You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are in full-on spring football mode, so as the players learn the schemes and perfect their technique, we asked the team’s fans about their thoughts on a couple of questions surrounding the squad.
Last week, we asked Buckeye Nation about what they felt would make for a successful 2025-26 season as the team is coming off a national championship. From winning The Game to winning the title, there were tons of options, and I have to say, I am a bit surprised by the results.
We also asked what folks thought about how head coach Ryan Day handled the personnel turnover on the coaching staff during the offseason. You can see the results below, and my off-the-cuff reactions to the responses.
If you want to have your say on the matter, head down to the comment section at the bottom of the page and sound off!
Question 1: What would the minimum be for you to consider the 2025-26 football season a success for Ohio State?
I’m not gonna lie, I’m not sure what to make of this result. On one hand, now that Ohio State has won the national title, I can understand why nearly 40% of respondents would need a win in The Game to feel good about the 2025-26 season. However, we have also seen that in the 12-team playoff era, beating your rival is not required to have a successful season.
Personally, of course, I want (and even need) the Buckeyes to beat Michigan this season, but we live in a new world of college football where a loss in your regular-season finale rivalry game does not preclude you from making the playoff or even winning the national title. So from my perspective, we do have to kind of rewire our brain chemistry in order to prioritize what is most important.
So even if you are saying that a win over the Wolverines is required for the season to be successful, I feel like there’s got to be more than that to meet the minimum level for me. I would say that they would have to make the CFP semifinals to be considered a truly successful season. I might be able to wrap my head around a quarterfinal berth, depending on the specific circumstances of the season, but coming off of a national title, I think making it back to the Final 4 would absolutely be a success, even despite all of the roster turnover.
Question 2: How would you grade Ryan Day’s offseason staff moves?
I think that this is a pretty fair grade from Buckeye Nation. If Day had been able to keep Chip Kelly in Columbus, I probably would have gone with an A, but losing some of his credentials coming off a dazzling playoff run has to hurt a little bit, even if you completely understand the circumstances.
When it comes to elevating Brian Hartline to the role of sole offensive coordinator, I don’t have much of a problem with that. I am always hesitant about people getting their first opportunities as head coaches and coordinators at Ohio State, but this is a unique situation. Not only has Hartline technically been the co-OC for a number of years, but he has also been an integral part of building the OSU offense into the juggernaut that we saw during the playoff run.
So, I really can’t be upset about his taking the play sheet and presumably calling plays this season. With Day there to guide him through the new responsibilities and new offensive line coach and run-game coordinator, Tyler Bowen, helping with the ground attack, there is reason to feel confident.
Admittedly, I will be a little hesitant when the Buckeyes take the field against Texas, just because we haven’t seen what it looks like with Hartline running the show, but I am cautiously optimistic.
The major move on the other side of the ball I kind of feel the opposite about. During a lot of last season — and especially in the postseason — it felt like former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles just wasn’t vibing with Day and the rest of the staff. Things started to percolate following the mid-season loss to Oregon when the head coach became more involved with the defense. Then, following the loss to Michigan, the DC just seemed to be extra on edge in press conferences and interviews.
So given what appears to have been a little bit of friction on the staff (not to mention the perceived differences of opinion between Knowles and defensive line coach Larry Johnson), while I admit to being a bit shocked, it did feel natural for Knowles to move on.
His replacement, Matt Patricia, obviously has a ton of NFL experience — some of it good, some of it not so good — and he comes with some baggage that, on first blush, seems to run counter to the core principles of the Ohio State football program. However, Day has stated that the program did its due diligence on the matter and was satisfied by what it found.
On the field, the response from players has been very positive so far through spring practice. There is little doubt that Patricia knows how to be a championship-level DC, but will he be able to translate his Super Bowl success to the college level? His post-Bill Belichick career has been nowhere near as productive as it was while he was in New England, so there is at least a little cause for concern now that he is Ohio State’s “head coach of the defense.”
Nonetheless, it’s tough to be too upset about the on-field abilities of a guy with multiple Super Bowl rings who learned at the knee of the greatest coach in pro football history.
Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.