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January 24, 2018When you have an elite football program led by a head coach like Urban Meyer, the Ohio State Buckeyes are used to seeing assistants leave for higher-paid opportunities either in the NFL or as the head coach of another program. Every offseason, it seems as though Meyer has to replace at least one of his assistants due to that being the case. It sucks for both he and the program, but it’s expected.
So far this offseason, Meyer has (somehow) kept his coaching staff intact. Although quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Ryan Day had been rumored to potentially join the Tennessee Titans to be new head coach Mike Vrabel’s offensive coordinator, Day turned down the opportunity in order to remain in Columbus.
With him passing up the opportunity to go back to the NFL, Day has received a nice promotion with the Buckeyes. After just one season on Ohio State’s staff, the 38-year-old has been promoted to the main offensive coordinator, while continuing to be the quarterbacks coach, the school announced on Tuesday.
“Ryan is clearly a very talented coach who has been an outstanding addition to our program,” Meyer said. “He has been approached by other schools numerous times this off-season for coordinator and head coach opportunities, and by the National Football League for a coordinator opportunity. I am pleased that he has elected to continue to work on this staff and to lead, mentor and coach the terrific young men we have in this program.”
Staying in Columbus, there’s a good chance that Day passed up on a bigger payday, but it seems as though he and his family love both Ohio State and the city, which was one of the main reasons why he decided to stay with the Buckeyes.
“Ohio State is an outstanding place to be a coach, and Columbus is a great city for a young family,” Day said. “I really enjoyed my first season with this program and I’m looking forward to the 2018 season and the opportunity to coach a very talented and hungry group of players.”
In 2017, he shared offensive coordinator duties with Kevin Wilson, but that seems to be changing in 2018. While Wilson’s exact role is unknown, he and Day will work hand-in-hand to lead Ohio State’s offense. According to FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman, Day will be the knew play-caller this fall.
SOURCE: Ryan Day will handle play-calling at #OhioState as part of his promotion from co-OC/QB coach to offensive coordinator.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 23, 2018
Prior to the promotion, Day not only turned down the Titans’ offensive coordinator gig, but he also declined an opportunity to be a head coach in the SEC.1
It isn’t a surprise that Day has gotten so much love from other college programs and the NFL. He has 16 years of coaching experience under his belt, including two years in the NFL and 10 seasons as a Division I assistant coach, including both as an offensive coordinator for Temple and Boston College. He also was a quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles, following Chip Kelly.
While it’s unknown how Day worked alongside Wilson in terms of calling plays in 2017, the same seems to be the case for 2018, even though Day has been promoted to the main offensive coordinator and play-caller. He played a key role in Ohio State’s game planning and play calling, especially in the passing game, while Wilson also played an active role as well.
Heading into one of the most important offseasons in quite sometime for Ohio State’s quarterbacks, Day staying put in Columbus is huge. With the departure of J.T. Barrett, the Buckeyes will look for a new starting signal-caller in almost four years. While Dwayne Haskins, Jr. seems to be the front-runner to land the job, redshirt freshman Tate Martell shouldn’t be looked over. While both were disappointed to possibly see their position coach leave Ohio State, the two were quite excited to get the news that Day will remain in Columbus, even if it was just by tweeting out a couple emojis.
https://twitter.com/dh_simba7/status/955635713193791488
https://twitter.com/TheTateMartell/status/955641657206112257
Day may have been promoted, but he and Wilson will likely share somewhat the same roles in 2018 as they did in 2017. This just seems like a way say “thanks” to Day for staying with the Buckeyes. Now the offensive coordinator and one of the two highest-paid assistants on Ohio State’s staff2, Day will likely receive a bigger payday than his expected $800,000 salary as well.
Putting your name out there, getting interviews both from other college football programs and NFL teams, and thinking about taking a new job has its perks, even if you remain right where you are. Day would agree.
- Many seem to think that it was to be the head coach at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs eventually hired Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead to be their head coach. [↩]
- along with newly hired co-defensive coordinator Alex Grinch [↩]