Ohio State to extend Ryan Day's contract two years through 2028, $9.5 million annually

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The Ohio State board of trustees is expected to approve a two-year contract extension for Ryan Day on Thursday, making him one of the highest-paid college football coaches in the country.

Day will get a base salary of $2 million per year and his total compensation will increase from $7 million to $9 million. A seven-year, $66.5 million deal that includes a two-year extension and a raise for Day starts on July 1, according to a school spokesman. Alabama coach Nick Saban, USC coach Lincoln Riley, LSU coach Brian Kelly, and Michigan State coach Mel Tucker all make more than $9 million annually.

Day has led the Buckeyes to a 34-4 record, including a 23-1 run against Big Ten opponents. The loss was to Michigan in the regular-season finale. Jim Harbaugh has a new five-year deal with the University of Michigan that is worth just over $7 million this year.

Day's teams have made two appearances in the College Football Playoff and have won two Big Ten Championships that extended a conference-record streak to four consecutive titles.

The program has had four consecutive semesters with a team cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, according to the news release. Fourteen players on the team have already graduated.

Chris Holtmann and Kevin McGuff have new contracts with Ohio State. Holtmann will get a three-year contract extension that will take him through the 28th season. His total annual compensation is $3.5 million with a base salary of $1 million per year.

Holtmann has led the Buckeyes to at least 20 wins in each of the past five seasons, and they have made the NCAA tournament every year since. In the past five years, Ohio State has won 20 games in a row, joining Kansas and Oregon.

McGuff will get a new four-year contract that starts on July 1 with a base salary of $675,000 and an annual compensation of over $1 million. The new deal runs through the 26th season. McGuff has led the women's basketball team for nine years and has a 25-7 overall record and a Big Ten title.

The Buckeyes have won three regular-season Big Ten titles and made five NCAA tournament appearances under McGuff.

Ohio State extended the contracts of men's lacrosse coach Nick Myers, who is the program's all-time winningest coach, and men's hockey coach Steve Rohlik. The new five-year contract will be in place through the 2027 season. The contract extension will last through the 26th season.