Ohio State Could Be Screwed

Ohio State has officially announced Ryan Day will be calling offensive plays for the remainder of the season. Shit. I have the utmost respect for Ryan Day as a head coach. However, changing the offensive play caller a week before the playoffs start is a recipe for disaster. Before you dismiss this as another Ryan Day hit piece, just hear me out.

Ryan Day is no stranger to calling plays for Ohio State. It all started in 2018 when he took over as Offensive Coordinator. It all ended in 2024 when he named Chip Kelly the official caller of the plays ™️. I would like to point out Ohio State's playoff record when Ryan Day is calling plays is 2-3. The first season Ryan Day passed the sticks to someone else, we went 4-0 and won a National Championship. I'm not saying Ryan Day can't lead us to a ring this year, but I am saying this move is a cause for concern.

The last head coach to win a National Championship while calling offensive plays was Jimbo Fisher in 2013. There's a reason it's been over a decade since this recipe was worked out. Ohio State trying to be the first since 2013 with only a week and a half to prepare? Damn. Ryan Day said it himself. It is harder to call plays on the field versus being in the box.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/1d7115_a3253008069e407b91494301993be01c/480p/mp4/file.mp4

Per @Bucknuts247 on X

This years offense has some heat. Two of (arguably) the best receivers in the country. A freshman running back averaging over 6 yards per carry. Not to mention, a Heisman finalist at quarterback. Ryan Day has plenty of weapons to use. But, in years past, Ryan Day has had just as many, if not more weapons, and still went 2-3 in the playoffs over 5 years.

The 2022 team had an almost identical offense with CJ Stroud, Marvin Harrison JR, Emeka Egbuka, and Dallan Hayden, and lost in the first round. Now granted, this is widely considered a top 5 game in the CFP era. Jim Knowles is definitely the one to blame, not Ryan Day. But still, Ryan Day has called plays for teams with a top 3 QB, the undisputedly best receivers, and a great running back with no rings to show for. Now imagine we have the same recipe with just 1 week to prepare...

This game was insane

I would like to point out the fact that this is without a doubt the best defense Ohio State has had in decades. Matt Patricia, the pencil man himself, will not be giving up 40+ points like the forgettable Jim Knowles. This is why the title of this blog includes "could be" before "screwed".

Matt Patricia locked in with his No. 2 pencil hyperlinked to his brain

We've seen how this offense plays when distracted. The last game we played, we scored 10 points. We'll probably never know the full story of who was calling that offense. But if I had to guess, I'd say our play caller accepting another job 3 days before the game affected that offense. If I had to guess, Ryan Day was probably calling that game against Indiana too. How many times did we line up in a personnel that was baffling. If going 2 for 4 in the red zone with 10 points was a product of Ryan Day play calling... buckle up.

The fact that this decision to change play callers wasn't made right away makes me believe we wasted 2 weeks trying to make Brian Hartline work. I'm not convinced the distraction has fully resolved itself. I'm not convinced changing our play caller a week before the playoffs is fail proof. But hey, better late than never.

I don't think Ohio State should be hitting the panic button. There are credible sources that do believe Ryan Day can get the job done. Urban Meyer mentions, "If Ryan Day was not an elite play caller... I would've certainly brought the coorinator back."

My final thoughts on Ryan Day taking over play calling are this: I'm concerned. I do think Ohio State has the most talented offense AND defense in the country. I do believe Ohio State at most will give up 14 points in a game under Matt Patricia. I do believe Ryan Day is capable of scoring a sizable amount and leading us to a back to back championship. I just wouldn't be surprised if we struggle more on offense. Changing play callers a week before the playoffs, whether we like it or not, is an adjustment. It's new. Making new adjustments to a team a week before the playoffs is enough cause for concern.

PS: If Ryan Day does win back to back championships while calling plays, he solidifies himself as College Football's kingpin.