5 college coaches the Vikings could replace Mike Zimmer with in 2022
By Luke Parrish
Ryan Day (Ohio State Head Coach)
When the Ohio State Buckeyes made the change to Ryan Day following Urban Meyer’s dismissal a few years ago, there were some questions about Day’s ability to lead one of the nation’s top programs. All he has done since then is go 31-3 as the head coach and appear in the College Football Playoff once.
Day is on pace to make the College Football Playoff once again in 2021-22 as long as he wins the rest of his games this season. The Buckeyes never lost a step after Day took the head coaching job, and that deserves a ton of recognition.
Recruiting has been a huge success for Ryan Day, which was also true for Urban Meyer, who has struggled in the NFL. His absurd amount of talent at Ohio State has helped Day become one of the best coaches in the country, but he should be considered for an NFL job soon.
Whether or not he takes that sort of promotion is up to him, obviously, and it is no guarantee that the NFL is a better job for Day than Ohio State offers. Ryan Day is the exact type of coach that would likely require a change at quarterback, which is fine, but it would take some time for the Vikings to get back on track.
After having success with Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud in college, look for Day to pursue a mobile quarterback if he ever leaves for the NFL. Kellen Mond might have some of that skill set, which will help him stay on the roster as the backup, but the Vikings would be in the market for Malik Willis or Desmond Ridder in the 2022 NFL Draft.