Scarlet and Game
Fansided

Ohio State Football: Ryan Day to Tennessee and Ed Warinner at Michigan?

By Charlie Lockhart

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches the action during the second half of the 2016 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 31, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches the action during the second half of the 2016 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 31, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Will the Ohio State assistant coach return to the NFL?

Saturday it was announced former Buckeye Mike Vrabel will be the Tennessee Titans head coach. Now it has been speculated an Ohio State assistant may be leaving to join his staff.

Adam Shefter of ESPN reported that Ryan Day is considering becoming the Titans offensive coordinator.

Day became Ohio State’s quarterbacks coach following the 2016 season when Kevin Wilson rook over as offensive coordinator. The passing game improved significantly last season and coach Day received much of the credit for getting J.T. Barrett back on track.

During the 2017 season, Barrett’s production in the passing game improved in virtually every area from the year before. Here is a comparison of some of his stats from the two seasons.

  • Yards per game       196  to   217
  • TD-Int                       24-7      35-9
  • Passer rating         135.3       160
  • Yards per attempt     6.7         8.2
  • Completion Pct.       61.5       64.6

There is a question whether Day will leave after just one season. It has been widely reported that Urban Meyer expects his assistants to stay two years when they sign on. Day would be the first coach who didn’t fulfill that obligation.

More from Scarlet and Game

If he does choose to return to the NFL ranks, that could put the Buckeyes in somewhat of a bind as there will be a battle at the quarterback position in the spring. Day has worked with Dwayne Haskins, Joe Burrow and Tate Martell for a year now and a new coach will have to learn their strengths and weaknesses.

It was also reported by Josh Henschke of 247Sports that former Ohio State offensive coordinator Ed Warinner interviewed for a position on Jim Harbaugh’s staff at Michigan. In an article by Nick Baumgardner of the Detroit Free Press he reported that sources said Warinner plans to join the program, but no formal announcement has been made.

The Warinner to Michigan situation is a curious one. Is Jim Harbaugh just wanting to get more info on the inner workings of Urban Meyer’s offense? Harbaugh already has 10 assistant coaches, the maximum number allowed by the NCAA, so it appears Warinner would be an offensive analyst.

Next: 2018 set up for Meyer to close gap on Saban

Possibly Warinner may want to be involved with the Wolverines in some capacity for personal reasons. His last season in Columbus didn’t exactly end on a high note. 

Home/Ohio State Football