Burning Questions: Will Ryan Day let Chip Kelly cook?
Burning Questions: Will Ryan Day let Chip Kelly cook?
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the most important questions yet unanswered for the season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content and our ”Burning Questions” articles here.
In January 2023, Ryan Day elevated Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline to offensive coordinator. At that time, there were a lot of questions, but primary among them was whether Hartline would be calling the offensive plays for the Buckeyes.
Day had come under fire from some fans and media members for his insistence on retaining play-calling responsibilities as head coach. While Day’s reputation as a play caller has been nearly impeccable during his career as an assistant coach, it has been criticized at times after his ascendence to head coach. Day loves the passing game and wants his quarterbacks and standout wide receivers to make plays. That has sometimes created issues when the passing game has struggled.
One of the best examples of this was during the Big Ten Championship Game. The Northwestern Wildcats put the clamps down on Ohio State’s passing game that night, and Day seemed reluctant to simply let his big, physical offensive line wear down the smaller opposition defenders. Once the Buckeyes started handing the ball to Trey Sermon more often, he went on to set a new school record with 331 yards rushing.
Plays have also been slow getting in from the sideline over the course of Day’s tenure, costing the Buckeyes penalty yardage and wasted timeouts. And, in big games, sometimes certain situations have found Day unwilling or unable to adjust to what the defense was doing.
As it turned out, Hartline wasn’t the primary play caller in 2023. Day, as usual, did a mostly good job of it, but the team again struggled to get the ball snapped before the final seconds of the play clock throughout the season, and he seemed determined to try to get particular plays to work rather than taking what was available at times.
With the hiring of Chip Kelly prior to spring practice, fans are again left to wonder if Day can let go of the reins and allow someone else to steer the ship, allowing him to worry about all the other responsibilities a head coach has on game days. He’s clearly going to play a major role in the offensive game plan each week, but Kelly, a mentor of Day’s, has a wealth of experience calling games and is good at mixing up the run and the pass, keeping opposing defenses off balance.
What’s more, Kelly has something Hartline didn’t have: a history of Day’s respect when it comes to knowing the right play to call. Day undoubtedly has a level of trust in Kelly unlike any he’s had with an offensive assistant in his time in Columbus.
Will Day’s trust in Kelly manifest itself in completely relinquishing control of play calling? Maybe. He’ll almost certainly continue to maintain veto power over any given play. However, it will be interesting to see what happens when the Buckeyes find themselves in a rock fight of a game and things get tight.
With Day’s history with Kelly, it seems that he’ll finally have someone handling the play sheet that he completely trusts. That could, and should, be a difference maker in 2024.