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LGHL Whether he knows it or not, Ryan Day has already decided to let Brian Hartline call plays
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Whether he knows it or not, Ryan Day has already decided to let Brian Hartline call plays
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK
The head coach kind of doesn’t have a choice in the matter any more.
I don’t think that he’s done it on purpose, but Ryan Day has kind of painted himself into a corner... of course, Kirk Herbstreit helped a little bit too.
By now, we all know that — thanks to the loose-lipped Buckeye turned ESPN analyst — following the season, the Ohio State head coach said that he was open to turning over play-calling duties to whomever his offensive coordinator would be for the 2023 season. Since then, Day has named former wide receiver coach Brian Hartline as the team’s new OC and has been open to — but ultimately noncommittal on — following through on plans to hand over the reins.
However, Day has already decided to let Hartline call plays this season, whether he knows it or not. As I said on last week’s “Buck Off Podcast,” by publicly saying that he was going to give Hartline the opportunity to call plays during the spring before reevaluating the situation ahead of the fall, the head coach has essentially ensured the fact that he has no choice other than to let the best position coach in the game take on the added responsibility once the season rolls around.
I started beating the drum for Day to give up play-calling duties nearly a year and a half ago, not because I didn’t think that he was imminently qualified to do it, but rather that he had too many other things on his plate as the head coach to do it properly. The case and point of that was how well he called plays in the Peach Bowl against Georgia when he had a lot more time to prepare and focus on it during the five weeks in between games. But that’s not a luxury a coach has for every game in the season, so that’s where Hartline comes in.
At the team’s scrimmage last Saturday — which was open to the media — Hartline got his first opportunity to call plays in something approaching a game-like situation; in fact, Day didn’t even wear a headset during the scrimmage, so those responsibilities fell completely to the first-time OC in a very obvious and public way.
While reporting since then has indicated that much of the offensive gameplan was scripted for the scrimmage ahead of time and that Hartline was as much rehearsing the play-calling mechanics as anything else, he did at least handpick the plays toward the end of the practice when the offense was working in the red zone; a good first step to what is to come down the road.
I think that anyone who has watched as many Ryan Day press conferences as I have probably feels like I do that the head coach doesn’t really want to cede control of the offense to anyone else and, in a perfect world, would prefer to keep calling plays moving forward. But, he appears to be reluctantly self-aware enough to know that that is not what is best for his team anymore. So, he is grudgingly, and cautiously, open to the switch.
However, thanks to Herbstreit spilling the beans about the plan on national television — long before a replacement for former OC Kevin Wilson had been named — that set a chain of events in motion that will ultimately force his hand, whether he’s ready to pass the torch or not.
I had originally believed that Day would name offensive line coach Justin Frye as offensive coordinator, because he has experience as an OC and calling plays, and it would balance out Day’s pass-focused approach. However, by instead going with perhaps the most successful and popular position coach in Ohio State history — not to mention a beloved former Buckeye player — Day has given himself very little wiggle room to not follow through on the oft-discussed transition of power.
From Herbie discussing what was likely supposed to be a private conversation on “GameDay” to Day making it clear that Hartline was in charge during the first scrimmage of the spring — in front of the media hordes, no less — if he eventually decided not to let Hartline call plays this fall, it would read as almost an insult against the new OC and an admittance that he made a mistake in promoting the wide receiver coach in the first place.
Of course, ultimately, Day’s job is to put his team in the best possible position to win, so “insulting” an assistant coach or “admitting” that he made a mistake is something that absolutely should be done in situations where the alternative would be disastrous for the team; but nobody expects a guy who played seven years in the NFL and in his six years on Ohio State’s staff has become one of the best recruiters and talent developers in the sport to be a disaster calling plays.
Will he be as good as Day right off the bat? Almost certainly not. The head coach has far more experience, so his floor is going to be much higher than Hartline’s, but I would assume that the new OC will be at the bare minimum competent to start off, with the chance that he could just be naturally excellent at it like he seemingly has been at many of the other aspects of being a college coach.
So, short of his calling plays being ruinous for the team’s chances this fall, I don’t think Day has any choice but to follow through on bequeathing play-calling responsibilities to Hartline. After all, there are few people as popular in Columbus as the former Buckeye receiver, and it would not look great for Day to dangle that carrot in front of him, give him very public chances to do it, tease the media with glimpses into what Hartline can do in that role, and then to snatch it back out of fear, uncertainty, or comfort.
