Ohio State Football: Changes have been fast and furious for Buckeyes
Changes in the Ohio State football program have come at a fast and furious pace since Ryan Day took over the team with a QB transfer being the latest.
When Ryan Day was named the next head coach for the Ohio State football team on December 4th he said the core of the program would stay intact. It’s a good thing he didn’t promise there would be no changes in the program.
Since coach Day took the whistle from Urban Meyer on January 1st, changes have been coming at a fast and furious pace. There has been an overhaul of the defensive coaching staff, Dwayne Haskins decided to turn pro, one quarterback transferred in and now another is leaving. Tate Martell took to Twitter to let everybody he is now a Miami Hurricane.
Prior to the Rose Bowl Game Martell let it be known he wasn’t going anywhere and expected to be the starter next season. Shortly afterwards, Justin Fields enrolled at Ohio State and everything changed.
More on that later, but first let’s look at the other changes that have been made since the calendar changed to 2019.
Here are the coaching changes coach Day has made in the last 15 days.
- Jeff Hatley: Co-defensive coordinator / secondary coach
- Matt Barnes: Special teams coordinator / assistant secondary coach
- Greg Mattison: Co-defensive coordinator
- Al Washington: Linebackers coach
- Mike Yurcich: Passing game coordinator / quarterbacks coach
It’s obvious coach Day wasn’t pleased at how the defense underperformed last season with the wholesale changes he made. Now let’s look at the hire of coach Yurcich.
As offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys were known for their high-powered offense led by quarterbacks who could throw the ball downfield. Doesn’t that resemble coach Day’s offense with Dwayne Haskins running the show?
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It’s not a stretch to think coach Day wants to keep the offense heading in that direction which may be why Tate Martell decided to transfer. His skill set is better suited to the read option style of offense Urban Meyer ran for many years but might not be a good fit for the Buckeyes now.
Justin Fields was the top dual threat quarterback in the 2018 recruiting class but is known for his big arm as much as for his running skills. Freshman Matthew Baldwin is a pro style quarterback who has impressed everybody at Ohio State with his ability to throw the football since he recovered from the injury he suffered his senior year in high school.
Many young coaches given the chance to take over for a legendary coach coming off a 13-1 season, and a second straight Big Ten Title, would probably made slight adjustments to the program. Not Ryan Day, he has already put his stamp on the program, and in a short span.
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If the new head coach can make that many changes in the first 15 days of his tenure, what might we expect down the road?