Before becoming a football legend and winning those 3 national titles, Urban Meyer, like everyone, was climbing the coaching ranks. At every stop, from Utah to Florida, he perfected his art. Not just that, he also had an immense influence on contemporary coaches. Little did he know that two of his assistants would coach the two biggest rivals in college football. Despite that, he knew both Ryan Day and Kyle Whittingham always had a unique quality to do just that.

“I would say they care for the players,” Urban Meyer said on Colin Cowherd’s August 4 podcast. “What I mean, not soft. But, a lot of times I’ve been around coaches, it’s a very transactional business, and they look at a player as number 47. Kyle is not that way at all. Actually, when I was on my staff at Utah, I learned a lot from him. His father was a very successful NFL coach, assistant coach at Utah, and just a phenomenal coach.

“Ryan Day was the same thing. Ryan Day was a GA for me at Florida and then obviously a coach at Ohio State. But the deep care when you dig into their programs, it’s very deep. And when I say deep, it’s about life after football. It’s about making sure they’re taken care of. So a genuine care for the athlete.”

Before arriving in Ann Arbor this year, Kyle Whittingham was the longtime Utah head coach and succeeded Urban Meyer in 2005. During that time, he not only produced a dominant 177-88 record but also helped athletes beyond the field. In December 2020, for instance, Utah went through the tragic loss of its freshman RB Ty Jordan and CB Aaron Lowe. Unlike many other coaches, he grieved openly with his team, helped establish the ’22 Forever’ memorial campaign, and retired their jerseys. But that’s not all.

In 2023, pressure was extremely high on Whittingham to start his QB Cam Rising despite his major knee injury. Instead of focusing on Utah’s record, he chose the player’s well-being and refused to suit him up until he became fully healthy. Even in his recruiting, that care and attention to relationships mattered. Similarly, Ryan Day at Ohio State has shown a similar degree of care for his players and personnel.

In 2021, OSU’s 5-star offensive lineman, Harry Miller, openly told Ryan Day that he was struggling with severe depression and was having suicidal thoughts. Ryan Day, having already endured his father’s depression and subsequent suicide, immediately extended his full support to Miller. Not only did he keep Miller on a full scholarship, but he also provided him with all-around medical care. Later, Miller openly acknowledged that Ryan Day saved his life during that difficult mental crisis.

Even in 2020, Day openly fought for his players when the Big 10 canceled the fall season due to COVID-19. Where many coaches would have been tight-lipped due to administrative backlash, Day openly supported petitions and spoke on national media. Because for him, his players losing their life’s work in a season mattered greatly, and he cared about their paths after finishing college. That, of course, involved improving the draft stock for players with their final year of eligibility in 2020.

Beyond that ability to coach, call plays, and manage operations, both Whittingham and Day are adept at handling relationships. They know that players come with huge expectations, and it’s the duty of a coach to fulfill those expectations and give them the platform to excel. That philosophy has shaped two of college football’s biggest programs, even though they now stand on opposite sides of the sport’s fiercest rivalry