How would Hartline — who clearly loves Ohio State, but has a seemingly endless number of options should he want to coach elsewhere — take what would essentially amount to a demotion, even if the responsibilities were never officially his? Could something like that lead to the end of his tenure at OSU? I hope not, but if his goal is to eventually become a head coach (at Ohio State or elsewhere), he might see calling plays as an imperative to taking that next step and decide that if he can’t do it for the Buckeyes, he will go somewhere else where he can.
Now, to be clear, I don’t think that Day would throw Hartline under the bus if that happened, and I don’t believe that he would do it out of ego, but Day knows what he’s capable of when given every opportunity as a play-caller, but that confidence has also bitten him in the butt at times in recent years. How often have we seen him stubbornly stick to a game plan even though it clearly wasn’t working? How often have we seen the offense look stuck in the mud because it didn’t appear that they had anything uniquely prepared for that week’s opponent?
Calling plays appears to be a bit of a security blanket for Day, and understandably so, because he is one of the best in the business at doing it. But he publicly committed to at least the possibility of giving it up — thanks to a little push from Herbie — and having hesitantly and warily begun going down that road this spring, it would seem to say all the wrong things if he didn’t finish that journey.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK
The head coach kind of doesn’t have a choice in the matter any more.
I don’t think that he’s done it on purpose, but Ryan Day has kind of painted himself into a corner... of course, Kirk Herbstreit helped a little bit too.
By now, we all know that — thanks to the loose-lipped Buckeye turned ESPN analyst — following the season, the Ohio State head coach said that he was open to turning over play-calling duties to whomever his offensive coordinator would be for the 2023 season. Since then, Day has named former wide receiver coach Brian Hartline as the team’s new OC and has been open to — but ultimately noncommittal on — following through on plans to hand over the reins.
However, Day has already decided to let Hartline call plays this season, whether he knows it or not. As I said on last week’s “Buck Off Podcast,” by publicly saying that he was going to give Hartline the opportunity to call plays during the spring before reevaluating the situation ahead of the fall, the head coach has essentially ensured the fact that he has no choice other than to let the best position coach in the game take on the added responsibility once the season rolls around.
I started beating the drum for Day to give up play-calling duties nearly a year and a half ago, not because I didn’t think that he was imminently qualified to do it, but rather that he had too many other things on his plate as the head coach to do it properly. The case and point of that was how well he called plays in the Peach Bowl against Georgia when he had a lot more time to prepare and focus on it during the five weeks in between games. But that’s not a luxury a coach has for every game in the season, so that’s where Hartline comes in.
At the team’s scrimmage last Saturday — which was open to the media — Hartline got his first opportunity to call plays in something approaching a game-like situation; in fact, Day didn’t even wear a headset during the scrimmage, so those responsibilities fell completely to the first-time OC in a very obvious and public way.
While reporting since then has indicated that much of the offensive gameplan was scripted for the scrimmage ahead of time and that Hartline was as much rehearsing the play-calling mechanics as anything else, he did at least handpick the plays toward the end of the practice when the offense was working in the red zone; a good first step to what is to come down the road.
I think that anyone who has watched as many Ryan Day press conferences as I have probably feels like I do that the head coach doesn’t really want to cede control of the offense to anyone else and, in a perfect world, would prefer to keep calling plays moving forward. But, he appears to be reluctantly self-aware enough to know that that is not what is best for his team anymore. So, he is grudgingly, and cautiously, open to the switch.
However, thanks to Herbstreit spilling the beans about the plan on national television — long before a replacement for former OC Kevin Wilson had been named — that set a chain of events in motion that will ultimately force his hand, whether he’s ready to pass the torch or not.
I had originally believed that Day would name offensive line coach Justin Frye as offensive coordinator, because he has experience as an OC and calling plays, and it would balance out Day’s pass-focused approach. However, by instead going with perhaps the most successful and popular position coach in Ohio State history — not to mention a beloved former Buckeye player — Day has given himself very little wiggle room to not follow through on the oft-discussed transition of power.
From Herbie discussing what was likely supposed to be a private conversation on “GameDay” to Day making it clear that Hartline was in charge during the first scrimmage of the spring — in front of the media hordes, no less — if he eventually decided not to let Hartline call plays this fall, it would read as almost an insult against the new OC and an admittance that he made a mistake in promoting the wide receiver coach in the first place.
