The drama between former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz and Ohio State’s Ryan Day is still going strong, even after two years. It all kicked off when Holtz, who coached the Fighting Irish until 1996, shared his thoughts on the 2023 showdown between the two teams. He was pretty confident that Notre Dame would come out on top. Spoiler alert: Ohio State won a nail-biter, 17-14.
Holtz didn’t hold back during a September 2023 chat on “The Pat McAfee Show.” He claimed, “Notre Dame is a better football team than Ohio State. Let me tell you why. We [Notre Dame] have the best offensive line in the country. Sam Hartman won’t even get his jersey dirty all year. He has time to throw the football. We have a great offensive line, great running backs. This team is averaging about 10 yards a carry. We have great receivers, so offensively, we’re set.”
He wasn’t done yet. Holtz praised Notre Dame’s defense and took a swing at Day. “Defensively, our defensive line is better,” he added. Holtz reminisced about his time coaching under Woody Hayes at Ohio State, mentioning their national championship win in 1968. Then came the jab: “Coach [Ryan] Day has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Michigan (twice), and everybody that beats him does so because they’re more physical than Ohio State. I think Notre Dame will take that same approach.”
Day heard those comments loud and clear. After Ohio State’s win, he had a few words for Holtz. Both teams are gearing up for a national title clash in Atlanta next week.
“I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day said. “What he said about our team, I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here. We’re proud to be from Ohio. It’s always been ‘Ohio [State] against the world,’ and it’ll continue to be ‘Ohio [State] against the world.’ I love those kids, and we’ve got a tough team.”
Things seemed to cool down a bit after a sit-down with both coaches last year. But during a media session after Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl win against Texas, Day made it clear that the feud is far from over. When asked if they had patched things up, Day simply said, “No.”
So, what’s next? Well, even if the title game goes smoothly, don’t expect Day and Holtz to be buddies anytime soon. This rivalry might just keep on going.
