The national championship game is quickly approaching, and the Notre Dame football team is gearing up for a highly anticipated matchup against Ohio State on Monday night. These two teams previously met during the 2023 season in a thrilling contest in South Bend, which Ohio State won on the final play. However, what truly stood out from that game were the tense exchanges before and after the match, notably involving Ohio State’s head coach Ryan Day and former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz. Now, as the national championship looms, the drama between the two figures is flaring up once again.
The tension between Day and Holtz stems from comments that both made about each other leading up to the 2023 game. Holtz criticized Ohio State’s toughness, feeding into a narrative that emerged after the Buckeyes lost two consecutive games to Michigan. Holtz’s remarks only fueled the fire, and Day responded with a sharp rebuttal, making it clear that he felt the criticism was unfounded. Day expressed his displeasure with Holtz’s comments during his postgame interview, stating that he couldn’t believe the accusations and asserting that his team was tough and proud to represent Ohio.
Fast forward to the present day, and the feud is reigniting ahead of the national championship game. Holtz has weighed in once more, making a bold statement: “If Notre Dame doesn’t win, it’s because we want to preserve Ryan Day’s job.” Holtz’s comments stirred the pot, especially as he added, “I was originally going to be at the game in spirit, but now I’ll be dragging my body along as well.”
Day’s frustration with Holtz’s remarks was clear after Ohio State’s victory last year, where he publicly called out the former coach, wondering where Holtz was and defending his team’s toughness. Despite the loss, Holtz maintained that Notre Dame was the more physical and superior team, and he believed the Fighting Irish could have won the game. Holtz later apologized to Day for putting him in a difficult position, as well as to current Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, acknowledging that he might have added unnecessary pressure on Freeman.
In a podcast appearance, Holtz further addressed his comments, stating that he stood by his belief that Notre Dame was the better team, but admitted that he should not have made such remarks without the power to control the outcome of the game. Holtz also took another swipe at Day by referencing Ohio State’s struggles against Michigan, noting that Day had failed to win the last two matchups with the Wolverines. This was before the Buckeyes suffered a fourth consecutive loss to their rivals.
With the national championship game just around the corner, the rivalry between Day and Holtz is back in full swing, and it’s clear that the tension between the two could lead to yet another fiery postgame interview.
