A national championship buys time in college football, but not always security. For Ryan Day, his long-awaited title with Ohio State offers him the strongest foothold yet in Columbus—yet whispers of the NFL or a new venture still hover like a shadow on a sunny day. It’s not expected, but life tends to pivot quickly in this business. So if Day was ever to bolt, the ripple effect within the Buckeyes program would be massive. Especially for two men. Matt Patricia, who now helms a 46-scholarship defense and special teams stacked with talent and expectations. Brian Hartline, a name that’s quietly gained real traction as the heir apparent.

The “Brian Hartline factor” is starting to loom larger by the day. While Ryan Day continues to oversee the offense from the top, Hartline is now afforded a front-row apprenticeship under the architect himself. That’s gold for a rising coordinator. It allows him to sharpen his X’s and O’s with training wheels, so to speak. Patricia, on the other hand, is walking a tightrope.

The former Patriots defensive advisor and Detroit Lions HC isn’t just tweaking a defense—he’s staking his coaching reputation on it. If this unit thrives, Patricia may punch a return ticket to the NFL as a DC or even a head coach. But if it tanks? Now that’s some real concern felt inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

On THE BEAT with Austin Ward and Jeremy Birmingham, they laid out the situation. Austin Ward explained that “Matt Patricia is somewhat unique to this because he can run any defense that you could possibly want.” The defense isn’t broken—it was the top-ranked unit in the country last year under Jim Knowles. But Patricia didn’t just inherit a playbook; he took over the whole room. Ward noted, “Matt Patricia sort of just took over Jim Knowles’s office, and everything else was like basically the exact same.”

Jeremy Birmingham then chimed in with his thoughts. “So that’s the question though, is it?” he interjected.

Birmingham continued, “On offense, we know it’s Ryan Day’s offense, right? Like we know that. How does Matt Patricia take the pieces of the Jim Knowles defense that worked, but still put in his deep. This is a Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator, like, he is not coming in to run someone else’s defense. And so we don’t really know what changes are happening on the field, but I would bet there will be more of them than we have anticipated.”

What makes this intriguing is the duality. On one side, Hartline and newly promoted co-OC Tyler Bowen are building chemistry and game-flow instincts, a rare chance to gel under a head coach still calling plays. That’s invaluable. “We have more intrigue with the offensive side—Brian Hartline and Tyler Bowen, they had never had that time together,” Ward said. But defensively? It’s Patricia’s lab now. He has full control, which also means full accountability.

There’s talent to mold. The DE room is in transition with Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau off to the NFL. That opens the door for Kenyatta Jackson Jr., who averaged just 19 snaps per game in 2024 but is expected to double that this fall. There’s a belief he could be a breakout star. Behind him, seniors like Caden Curry and redshirt junior Beau Atkinson will be essential glue guys.

The defense is strong; Patricia simply needs to avoid messing it up. “You didn’t have to have somebody who’s going to overhaul Ohio State’s defense. Because the defense was not broken. It was the No.1 defense in the country,” Ward said. “The rest of the staff was all full of guys who would immediately get new jobs elsewhere and bring more than just one thing to the table.” Which brings us full circle.

Patricia isn’t just holding a clipboard this season—he’s holding a wildcard. He has over 25 years of coaching experience, 20 of those in the NFL, and three Super Bowl rings to back it. If the Ohio State Buckeyes defense surges again, he’ll be a prime name to watch. But if things go wrong, he’ll also be a clear target. Plus, insiders are already quietly talking about who might replace Ryan Day later on.

Could this Buckeye legend be Ryan Day’s quiet successor in the making?

While the spotlight may be shining brightest on Brian Hartline as OSU’s most obvious in-house candidate for a future head coaching gig, there’s another name, steeped in scarlet and gray tradition, that’s quietly building serious buzz: James Laurinaitis.

The former Buckeye LB who followed up his Saturday dominance with a strong NFL career is starting to look like a legitimate long-term contender for the top job in Columbus.

Birmingham didn’t mince words when sharing his bold prediction for life after Ryan Day. “At the risk of really looking down the road here, but it is my personal belief that James Laurinaitis will be Ohio State’s next head football coach. Whenever that happens, I don’t know… I think as a coach, as a leader of men, he is exactly the right guy to do that. That’s not a knock on anyone else, but I think timeline-wise and opportunity-wise, it sets up perfectly for James if he wants it. When you talk to him and see the way he deals with his job now, it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t want that.”

Someone with 850 tackles and 7 sacks in the NFL, known for his durability and consistency, and already in the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame since 2016? That could make sense.