Given the shakeup that the Ohio State staff is going through at the moment, Ryan Day made the inevitable decision. The head coach will take over play-calling duties from Brian Hartline, who clearly is also busy with his new job as USF’s HC. However, Day will have to give up on one of his most important preferences.

Day gets back into playcalling shoes after two years, having let go of them when Chip Kelly was hired as OC. This is clearly not his first rodeo, having been an OC for the majority of his career, even at Ohio State. This is a system that he built from the ground up. But now that he is also HC, Day will have to sacrifice one major upside he used to have as a playcaller before.

“I do think sometimes the best setting is, you know, when you’re up in the [press] box, and you have everything organized, as opposed to being down in the field,” Ryan Day said on December 22, previewing the Cotton Bowl. Brian Hartline, however, will be moved up to the booth for the Cotton Bowl.

Ryan Day, as the head coach, has no choice but to call plays from the sidelines. Being in the box gives play callers a vantage point due to its height, providing a better view of the game. In the booth, Day would have his data, play-calling sheet, and other resources laid out for himself. On the sidelines, he’ll have to resort to flipping through them, which is why Day stressed organization. From the sidelines, he’ll be able to communicate with the players more effectively. Regardless of where Day calls the offensive plays from, Ohio State needs to improve significantly on that front.

In the Big 10 Championship vs. Indiana, Ohio State struggled to score from the red zone. Only 1 TD came from that area, despite the Buckeye offense having possession 4 times. 2 of them were within Indiana’s 10-yard limits. Ohio State embarrassingly put up only 10 points on the board despite entering the game averaging 37. Ryan Day had no choice but to take on the responsibility himself, as OSU needs a veteran’s experience in this arena.

Day knows this offense better than Brian Hartline. He ran it when Urban Meyer was head coach and became one of the most aggressive OCs in the sport. Except for his first season as OSU’s playcaller, Day consistently created offenses finishing in the top 10 until the 2022 season. Hartline came on board the next year, and Day began sharing the load with the offensive staff. During his time as play caller, the OSU offense heavily relied on a passing attack.

Brian Hartline will no doubt remain an extremely memorable coach for Ohio State. His work with the WRs has been exemplary and is a big reason why he was targeted as a potential head coach candidate. However, Hartline’s acceptance of his new role in Tampa has simply caused him to be dealing with a lot of things at the same time. Ryan Day stressed that the decision also helps Hartline.

Ryan Day claims play-calling was too much to manage for Brian Hartline

Hartline is juggling two jobs simultaneously, and both are equally important. At Columbus, Hartline has to lock in and work on his trademark success as an OC and WR coach. But he also has to weigh in on head-coaching matters at Tampa. Day explained that his decision to transfer the playcalling duties was only to reduce his workload and allow himself to do what he does best.

“It’s such a strange calendar and the timing is brutal, but he’s handled it really well,” Day added. “As we move forward, he’s coaching the receivers. It’s a lot on his plate to manage.”

Hartline has done a good job of managing the offense this year. But now, it’s clear that he and his new job have not proved successful in playcalling. Though Miami seems like an extremely easy opponent, it is way too risky for Hartline to be calling plays. A repeat of the Big 10 title game will knock Ohio State out of the playoffs, ending their hopes of defending their National title. That’s why Ryan Day took this challenging yet necessary step.

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