Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes want no distractions ahead of the 2025 NCAA season opener against the Texas Longhorns. Yet, the latest news coming out of Columbus had the opposite effect. On that note, Dave Portnoy won’t be allowed inside The Horseshoe when the Texas Longhorns walk into campus.
The Buckeyes have yet to make their first presentation in college football’s 2025 campaign, yet they’ve made headlines already. Such is the hype around the showdown against Arch Manning’s Longhorns, that the school is barring Fox Sports’ Dave Portnoy from entering the stadium.
While the news on itself were shocking, a new report claims the man behind the decision is none other than Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. Talk about game-planning for the No. 1 college football program in the nation, Texas.
“I’m going to tell you who, and this is 100% true: Dave Portnoy has been banned from the Horseshoe. Everybody’s scrambling,” OutKick radio host Dan Dakich boldly stated. “Ross Bjork is the athletic director at Ohio State, and they’re saying FOX banned him. FOX is going to say nothing. That’s fine. But the guy that banned him is very simple, and I know this as fact. It’s Ryan Day.”
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day at Woody Hayes Athletic Center on April 29, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
Why would Day want Portnoy away?
A season removed from winning the NCAA Division I National Championship, one would guess Day and the Buckeyes wouldn’t let anything—or anybody—get under their skin. Still, Ohio State is apparently trying to send a message.
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“Ryan Day banned Dave Portnoy because Portnoy has been very personal in his attacks on Ryan Day. He’s gotten personal to the point of going after his children, not just calling him a loser,” Dakich commented.
Ohio State sets record straight
While the prospect of Day stepping in and banning a media personality from The Horseshoe is one that raises the stakes ahead of Saturday’s showdown, the school intervened with a statement.
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“Ohio State routinely holds planning meetings with media partners and provides input regarding broadcast set-up, kickoff times, and other matters,” the statement read. “FOX representatives informed the department that the only talent who would be inside the stadium for the last hour of the show would be their main set-desk talent team. [FOX] informed us that David Portnoy is not part of their ‘main desk’ crew. Ohio State did not ban anyone from our stadium.”
