RJ Day committed to play college football at Northwestern University on Sunday, announcing his decision in a post on his Instagram account. The class of 2027 quarterback is the son of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.
Day said he was “excited for the next step and ready to get to work” after choosing Northwestern over 12 other schools, including Boston College and Cincinnati. He is listed as a three-star prospect by 247sports.
The commitment gives Northwestern its third quarterback pledge of the offseason, joining Aidan Chiles, a Michigan State transfer, and Johnny O’Brien, a class of 2026 three-star quarterback from Palatine’s William Fremd High School. For the Wildcats, it is another sign of how aggressively they have stocked the position ahead of the next cycle.
Day arrives with a résumé that made him one of Ohio’s more productive high school passers. At St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, Ohio, he spent three years as a starter, set multiple school passing records and finished with 5,714 career passing yards and 54 touchdown passes. His top single-season marks were 2,710 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes.
What makes the move more notable is the coaching tie that comes with it. Day will play for Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who was Ryan Day’s offensive coordinator at New Hampshire from 1998 to 2001, before Ryan Day later brought Kelly to Ohio State in the same role. Twenty-three years later, that connection now reaches the next generation.
For Ryan Day, the commitment folds family, football and a familiar coach into the same decision. For Northwestern, it adds another quarterback to a class that already has depth. The question now is how quickly RJ Day can turn the production he showed in Columbus into a role in Evanston.
