The search for a coach deserving of overseeing Ohio State’s offensive line must be renewed by Ryan Day.
Less than a month ago, Bill O’Brien decided to take on the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Day. He is expected to take over as Boston College’s next coach. Both parties are “working toward an agreement,” according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Friday, although a resolution is anticipated “soon.”
On January 18, a rush of offseason acquisitions—either through staff additions, the transfer portal, or recruiting—that improved the Buckeyes’ 2024 prospects were announced, including the hiring of O’Brien by OSU. Even while O’Brien’s exit keeps the momentum going, Day is forced to accept, at most, his second option.
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Day stated earlier this week, “Hopefully, we don’t have to go down that route, but if we do, we’ll adjust.”
O’Brien brought a wealth of executive experience with him. During his two years at Penn State, the program recovered from the devastating effects of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. During his seven years as the Houston Texans’ coach, he led the team to five winning seasons and four AFC South titles.
Prior to Day hiring him, his most recent experience was serving as offensive coordinator for Bill Belichick and Nick Saban at Alabama and the New England Patriots. The decades of play-calling knowledge OSU lost when Kevin Wilson went to become the coach of Tulsa following the 2022 season were restored by O’Brien by adding former quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis to the staff.
Tony Alford, the assistant head coach of offense and running backs; Justin Frye, the run game coordinator and offensive line coach; and co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline are still employed at Ohio State. But when Day chose O’Brien to be the first coach he gave play-calling authority to, it was obvious that he was searching for a specific resume.
It shouldn’t take him long to locate the next name on his list because he went through this process so recently. But perhaps Day will stick with play-calling and offensive supervision for another season if he is unable to locate any applicants with the high qualifications he desires.
Ironically, OSU’s staff has changed twice as a result of Jeff Hafley’s abrupt departure. In 2019, Day brought him aboard as co-defensive coordinator on his first OSU staff.
After a year, he moved on to assume leadership at Boston College. The Eagles hired an even lower-paid coordinator away from Ohio State as a result of his sudden departure from that position to become the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.
Due to O’Brien’s departure, Day would need to fill two positions on his coaching staff: one is for a special teams coach and the other is for a fifth defensive assistant.
