Ohio State football loses Bill O'Brien before he coaches a single game

The Ohio State football program made a significant hire when they brought in Bill O'Brien to be the offensive coordinator and play-caller. It was perhaps the most significant hire that Ryan Day has made as head coach. That hire was only made a few weeks ago.

O'Brien is now leaving the Ohio State football program without ever having coached a game for them. He will accept the head coaching job at Boston College after Jeff Hafley unexpectedly left to be the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.

This isn't a surprising development but it's still a disappointing one. The Buckeyes now need to start looking around for another OC because Day indicated that he is giving up play-calling duties this year. There are a few candidates out there, but not as many as there were at the beginning of the cycle.

O'Brien leaving puts a halt on some of the momentum that the Buckeyes had built over the offseason. They had some successful moments in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail. Now, they must scramble to hire an offensive coordinator to get up to speed before Spring ball.

Day has known this was a possibility for a while so he should be prepared to approach other candidates. I'm sure he's had conversations with people for the last couple of weeks preparing for this exact scenario. I expect the Buckeyes to make a hire within the next week or so.

I'd be very surprised if the Buckeyes didn't announce a new hire within that timeframe. The worst-case scenario is that Day hands over play-calling duties to Brian Hartline like he was supposed to last year. It doesn't seem like Day calling plays this year are in the cards.

We'll keep you updated on any hires Ohio State makes in regards to this position.