Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches his team during the Spring Game at Ohio Stadium on April 17, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio.
Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches his team during the Spring Game at Ohio Stadium on April 17, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State is giving Ryan Day a raise, making him one of the five highest-paid coaches in college football. The Buckeyes' head coach has received a two-year contract extension that includes an increase of nearly $2 million per year.

Day’s contract is worth $9.5 million a year and lasts through the 2028 college football season. Day has a base salary of $2 million per year, according to the school. Day had a salary of $7.6 million a year, which put him 10th among all college coaches before the 2022 season.

After signing the extension, Day makes less money than only a small handful of college football coaches. USC lured Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma with a contract that’s been speculated to be worth $110 million. Alabama’s Nick Saban makes more than $9 million per season.

Day is tied with Michigan State’s Mel Tucker as the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten. In November, Tucker signed a 10-year, 95 million extension.

Brian Kelly left Notre Dame to coach LSU for a reported $100 million contract.

Ohio State hasn’t taken any kind of a step back since Day replaced Urban Meyer. Day has a 34-4 record as the Buckeyes’ head coach, never suffering more than two losses in a single season. Ohio State went 11-2 in 2021, concluding the campaign with a win in the Rose Bowl over Utah.

Day has led Ohio State to a pair of College Football Playoff appearances in three full seasons as the head coach. Two seasons ago, Ohio State was defeated by Alabama in the national championship game.

Ryan Day Ohio State Football

Photo: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images