The Ohio State football program will have to find a new offensive coordinator once the season is finished. Brian Hartline is moving on to USF to be the head coach of the Bulls. Ryan Day has already demoted Hartline and has decided to take over play-calling duties for the CFP.
That means that Day will be calling plays against Miami in the Cotton Bowl, becoming the first game he's called plays since the 2023 season. Day has actually given a coaching update for the Cotton Bowl that seems to hint at his future plans for the offensive coordinator position.
Day has decided to move Brian Hartline from the booth to the field to work with the receivers. In a corresponding move, Day is putting Keenan Bailey up in the booth to help look at things from that point of view. It sure looks like he's about to promote Bailey at season's end.
The Ohio State football team might promote Keenan Bailey to offensive coordinator
Right now, Bailey has the co-offensive coordinator title, even though he doesn't call plays. His primary responsibility is to work with the tight ends. However, it seems like moving Bailey to the booth for this game is giving him a trial run for what he might be able to add as a play-caller next season.
Chip Kelly has already gotten a job with Northwestern. Some fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes were hoping he would come back to Columbus, but Day never pursued that. Now, Day looks like he's set to internally promote Bailey to become the offensive coordinator once the CFP is over.
Of course, there could be someone else that Day has in mind for whom he wants to lead the offense from outside the program. At this point, it would be a little late to grab another coordinator. This audition could make or break Bailey's chances at becoming the long-term play-caller for the Buckeyes.