OSU's Ryan Day Compares Dealing With NIL Era of CFB to Extinction of the Dinosaurs

College football has rarely rewarded the programs that stay idle and sit on their hands, and Ohio State coach Ryan Day believes the need to evolve is heightened by the sport's current landscape.

Day told reporters Tuesday he recently watched a documentary about the dinosaurs and came to see some parallels with his current job. He said that "some dinosaurs figured out how to continue to adapt and some died" as the Earth's climate changed.

"I guess that's a little extreme, but I think it's kinda the way it is in college football," he said. "… You either adapt or you die."

This adage has been true in the sport for generations.

Coaches are on a never-ending quest to find the newest edge on the competition. College football changes so fast on a tactical level, and you can't win without the requisite talent, which requires significant time and resources to land. The latter is especially true in a time of NIL and unlimited transfers.

The coaches who get stuck in their ways are eventually left behind.

It didn't take a dinosaur documentary for Day to understand what was required to ensure Ohio State remained a title contender.

Athletic director Ross Bjork told Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger in July 2024 that "around $20 million" was spent to assemble that season's football roster. Some of the key stars on that team transferred in from other schools.

All of the work paid off as OSU won the first-ever 12-team playoff.

Especially with the expectations being what they are in Columbus every single year, Day is keenly aware of the danger in ignoring whatever trends are taking over college football.