Not all sons play for their father’s banner, and that’s something proven time and time again, in sports and in life. However, some children look elsewhere just to get away from the immense pressure of achieving the diabolical expectations set by fans. That may very well be the case for Ryan Day’s son, RJ Day, who appears to be exploring a path of his own. Word is, the Columbus native has secured a scholarship and an official visit to his father’s Big Ten rival.

On May 4th, RJ Day hopped onto his X handle and revealed he has locked in an official visit to Northwestern after getting an offer from them last week. Well, it’s not every day you see a coach’s son getting recruited by the very teams his dad has to beat on Saturdays.

The connection here actually runs much deeper than just a conference rivalry or a standard recruiting pitch. The offer was extended by Northwestern’s offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, one of Ryan Day’s closest friend and mentors.

Because Kelly and the elder Day have worked together for years, the coaching staff has watched RJ grow up before their own eyes. They’ve seen his development firsthand and clearly believe he has the Division I talent to lead their offense, regardless of who his father is.

 

RJ has been making a name for himself at St. Francis DeSales High School right there in Columbus for a while now. Even though he’s only a junior, he’s a 3-star and already got 18 Division I offers from schools like Purdue, Boston College, and Cincinnati.

He’s officially heading up to Northwestern for an official visit this weekend to see the campus and meet the team. This trip will give him a chance to check out the facilities, meet the rest of the staff, and see if he fits into the Wildcats’ future plans or if they can fit into his.

As of early 2026, he’s officially the school’s all-time career passing leader. Over his three seasons there, he has thrown for over 5,714 passing yards and 54 touchdowns. For some perspective, he broke the school’s previous career record of 2,752 yards (which stood for over 30 years) in just his first two seasons. One of his best performances was an unofficial school-record 482 passing yards in a thrilling playoff win against Ashland.

So, yeah, it’s safe to say these offers are earned through pure merit.

So, naturally, everyone is wondering if he’ll eventually follow in his father’s footsteps at Ohio State, but that situation is a bit complicated.

Why not Ohio State though?

The Buckeyes haven’t officially offered RJ a spot on the team, and they already have a commitment from Brady Edmunds, who is considered one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the entire 2027 class. Because the Buckeyes’ quarterback room is always so crowded with elite talent, many recruiting experts think this might be the perfect chance for RJ to “carve his own path.”

So, needless to say, choosing a rival school like Northwestern would allow him to build his own legacy and prove himself without the constant pressure of being “the coach’s son” in his own backyard. Knowing how diabolical Ohio State fans are when things go south, it’s best he looks at every opportunity before he makes his final commitment.

Ryan Day has been very vocal about being a “proud dad” first and a coach second. He often said he just wants his son to find the best fit for his future, even if that means wearing a different shade of jersey. As long as it’s not Michigan, ain’t nothing wrong with that.

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