Ryan Day’s son, RJ, had more than a dozen offers in his bag from several FBS programs, but he was still waiting for an Ohio State offer. That didn’t stop the QB from deciding his future. RJ Day has committed to a Big Ten program, one led by his ‘uncle,’ who also mentored his father, Ryan Day.

“Super excited to announce my commitment to further my football and academic career at Northwestern University,” RJ Day wrote on X. “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 the next step and ready to get to work! Go ‘Cats!🟣😼.”

RJ Day received the Northwestern offer on April 30 and sealed his commitment in less than two weeks. The trust and belief that RJ and his family, including Ryan Day, have put in the program stem from Chip Kelly’s role as the program’s offensive coordinator. Chip Kelly and Ryan Day go way back, to Kelly’s stint as New Hampshire’s offensive coordinator from 1994 to 2006. In the same period, Ryan Day was New Hampshire’s QB, and the duo developed a lasting bond.

“I grew up with him (Chip Kelly), so he was my dad’s coach in college, we grew up around him,” RJ said two years ago. “Our vacation house was two doors down from him. So he’s, like, my uncle, pretty much Uncle Chip, but yeah, he’s taught me. He’s taught me a lot about the passing game, a lot of those kinds of schemes. But he’s also taught me about the mental aspect, too. Like you can’t get too high, you can’t get too low, you just have to keep bouncing back.”

After concluding his playing career, Ryan Day followed Chip Kelly to several destinations. The OSU head coach worked under Kelly at New Hampshire as tight ends coach in 2002 and followed his mentor to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, where Kelly was the head coach, and later to the San Francisco 49ers, where Day served as QBs coach. Finally, the OSU HC chalked out his own path, joining Ohio State and hiring his mentor in 2024 as OC, who led him to the 2024 national title.

During this period, Chip Kelly, being a close family friend, was a consistent presence in RJ Day’s life. When the Northwestern OC was at Ohio State, and RJ was navigating his high school career, he formed the same bond with Kelly that Day once developed with him at New Hampshire. From teaching the coaching principles to instilling discipline, RJ partly credits Kelly for his development. That double-layered connection, from his father to himself, is the reason RJ chose Northwestern.

The Northwestern move makes sense for RJ Day

This year, Northwestern’s QB room has transfers Aidan Chiles (senior) and Nico Marchiol (senior). Both players will play their last season this year, and only Ryan Boe (redshirt sophomore) appears to be a future option for the team. Additionally, the team’s 2026 class has only 3-star QB Johnny O’Brien, so breaking the depth chart won’t be a herculean task for RJ at Northwestern. That’s another factor in Ryan Day’s decision to choose Northwestern for his son. Despite that, RJ still has a desire to play for his father’s team.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the Shoe and play for my dad,” RJ said about his hopes of an OSU offer. “He (Ryan Day) always tells me it’s my journey, so you’ve got to figure it out because everybody else figures it out, and you can’t use me as a crutch. So I got to figure it out on my own.”

RJ has passed for a total of 5,174 yards for his high school, surpassing DeSales’ career record. His frame at 6’2″ and 204 lbs is also decent, plus he has also shown dual-threat talent, rushing for 208 yards in his sophomore year. A team like Northwestern, where he will be with a familiar figure like Kelly, seems like the perfect starting spot for his collegiate career. He won’t have the spotlight he would have had at Ohio State, and if he progresses well, it won’t take long for him to land there through the transfer portal. It’s a win-win move for both Ryan Day and his son.

“I committed to Northwestern because of the mix of academics and high-level football,” RJ said. “The campus is gorgeous. You can really tell they are invested in football, and they have big plans for the future. I want to help make an impact there and be a part of the plans that they have. Coach Kelly coached my dad in college, and that’s really special to me.”

Of course, RJ’s commitment to Northwestern now would fuel a rivalry of its own in Day’s family, since OSU will face Northwestern regularly.