Ohio State head coach Ryan Day still intends to relinquish offensive play-calling duties despite newly hired offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien already linked with a move elsewhere.
“I know that has to happen,” he told reporters Wednesday.
Day didn’t provide any updates regarding O’Brien, who has reportedly interviewed with Boston College as they search for a new head coach. The team has begun looking at potential replacements, though.
“It isn’t just one of those situations where you take out one guy and put another guy in there and move on,” he said. “It doesn’t work that way. But yes, we talked to different people for that position and we have contingency plans in place. Hopefully, we don’t have to go down that road, though.
Some Buckeyes fans were probably left underwhelmed by O’Brien’s initial hire.
His seven years as head coach of the Houston Texans aren’t remembered fondly despite him finishing with a winning record there and reaching the playoffs four times. The same can be said of his last three seasons as an offensive coordinator, two at Alabama and one with the New England Patriots.
But bringing in a coach with a wealth of experience in college and the NFL at least made sense considering Day is looking to be a little less involved with the offense.
Brian Hartline has assumed the title of co-offensive coordinator alongside O’Brien.
The 37-year-old has been great at developing Ohio State’s wide receivers along with helping to land a number of high-profile recruits. Sooner or later he’ll be running an offense on his own, whether it’s at Ohio State or another major school.
