Brian Hartline’s decision to leave Ohio State and take the head coaching job at South Florida marks a significant turning point for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes’ offense. Hartline was not only an elite recruiter but also a stabilizing presence in the program who helped maintain continuity through multiple coordinator changes before him. Now, with a championship roster still very much in the national title picture for this year and beyond, Day faces one of the most important coordinator hires of his tenure.
The next offensive coordinator will shape Ohio State’s identity at a moment when the Buckeyes are trying to maintain their edge over Michigan, reload on offense over the coming years, and maximize the talent pipeline that continues to send elite quarterbacks and receivers to the NFL. Two specific names stand out to me as the most compelling, realistic, and impactful options: Brian Daboll and Chip Kelly.
Option 1: Brian Daboll, pro-style precision and quarterback-focused development
Brian Daboll brings an NFL pedigree that few college programs can attract. After rising through the NFL ranks with stops in New England, Miami, Kansas City, and Alabama at the college level, Daboll became one of football’s most respected offensive minds during his time as the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator. His work with Josh Allen transformed the Wyoming product from a raw, toolsy prospect into one of the league’s most dynamic quarterbacks, and Daboll’s reputation grew as a teacher who could build offenses around a quarterback’s strengths. He carried that reputation into his tenure as the New York Giants’ head coach, where he initially revitalized the team and offense before the team’s inconsistency and roster limitations led to his eventual exit in 2025.
Schematically, Daboll runs a concept-driven, detail-oriented offense built around spacing, leverage, and quarterback freedom. His systems typically blend play-action, layered and multiple route trees, protection flexibility, and pre-snap indicators that help the quarterback diagnose coverages quickly. It is not an offense defined by tempo or deception necessarily, but by matchups, precision, and elite quarterback play. That approach could fit very well at Ohio State, where blue-chip quarterback recruits thrive in environments that prepare them directly for the NFL. Daboll could modernize the passing game even further, elevate QB development, and bring a professional level of structure and teaching that aligns with the direction many elite college programs are trending toward.
However, transitioning back to college would require Daboll to reenter a world that involves recruiting, roster management, NIL dynamics, and daily relationship-building with players who are younger and developing on a different trajectory than NFL personnel. It would be a major shift in lifestyle for him, and that’s the unknown. But in terms of football alone, Daboll represents a high-upside, pro-style evolution for Ohio State at a time when Ryan Day may be looking to reassert a quarterback-driven identity.
Option 2: Chip Kelly, a championship-winning reunion and system fit
Chip Kelly is the most familiar, and maybe the most logical name for Ohio State. His single season as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator in 2024 produced exactly what Ryan Day hoped it would: a National Championship. When Kelly first arrived at Ohio State from UCLA, he brought an instant jolt of innovation, tempo, and efficiency to the Ohio State offense. He built a scheme around quick decisions, packaged plays, and intelligent spacing, the same core concepts that defined his legendary years at Oregon. In Columbus, Kelly tailored those ideas to a roster loaded with NFL-level speed, and the result was one of the most difficult offenses to prepare for in the country.
After winning a national title, Kelly left to pursue another NFL opportunity as an offensive coordinator, but that stint abruptly ended in 2025. Now, with the door open for another college return, the prospect of reuniting with Ryan Day, one of his closest coaching confidants, makes complete sense. Kelly already knows the building, the staff, the personnel structure, and the expectations. He worked seamlessly alongside Day, handled play-calling responsibilities, and helped Ohio State dictate tempo and flow against every defense they faced. With many of the core concepts he installed still embedded in Ohio State’s playbook, bringing him back would be the closest thing to continuity the program could find.
Kelly’s offense is not just fast, it’s intentional. He uses tempo to stress defensive communication, creates leverage through formation diversity, and builds in answers to every defensive adjustment a DC can make. His run-pass options force defenders into constant conflict. The system also pairs well with the Buckeyes’ recruiting power, elite athletes, explosive receivers, and quarterbacks who can process quickly and attack horizontally and vertically. The main question is simply whether Kelly wants to dive fully back into college life after back-to-back transitions. But from a schematic, cultural, and historical standpoint, Kelly is the most plug-and-play option Ryan Day could hire.
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