In a bit of a stunner, we're getting close to February and Ryan Day is yet to hire a new offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes. Is Ohio State waiting for the 2025 college football season to officially come to a close on Monday night before making the call?
Ohio State offensive coordinator pipe dream looks to be off the table
Who knows, but the Ohio State faithful are waiting to see who will be brought in to replace Brian Hartline, who is of course off to USF to take over as head coach in Tampa. A lot of the focus has been on Brian Daboll, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. So, who should Day focus on? We've got our three main candidates below:
3. Former Ohio State quarterback great J.T. Barrett
Mention the name J.T. Barrett and smiles in Columbus will follow. Barrett is a former quarterback standout for the Buckeyes and he's currently working his way up the coaching ranks. He's the quarterbacks coach for the Chicago Bears, who just suffered a heartbreaking Divisional Round loss to the Rams. Barrett played a big role in Caleb Williams finally living up to the hype this fall and winter. With Chicago's season over, bringing Barrett home for an interview would be a smart call.
2. Ohio State co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey
An in-house hire? That's what could be on the way if Day decides to promote co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey. A quick look on social media shows that plenty of OSU supporters are totally against this move, while others think Bailey's familiarity with the program and system would make for an easy transition. Does Day agree or will he look elsewhere for the job?
1. Former Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman
This might seem like a bit of an off-the-wall option, but you can't ignore the experience. Yes, Greg Roman was recently let go by the Los Angeles Chargers, but his football knowledge and resume is quite impressive - he's been an OC at the NFL level with the 49ers, Bills, Ravens and Chargers.
At this point last year, people were up in arms when Day made the 'questionable' call to hire Matt Patricia, a great NFL defensive coordinator, but who was a bust as a head coach. That decision proved to be gold. Might Day have something similar in mind for his OC hire? Maybe, which is why Roman should get a call.