\n For the past nine years, RJ Day has been a constant presence around the Ohio State football program. Now, he\u2019s turning his focus toward playing for another Big Ten team. <\/p>\n
\n\tThe son of Ohio State coach Ryan Day, RJ Day \u2013 a three-star quarterback<\/a> in the 2027 recruiting class \u2013 committed to Northwestern<\/a> on Sunday. After making an official visit to Evanston over the weekend \u2013 with his mother and father alongside him \u2013 RJ decided he was ready to be done with the recruiting process.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt feels like a big sigh of relief that this recruiting process is over. It felt like the right spot for me, and I’m really happy that I’m at a place where I feel comfortable,\u201d RJ told Eleven Warriors on Monday. \u201cJust being around the people, being in the building, and just seeing the vision for the future, just being around the players that are already there and then talking to some of the future commits, there’s something special there. There’s a lot of guys who are hungry to win there, and I think they’re going to do big things within the next couple years.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tSuper 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<\/a> , the Desales coaching staff and Jay Hooten at the Armory. Excited for pic.twitter.com\/3hLTnjsdSf<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 RJ Day (@rj_day1) May 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tRJ committed to Northwestern just 11 days after receiving his offer from the Wildcats, but they had a big head start on building a relationship with the Day family. Chip Kelly, who became Northwestern\u2019s offensive coordinator in December, has shared a close bond with the Day family since he was Ryan\u2019s offensive coordinator during the elder Day\u2019s own playing career as a quarterback at New Hampshire.\n<\/p>\n \n\tRJ says it\u2019s special to have the chance to follow in his father\u2019s footsteps by playing for Kelly himself.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt’s obviously a really, really cool opportunity and something that’s very unique to this situation,\u201d RJ said. \u201cWhenever you get to do something that someone in your family did before you, it’s a great honor.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tRyan Day\u2019s own offensive philosophy is modeled after what he learned from Kelly, who was previously Ohio State\u2019s offensive coordinator in 2024, so the chance to play in a similar offense to that which he\u2019s spent his entire childhood watching was appealing to RJ.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt’s very similar to the offense that I’ve been exposed to with my dad. It’s an offensive system that I currently play in (at St. Francis DeSales High School),\u201d RJ said. \u201cAnd just the fact that I’ve been able to be in it already and you kind of take that part out of it, that’s a big deal.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tThat said, Kelly isn\u2019t the only reason RJ chose to be a Wildcat. Northwestern quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel also played a big role in his decision, RJ said.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI don’t want to understate the impact that Coach Neuheisel had on my recruitment,\u201d RJ said. \u201cCoach Neuheisel is a big part of the reason I’m going to Northwestern as well, along with Coach Kelly.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhenever you get to do something that someone in your family did before you, it’s a great honor.\u201d\u2013 RJ Day on playing for Chip Kelly like his father\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Northwestern hasn\u2019t won more than eight games in any of the last seven years, RJ believes the Wildcats are on track to become a Big Ten contender, citing the leadership of head coach David Braun, the talent they\u2019ve brought into the program and the university\u2019s investment in football, including the opening of a new $862 million Ryan Field that will open in October.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSitting down and talking with Coach Braun, you understand how much he cares about his players and how much he cares about the school, and his passion and his energy is just genuine and it’s contagious. It’s something that I want to be a part of,\u201d RJ said. \u201cThe guys in the building, there’s a lot of really good players in that building that people might not see yet. Just being around them this weekend, I got to see that and seeing them at practice, so there’s a lot of upside. And then obviously the third thing is that the investment on the university side, just the fact that they’re so invested in football now.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tNorthwestern\u2019s ranking as one of the nation\u2019s top academic institutions was also a factor in RJ\u2019s decision \u2013 especially when it came to getting the approval of his mother, Nina.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAcademics are really important to my mom,\u201d RJ said. \u201cThat meant a lot to her and her signing off.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tRJ valued both of his parents\u2019 input throughout the recruiting process, and expressed gratitude that his father focused on what was best for his son rather than on his own coaching interests.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt was a family effort in terms of getting to the point where I was ready to commit. And just him being there meant a lot to me, just \u2019cause him and my mom’s opinion matter a lot to me,\u201d RJ said. \u201cHe just did the best he could to look at it from a dad’s lens, not a coach’s lens.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tI love the idea of Ryan Day getting the recruiting pitch, a tour of the facilities, etc., at another Big Ten school. pic.twitter.com\/F2D5jVywaK<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n