The last time Ohio State head coach Ryan Day held a February news conference, he was peppered with questions about the possibility of relinquishing his play-calling duties for the 2023 season. And while he was loath to do so after building a reputation as one of the sport’s supreme offensive minds, Day explained to reporters that it might be necessary for him to cede that responsibility to someone else if the goal was to maximize his impact on the program late in the year when it mattered most.
His plan was to structure the Buckeyes ‘ spring practices in a way that afforded newly promoted offensive coordinator Brian Hartline a chance to earn the play-calling role. There would be plenty of chances for Hartline to match wits with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who went on to oversee the No. 3 defense in the country, as Day assessed the options.
“Then we’ll come up for air at the end of the spring,” Day said last February, “and kind of figure out what that dynamic looks like going into the preseason and then into, obviously, the season. We won’t decide any of that now, but [I will] certainly give [Hartline] an opportunity to call it this spring and see how that goes.”