JUST IN: Ryan Day explains decision to hire Bill O’Brien as Ohio State’s new offensive coordinator

Ryan Day addressed publicly for the first time since deciding to make a few changes to Ohio State’s coaching staff, including hiring a new offensive coordinator.

Day signed longtime coach Bill O’Brien to take over the offence, which will also relieve him of play-calling duties. It was a significant decision for Day, as play-calling has been a cornerstone of his identity when he first arrived as a coordinator in 2017 before becoming head coach in 2019.

In his first public appearance since those decisions, Day appeared on ESPN Cleveland’s ‘The Really Big Show’ with Tony Rizzo and Aaron Goldhammer to address his decision to give up play-calling and hire O’Brien.
“Every year, you have to look and identify the things you want to tweak and change,” Day explained on the show. “I thought this was necessary for a variety of reasons. The landscape of college football has shifted. Where my concentration should be has shifted. Bill brings a wealth of experience to the table.

O’Brien has spent 31 years coaching in college and the NFL, including time as a head coach at both levels. He has tutored NFL players such as Tom Brady and DeShaun Watson, as well as Alabama’s Bryce Young, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2021. He has a successful track record in quarterback play and has coached in the Big Ten for two years as Penn State’s head coach.

He fitted the description. Day was seeking for a quarterback who would not only take over play-calling but would also help a quarterback room with five scholarship players choose a new starter.

“I wouldn’t have done it with just anybody,” Day stated at the time. “Bill’s experience being a head coach in the conference (at Penn State), being a head coach in the NFL, being at Alabama for two years and the success he had there with Bryce Young fits very well with what we need in the program.”