Ohio State Football: Another candidate to keep in mind if O'Brien bolts
The Ohio State football team might be in need of a new quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator if Bill O'Brien decides to take the Boston College job. One can't fault him, as discussed on The Ohio Podcast on Sunday, O'Brien's family must come first. And his special needs son must have the best care they can provide, and that sounds like it would be in Boston.
So, if O'Brien moves on, Ryan Day's search for a new coach would start immediately. Scarlet and Game's Ryan Stano listed a few options earlier today that are likely candidates for the open spot. Along with those candidates, Toledo's Jason Candle is also likely at the top of Ryan Day's list, as he was a finalist for the job before Day hired O'Brien. But there's one more coach out there that would make a ton of sense for the Ohio State football team.
Current Akron head coach and former Oregon and Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead should get an interview with Ryan Day for the position. Moorhead is a seasoned veteran, calling plays for a long time now, and has two massive wins over Ohio State on his resume with the 2016 Penn State victory and the 2021 Oregon win. In both games, Moorhead was an absolute difference-maker in calling the plays.
He also seems to fit what Ryan Day is looking for in an offensive coordinator. Along with the game planning and calling experience, Moorhead specializes in coaching quarterbacks, and the QB room at Ohio State is loaded right now. It needs a coach like Moorhead to look after it.
The only thing lacking on Moorhead's resume is NFL experience, and that is something Day clearly was looking for. But with his vast knowledge of the college game, and his years of experience as a play-caller, I don't think that would be a problem here.
Ohio State can certainly double Moorhead's current salary of just over $600,000 as head coach at Akron. And Moorhead may have had enough of being the head man at that school, as it is notoriously known as one of the hardest jobs in college football.
Next. Archie Griffin is finally getting a statue. Archie Griffin is finally getting a statue. dark
Now, who knows about the relationship between Moorhead and Day? I certainly do not, and maybe that would be a factor here. But I believe Day should give Moorhead a chance. He seems to be exactly what Ohio State is looking for.