The coaching revolving door in Columbus just hit a different gear. If you’ve been following the Buckeyes lately, you know the vibe around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center is... intense. Brian Hartline, the local hero and legendary recruiter who spent years turning three-star projects into first-round NFL locks, is officially gone. He's off to South Florida to run his own show as a head coach.
It’s a massive void.
Honestly, it's not just about losing a play-caller. It’s about losing the guy who was the heartbeat of the building. And let’s be real: finding the next Ohio State offensive coordinator isn't just about filling a seat on a private jet. It’s about Ryan Day deciding exactly what he wants his legacy to look like as the 2026 season approaches.
The Chip Kelly experiment and the 12-0 ghost
Let’s look back for a second to understand why this matters so much. Last season was a wild ride. We saw Chip Kelly—Ryan Day's old mentor—come in to call the shots while Hartline served as the co-coordinator. On paper, it was a dream team. You had the creative run-game genius of Kelly mixed with the vertical passing concepts Day loves.
It worked. Mostly.
The Buckeyes tore through the regular season at 12-0. Julian Sayin looked like a Heisman frontrunner, throwing for over 3,600 yards and 32 touchdowns. But then the Big Ten Championship happened. A 13-10 loss to Indiana? In 2025? It felt like the air left the balloon. By the time the Cotton Bowl rolled around, Kelly was already looking at the NFL, eventually landing (and quickly exiting) with the Raiders before ending up at Northwestern.
Now, Ryan Day is standing at a crossroads. He took the play-calling back for the bowl game against Miami, but he knows he can't do that forever. Not if he wants to be the "CEO" coach the modern era demands.
The Brian Hartline departure: A $2 million hole
Losing Hartline hurts the wallet and the depth chart. The guy was making $2 million a year at Ohio State, a number that reflects how much the administration valued him. You don't just replace a guy who mentored Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson by posting a job on LinkedIn.
Day has already started making moves. He brought in Cortez Hankton from LSU to coach the wide receivers. Hankton is a heavy hitter—he coached Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.—and he’s getting a cool $900,000 to start. But here’s the kicker: Hankton isn't the offensive coordinator.
At least, not yet.
The Ohio State offensive coordinator position remains the biggest question mark in college football right now. Does Day go back to a veteran "big name" like he did with Chip Kelly? Or does he promote from within to keep the continuity for a locker room that’s already seen enough change?
What the 2025 stats tell us about the future
If you look at the 2025 numbers, the offense was far from broken. They averaged over 33 points a game. They were third-down machines, converting at a 53% clip. But the "cheeks" performance—as some frustrated fans on Reddit called it—in the postseason showed a lack of identity when things got tough.
💡 You might also like: SF49ers News and Rumors: Why This Offseason Is Different
- Passing Offense: 3,755 yards (Sayin was a beast).
- Rushing Offense: 4.55 yards per carry (solid, but lacked that "home run" feel in big games).
- Red Zone: 86% success rate, which is great, but they settled for too many field goals against Indiana.
The next coordinator has to fix the "clutch" factor. It’s easy to drop 70 on Grambling State. It’s a lot harder to find 14 points in a blizzard against a top-five defense.
The internal vs. external debate
There's a lot of chatter about Keenan Bailey. He’s the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, making $650,000. He’s young, he’s sharp, and the players love him. Promoting him would be the "safe" move for recruiting.
But is safe what Ohio State needs?
The Buckeyes are in a title-or-bust window. Every year they don't win it all, the seat under Ryan Day gets a little warmer, even if that feels crazy for a guy who wins 90% of his games. Fans are tired of "close." They want the 2014 feeling again.
If Day goes external for the Ohio State offensive coordinator, he’s likely looking for someone who can bridge the gap between the modern "spread" and the power-running game needed for late November in the Midwest. Rumors are always swirling, but the profile is clear: someone who can handle the egos of five-star quarterbacks while keeping the offensive line (which struggled at times in 2025) aggressive.
Why this hire is different
In the past, the OC at Ohio State was often just a "Day-assistant." Ryan Day was the real architect. But as the playoff expands and the portal becomes a 24/7 job, the coordinator has to be a legitimate head coach of the offense.
They need someone who can:
- Manage Julian Sayin's development: He's the key to 2026.
- Integrate the new WR coach: Hankton is elite, but the chemistry has to be there.
- Call plays with "feel": Knowing when to ditch the script and go for the throat.
The search is quiet, which usually means Day is working on something big. Or, he's waiting for the NFL coaching cycle to finish shaking out to see if a pro mind wants to come to the college ranks for a year or two.
Actionable insights for the 2026 season
If you're a fan or an analyst trying to track where this is going, keep your eyes on the spring practice schedule. That’s when the real identity starts to form.
Watch the "Co-OC" titles. If Day brings in a name but keeps Keenan Bailey as a "Co-OC," it tells you he's still worried about losing his young talent to other programs.
Keep an eye on the transfer portal. A new coordinator usually wants "their" guy at a specific position—usually a versatile H-back or a specific type of tackle. If you see a sudden surge of offers to players who don't fit the "traditional" Day mold, you'll know the new hire is already pulling strings behind the scenes.
💡 You might also like: NFL Fantasy Mock Draft 2025: What Most People Get Wrong
Follow the salaries. The market rate for a top-tier Ohio State offensive coordinator is now north of $2 million. If the Buckeyes pay that, they aren't just hiring a coach; they're hiring a savior.
The next few weeks will define the Ryan Day era. It’s not just a hire. It’s a statement of intent.