Paul Finebaum Names National Championship Winning Coach Who Can't 'Handle the Heat'

Paul Finebaum Names National Championship Winning Coach Who Can't 'Handle the Heat' originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

College football features three national championship-winning coaches and one Super Bowl-winning coach. The most recent addition to the national championship list is Ryan Day, head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Last year, he guided the Buckeyes to a 14-2 season. In the regular season, Ohio State finished with a record of 10-2, suffering losses to the Oregon Ducks and the Michigan Wolverines. Despite being the eighth seed in the playoffs, the team embarked on an impressive playoff run. The Buckeyes dominated their opponents, defeating the Tennessee Volunteers, Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, winning all four games by double digits.

Despite this success, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum has remained critical of Day. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network commentator expressed doubts about Day's ability to handle one particular game.

"He's just one of these coaches that just gets freaked out," Finebaum said. "He's not the only one. There have been plenty of coaches who let certain games affect them, and he has let that game eat him up. To his credit, he was able to recover. It was a remarkable turnaround. I think that's too much of a hotbed for him. I literally don't think he can handle the heat."

Paul Finebaum Doesn't Think Ryan Day Is a Top Three Coach in College Football

Finebaum has never been shy about his opinion of Ryan Day. He considers Day to be a good CEO-type coach, but he does not view him as an elite coach.

“I think anyone who thinks Ryan Day is one of the two or three best coaches in the country is foolish,” Finebaum previously said. “He is a good CEO. But I think that you have seen multiple instances, Georgia three years ago, Michigan the last four years, where he looks completely clueless on the football field.”

Although Day won the national championship, the Buckeyes have not claimed the Big Ten title since 2020 and have not defeated Michigan since 2019. The rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan is one of the most intense in college football.

Ryan Day Has a Michigan Wolverines Problem

Michigan leads the all-time series against Ohio State with a record of 62-51-6. However, since the year 2000, the Buckeyes have been largely dominant, with a record of 16-7 (one win was vacated) against Michigan, including an impressive streak of eight consecutive victories before the Wolverines began their current winning streak. In the first three losses during this streak, Michigan was a playoff team and won the Big Ten Conference. Last season’s outcome was particularly surprising, as Michigan finished with a record of 8-5 during what many considered an off year. Coach Ryan Day has a record of 1-4 against the Wolverines in his career.

If Day were to lose another game to Michigan, it could frustrate the fan base. However, having recently won a national championship, his job security seems to have improved.

Ohio State and Michigan face each other at the end of every year. Before Day needs to focus on that matchup, he has a big game against the Texas Longhorns to kick off the season. That game is scheduled for noon ET on August 30 in Columbus, Ohio.

Related: Paul Finebaum Names National Championship Contender That's Not That Good

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.