 Ohio State, coming off a national championship season, opened 2025 with a bang with a statement win over preseason No. 1 Texas. Knocking off one of the nation’s top programs is about as strong a start as possible, but surprisingly, not everyone is impressed.
A national championship-winning former college coach is keeping his ongoing feud with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day alive, taking another shot at the Buckeyes.
Natty-Winning Coach Criticizes Ohio State After Ryan Day Snub
There might not be a bigger “hater” of Ryan Day than Lou Holtz, who coached college football for 33 seasons and won a national championship with Notre Dame in 1988.
The Fighting Irish and Ohio State met in September 2023, and Holtz, now an analyst, essentially called Day’s Buckeyes “soft,” saying they lacked toughness ahead of the game. Despite the criticism, Ohio State pulled out a narrow 17-14 win, and in his postgame interview, Day fired back at Holtz.
Both clips pic.twitter.com/HSqnCHFbZu
— Hard Rock Bet (@HardRockBet) September 24, 2023
Fast forward to the Buckeyes’ Week 1 win over Texas this past weekend, and Holtz once again called out Day’s squad, telling Outkick’s Dan Dakich that he believes the team isn’t great this season and isn’t one that opponents should be worried about facing.
Lou Holtz on Ryan Day & Ohio State 👀
“They’re not a great football team. I would not be overwhelmed about facing Ohio State… I wrote him a congratulatory letter but I never heard back from him.”@dandakich @CoachLouHoltz88 pic.twitter.com/NuDOBMAvMq
— OutKick (@Outkick) September 3, 2025
“They’re not a great football team,” Holtz said. “I would not be overwhelmed about facing Ohio State.”
The original beef between the two coaches seemed to have passed, so why is Holtz still targeting Day? The legendary head coach explained that he sent Day a congratulations message after Ohio State’s national title last season, but never received a response.
“Ryan Day could be Ryan Day and do whatever he wants,” Holtz said. “I did write him a congratulatory letter, but I never heard back from him. I’m sure he can write.”
It seems Holtz is still upset over Day not responding, and he continues to criticize Ohio State — despite their win over Texas. With over three decades of football experience, Holtz’s opinion carries weight, but when it comes to the Buckeyes, his takes appear more personal than rooted in actual analysis.
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Day has not yet responded to Holtz’s latest jab, but given his previous lash-out at the legendary coach, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Buckeyes’ coach has some words for Holtz again.
Ohio State still has a long way to go if it wants to capture another national title this season, but despite Holtz’s remarks, it remains one of the best teams in the country. Day and the Buckeyes will have another chance to prove Holtz wrong in their second game of the 2025 season, facing FCS Grambling State on Saturday, September 6.
Looking ahead this year, Ohio State will next see a test on September 27 when the team meets Washington in Seattle. They also have meetings at No. 11 Illinois, at Wisconsin, vs. No. 2 Penn State, and UCLA before the regular season finale against rival No. 15 Michigan.
