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1/20/2024 11:21 PM
Following the departure of Kevin Wilson in the 2022 offseason, Ohio State was without an offensive coordinator for the first time since 2017. Coach Ryan Day looked internally and promoted one of the best assistant coaches in the country, Brian Hartline. After a disappointing 2023 campaign, the Buckeyes have turned to an experienced play caller at both the collegiate and professional level. This leaves me questioning, why has Ryan Day finally handed off the keys to the offense?
Bill O’Brien joins the crew in Columbus after spending the 2023 season as the OC and QBs coach under Bill Belichick in New England. Prior to that, he spent two seasons in Tuscaloosa leading the offense of the Crimson Tide and QB Bryce Young to a Heisman. O’Brien may be most notable for his time in Houston as the Head Coach of the Texans. O’Brien groomed Deshaun Watson and led the Texans to three AFC South championships. In his final season in Houston, O’Brien took on the role of General Manager and made multiple moves that were highly criticized in Houston and across the NFL. O’Brien returns to familiar territory, most Buckeye fans remember him as the Head Coach at Penn State, where he took over a devastated program following the heavy NCAA sanctions in the wake of the Sandusky Violations. He gets a chance to leave his mark on a now new look Big Ten.
For those of us who watched Ohio State last season, I sympathize with you. Ohio State for the first time in a long time looked extremely underwhelming. The once high-octane offense was missing a big gunslinger like it has had in years past, while also getting bullied by Michigan for the third year in a row. Something had to change, and change it did. The departure of QB Kyle McCord and the arrival of Kansas State QB transfer Will Howard, Ole Miss RB transfer Quinshon Judkins, and a new play caller, has things looking up in Columbus.
Honestly, I credit Ryan Day. The stock on Ohio State football was in a nosedive following the, frankly, embarrassing 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. Many were questioning the toughness of the offense, and especially the play calling down the stretch. It was clear that the Buckeyes needed a new identity on offense to get back on top in the Big Ten and make another push for the National Championship. Day was willing to sacrifice his pride and ego for the betterment of the program. While it seems that Will Howard will be the guy in 2024, I think O’Brien’s ability to develop Quarterbacks will be the most useful tool he brings to the Scarlet and Grey. Howard is a proven winner and an undoubtedly impressive athlete, but is known as just an average passer who is a bit of a cowboy. Under O'Brien's tutelage, if Howard can take the next step as a passer, the Buckeyes can once again compete with the big boys.
O’Brien led multiple QBs to some of the best years of their careers. Tom Brady had some of his best years when O'Brien was on staff, former Penn State QBs Christian Hackenburg and Matt McGloin flourished under his command, and Bryce Young shattered Alabama’s passing records in his freshman season. Deshaun Watson has not reached the same level of play since the departure of O’Brien. Beyond this, O’Brien is an asset on the recruiting trail, and 5-Star Alabama Transfer QB Julian Sayin committed to O’Brien and the Alabama staff. O’Brien has a proven track record of generating high level quarterback play. If Ohio State wants to get back to the Haskins, Fields, and Stroud days, they had to make this move.
The Buckeye Faithful have had a lot to cheer for this offseason following that disastrous offensive performance to end 2023. O’Brien should bring a new level of excitement to the Buckeye offense and vault them into contention. Coach Day will no doubt still have his hands on the offense, and it will be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out in the 2024 season. Can Ohio State get the Michigan Monkey off their back? Will Buckeye Big Nut get more to cheer for this year? Ryan Day sure hopes so, the temperature of his seat is slowly heating up.
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