COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State coach Ryan Day confirmed Monday that the Buckeyes national championship football team will visit the White House on April 14.
Ohio State’s visit comes two days after it wraps up spring football practices.
“It’s an honor to be invited,” Day said. “I remember growing up and watching the national championship teams go to the White House. I always looked at that, like, ‘Man, what an honor that would be.’ So, it’s part of the celebration of our team. I’m looking forward to getting that all planned out.”
The Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame 34-23 in the College Football Playoff title game in Atlanta to win their first national championship since 2014.
Ohio State will be the second championship team to visit the White House since President Donald Trump returned in January. The Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers made their trip on Feb. 3 before facing the Washington Capitals.
Vice President JD Vance is an Ohio State graduate.
Trump has attended many sporting events since taking office. On Saturday, he went to the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia for the second time in three years.
He also was the first sitting president to view the Super Bowl in New Orleans, and he attended the Daytona 500 for the second time since 2020.
The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will visit the White House on April 28.
Day originally said April 12 would be a spring showcase instead of a traditional spring game. On Monday, he reversed on those plans when asked what the format would be for that practice.
“I just think we need to save a little bit of wiggle room in case we take injuries,” Day said. “It’s important that we start the season fast. And I think that the first step is playing the spring game. If we’re down some linemen, we have to adjust and figure that out from there.”
