Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Heavy is the head that lies the crown. After winning the national championship a few weeks ago, head coach Ryan Day now has to replace both his offensive and defensive coordinators, as well as the team’s offensive line coach. It all started when defensive coordinator Jim Knowles couldn’t pass up returning to his home state, taking the same position at Penn State.
Over the weekend, it was announced Justin Frye would be the new offensive line coach of the Arizona Cardinals, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders coming to terms with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
So where does Ryan Day look to replace the departed trio of assistants? Does Day promote from within? Maybe there are some experienced coordinators who are on Day’s radar, much like how Bill O’Brien was following last season. Then there is the possibility that Day decides a hungry Buckeye alum would be right to fill one of the positions.
Currently a hot name to replace Frye and lead the offensive line troops is former Ohio State center LeCharles Bentley. Even though Bentley is light on experience coaching at the college level, his passion for the game could be appealing to Day.
Seeing former Buckeyes return to Columbus to take positions on Ohio State’s coaching staff always adds some excitement to the program. Just look at the response after Brian Hartline was named wide receivers coach, and more recently when James Laurinaitis joined Day’s staff and was named linebackers coach prior to last season.
Today we are going to throw around some ideas for coordinators, and these options don’t need to be for the current hiring cycles. Maybe there is a name out there that could use a little more seasoning before taking on such a big role. Really we are looking at a name that could make the fan base pop with excitement.
Today’s question: Which former Buckeye would you like to see as an Ohio State coordinator?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: J.T. Barrett
For as good as J.T. Barrett was at quarterback for Ohio State, it became obvious early on that Barrett would be a tremendous coaching prospect in the future. Even former Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer thought Barrett would make a great coach, telling Barrett that he would hire him to his coaching staff as soon as his playing career was over.
Even though years ago Barrett didn’t see coaching in his future after he hung up his cleats, it didn’t take him long to find work in the coaching circles after he announced he was retiring.
After suffering an injury while training with the Edmonton Elks of the CFL in March 2022, Barrett retired a couple months later. Barrett was hired as an offensive assistant under Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell in July 2022. Following the 2022 season, Barrett was promoted and given the title of assistant quarterbacks coach.
After spending two seasons as the assistant quarterbacks coach in Detroit, Barrett recently was hired by new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who previously was the offensive coordinator in Detroit, as the quarterbacks coach in Chicago.
With how he is moving up the coaching ladder, it feels like only a matter of time before Barrett is the offensive coordinator of a team. In a way, Barrett’s coaching path is similar to that of current Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who was a quarterback in college and would eventually move on to be a quarterbacks coach in the NFL before being hired by Meyer as co-offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
Just imagine the type of pitches Barrett could make when recruiting some of the top offensive talent in the country as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. Along with being a national champion, Barrett holds a bunch of school records for his production on the field during his time as a Buckeye. Hartline and Laurinaitis have been crushing it recruiting since returning to Ohio State, so there isn’t any reason Barrett shouldn’t be able to do the same.
While Barrett returning to Ohio State to be the offensive coordinator isn’t something that is going to happen this year, it feels like something that would be a home run in about five years. Who knows, by that time maybe Ryan Day is near the end of his Ohio State coaching career, so there could be a path of succession that could even see Barrett take over. It just makes too much sense!
Gene’s answer: John Simon
The easy answer here would obviously be Eddie George, who is currently the head coach at FCS Tennessee State. The former Ohio State unanimous All-American and Heisman Trophy winner has gotten off to a great early start in his coaching career, leading the Tigers to a 9-4 record in 2024 and being named Big South–OVC Coach of the Year. Like Chip Kelly, George’s knowledge of running the football alongside Ryan Day’s passing concepts could create a dynamic offense for the Buckeyes.
However, since Brett already went with Barrett on the offensive side of the ball, I have decided to shift my focus to defensive coordinator. As such, my pick isn’t exactly someone who could come in and take over the reins of the Silver Bullets just yet, but I think could be a star in the making after spending a few years as a graduate assistant: John Simon.
Simon played at Ohio State from 2009-12, and was a two-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree as well as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2012. The Youngstown, Ohio native was incredibly dominant in that senior campaign, posting 15 tackles for loss to go along with a team-high nine sacks over 11 games played. He was selected in the fourth round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, playing nine seasons in the NFL and winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots.
With 154 total tackles and 20.5 sacks under his belt during his time as a Buckeye, Simon knows a thing or two about helping lead a defense. The former defensive star has also returned to Columbus in the past to train with the new wave of Ohio State players during his time in the NFL.
“Once OTAs and everything starts I won’t be there for a couple months, but in the offseason I live in Columbus so I’ll be there seven days a week, going in the morning to train with a lot of the former players and we try to get our work done.” Simon told Eleven Warriors back in 2015. “I see a lot of the coaches and stuff on a daily basis in the offseason.”
It is unclear what Simon is up to now, having last played in the NFL back in 2022, or if he has any interest in getting involved in the coaching world. However, getting an Ohio guy in the room who has experience winning at both the collegiate and the professional level is always a good thing. He won’t jump into a defensive coordinator position at a big time program like Ohio State right off the bat, but it would be cool to see him work his way up the ranks much like Brian Hartline and James Laurinaitis have done.
Ryan Day has a lot of calls to make this offseason, but I’d love to get Simon involved as a GA in the near future and see where it goes.