Outside of key position battles at quarterback and offensive line, another question entering this season for Ohio State’s offense is who will ultimately call the plays for the Buckeyes.
Head coach Ryan Day has held those responsibilities since taking over the program, but wide receivers coach Brian Hartline received another title this offseason – offensive coordinator, following the departure of former coordinator Kevin Wilson to Tulsa – and Day has said that Hartline will have the opportunity to call plays for Ohio State this season.
He got his first opportunity in the spring, calling plays during Ohio State’s scrimmages as well as during the spring game in April, but Day said at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday they have not determined yet who will call plays for the upcoming season.
“Brian and I have got to talk about that as we get into the first week or two of camp,” Day said. “We haven’t really sat down and talked about it. I certainly would like for him the opportunity to do some play calling. How much, we’ve got to figure that part of it out. But we’ll get a feel for that as we get back in here in August.”
Hartline taking on play calling has offered a chance this spring for Day to spread himself around to the rest of the team, able to spend time with different position groups while Hartline has worked with the entire offense in addition to his usual receiver responsibilities. But even as Day has seen a benefit from having those duties off his plate, he said he is unlikely to stay entirely away from play calling.
“Once we get into the teeth of the season, I know how it’s going to go probably for me,” Day said. “I’m going to end up being right involved with it again, but that being said, as the season wears on, I have to be conscious this year of not getting too locked into the offense and making sure that I have a handle on everything that’s going on.
“I think certainly Brian running the offense and being a part of that and Justin Frye with the offensive line and some of the additions we’ve had to the staff will allow us to do that.”
Even if Day remains involved in play calling, Hartline’s promotion leaves plenty for him to handle while stepping into his new role. Day say that his new responsibilities include installing the game plan and making corrections while handling the day-to-day organization of the offense.
“Now, there is certain things that you learn over the time about play calling that you can learn from, but the organization and day-to-day stuff is way more important and that’s all great stuff that he’s working through now,” Day said.
Regardless of how much play calling Hartline takes on, his jump to offensive coordinator will be one of the most significant changes for that side of the ball in several seasons, and certainly since Day took over as head coach. But since Hartline got promoted – and dating back to his arrival on campus as a quality control coach before moving up the ranks – Day has seen continued evidence that the move will pay dividends for Ohio State.
“His credibility that he has because he played the position of wide receiver, because he went on to play the position in the NFL, and he’s brought guys along and developed guys in that room,” Day said. “The next logical progression for him is being a coordinator, which up until this point he’s tackled everything and really succeeded. So we expect him to do the same thing.”
