With the news on Sunday night that Chip Kelly is leaving Ohio State to become the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders, the Buckeyes now have a prime opportunity to let Brian Hartline take full control of the offense.
The 2024 national championship run demonstrated that Ryan Day stepping back from offensive play-calling to oversee the entire team was the right approach for both him and Ohio State.
Now, it’s Hartline’s turn to take the reins of the offense, just as Kelly did in 2024. If you’re Ryan Day, you have to trust Hartline to lead the unit.
He has spent seven seasons establishing himself as the nation’s top wide receivers coach and has now been an offensive coordinator for two years.
The time has come for him to take on an even bigger role in guiding the Buckeyes’ offense.
In 2023, Ryan Day was primarily in charge of the offense, while in 2024, Chip Kelly took over most of the responsibilities.
Through it all, Brian Hartline was right there alongside them for two seasons, helping lead the Buckeyes to a 25-4 record and a national championship. If you can’t trust him to take over the offense now, then when will you?
With the departures of Kelly, offensive line coach Justin Frye, and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, promoting Hartline is the clear and logical move for Day.
Hartline has been instrumental in recruiting and developing the elite wide receivers who have been the foundation of Ryan Day’s offenses.
He’s earned this opportunity, even if there are challenges ahead. And there will be challenges—losing top talent and key coaches is part of college football.
But at a program like Ohio State, it’s never about rebuilding; it’s about reloading.
Handing the offense over to Brian Hartline is just another step in that process.
No matter what we as Ohio State fans want, think, or say, Ryan Day and Brian Hartline will ultimately make the decisions they believe are best for the program, their staff, their players, and the fans.
After leading the Buckeyes to a national championship, they’ve more than proven themselves and have earned the full trust of Buckeye Nation.