Ryan Day's Son, Three-Star QB RJ Day, Commits to Big Ten Rival Northwestern

RJ Day commits to Northwestern: Son of Ohio State coach Ryan Day, three-star QB to join Big Ten rival

The 2027 QB recruit is set to unite with new Northwestern OC Chip Kelly, who previously helped Ohio State to a national title

By Shehan Jeyarajah

May 10, 2026 at 12:10 pm ET • 1 min read

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Northwestern football landed a commitment from three-star quarterback RJ Day, the son of Ohio State coach Ryan Day. RJ Day, a standout at St. Francis de Sales in Columbus, Ohio, is a member of the Class of 2027.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 203 pounds, Day ranks as the No. 92 quarterback and No. 50 player in the state of Ohio by 247Sports . In addition to Northwestern, Day held power conference offers from Boston College , Cincinnati , Purdue and Syracuse .

> Super excited to announce my commitment to further my football and academic career at Northwestern University!! Thank you to everyone along my journey who has made this possible from my family, @BradMaendler , the Desales coaching staff and Jay Hooten at the Armory. Excited for… pic.twitter.com/3hLTnjsdSf — RJ Day (@rj_day1) May 10, 2026

At Northwestern, Day reunites with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who coached his father as offensive coordinator at New Hampshire from 1999 to 2001. Under Kelly, Ryan set program records with 53 touchdown passes and 653 completions before graduating in 2002. Later, Kelly hired Day three times, as tight ends coach at New Hampshire and two different roles in the NFL .

The pair reunited in 2024 after Day hired Kelly as Ohio State's offensive coordinator. Under Kelly and Day's tutelage, the Buckeyes went on to win the 2024 national championship, the program's first in almost a decade

The younger Day is a three-year starter at St. Francis de Sales and has already set school records with more than 5,700 yards and 54 touchdowns. His 2,710 yards and 25 touchdowns as a junior also both ranked as the most in a single season in school history.

Day secured an offer from Northwestern on April 29 and officially visited on May 4. He commits to the program as a building block in David Braun's Class of 2027. The Wildcats have five early commitments and a top-50 class in 2027.

The Wildcats have eight quarterbacks on their spring roster, with Michigan State transfer Aidan Chiles projected as a senior starter. Northwestern also signed three-star quarterback Johnny O'Brien in the Class of 2026, the No. 71 quarterback overall, out of Palatine, Illinois.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/rj-day-commits-northwestern-recruiting-ryan-day-ohio-state/)._