Of course, ultimately, Day’s job is to put his team in the best possible position to win, so “insulting” an assistant coach or “admitting” that he made a mistake is something that absolutely should be done in situations where the alternative would be disastrous for the team; but nobody expects a guy who played seven years in the NFL and in his six years on Ohio State’s staff has become one of the best recruiters and talent developers in the sport to be a disaster calling plays.
Will he be as good as Day right off the bat? Almost certainly not. The head coach has far more experience, so his floor is going to be much higher than Hartline’s, but I would assume that the new OC will be at the bare minimum competent to start off, with the chance that he could just be naturally excellent at it like he seemingly has been at many of the other aspects of being a college coach.
So, short of his calling plays being ruinous for the team’s chances this fall, I don’t think Day has any choice but to follow through on bequeathing play-calling responsibilities to Hartline. After all, there are few people as popular in Columbus as the former Buckeye receiver, and it would not look great for Day to dangle that carrot in front of him, give him very public chances to do it, tease the media with glimpses into what Hartline can do in that role, and then to snatch it back out of fear, uncertainty, or comfort.
How would Hartline — who clearly loves Ohio State, but has a seemingly endless number of options should he want to coach elsewhere — take what would essentially amount to a demotion, even if the responsibilities were never officially his? Could something like that lead to the end of his tenure at OSU? I hope not, but if his goal is to eventually become a head coach (at Ohio State or elsewhere), he might see calling plays as an imperative to taking that next step and decide that if he can’t do it for the Buckeyes, he will go somewhere else where he can.
Now, to be clear, I don’t think that Day would throw Hartline under the bus if that happened, and I don’t believe that he would do it out of ego, but Day knows what he’s capable of when given every opportunity as a play-caller, but that confidence has also bitten him in the butt at times in recent years. How often have we seen him stubbornly stick to a game plan even though it clearly wasn’t working? How often have we seen the offense look stuck in the mud because it didn’t appear that they had anything uniquely prepared for that week’s opponent?
Calling plays appears to be a bit of a security blanket for Day, and understandably so, because he is one of the best in the business at doing it. But he publicly committed to at least the possibility of giving it up — thanks to a little push from Herbie — and having hesitantly and warily begun going down that road this spring, it would seem to say all the wrong things if he didn’t finish that journey.
Continue reading...
LGHL On the eve of a big time recruiting weekend, more names continue to be added to the list
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On the eve of a big time recruiting weekend, more names continue to be added to the list
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Saturday is shaping up to be a major recruiting opportunity for Ohio State.
Spring football practice is already halfway over, and though the focus is on developing the current roster, it’s clear the staff is utilizing this time for much more than just that alone. Recruiting visits are taking place frequently, and with limited amount of opportunities left to do so, the coaches are hoping enough goes well that some BOOMS will be in place.
Last weekend was a big one for Ohio State in regard to their recruiting efforts, but this weekend looks to top that one, and Saturday’s events on campus are a big reason as to why. With it being Student Appreciation Day, the Buckeyes are going to have a stellar environment to see the players on the field in action.
With that many high-profile recruits taking in the sights, it bodes well for the coaching staff to keep their momentum going. The guest list is already impressive, but names continue to be added, and that’s certainly no issue with Ryan Day and company as they look to make some lasting impressions.
On Thursday, Florida native Malachi Toney took to his social media to share that he would be in town over the weekend to visit the Buckeyes, and that’s just yet another elite receiver set to be on hand for Brian Hartline. A class of 2026 target, Toney currently attends American Heritage. With the recruiting success Ohio State just had at this prep Florida power, including Brandon Inniss, Toney looks to be the next great Patriot in line to be a real priority for the Buckeyes.
Only a high school freshman, Toney already holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Florida State, and several more. Maybe the most promising aspect for Ohio State this early on is seeing him make the trek on his own dime for an unofficial visit.
With Inniss the Buckeyes clearly have a strong presence at American Heritage and with this being another receiver, you’d automatically assume Hartline will be all over this with no problem. Either way, this trip will keep Ohio State heavily in the mix for a player that looks to be one of the higher ranked ones at his position.
In addition to Toney’s visit, the Buckeyes will also play host this weekend to class of 2025 linebacker prospect Kelvion Riggins when he arrives later today, staying Saturday as well. A 6-foot, 200 pound athlete out of Dallas, Texas, Riggins currently holds offers from nearly 30 schools as only a high school sophomore. Programs like Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan, and plenty of others are in the fold right now, but Ohio State has yet to throw their name into the mix.
This unofficial visit could change the status of Riggins and Ohio State when it comes to landing an offer, but regardless new recruiting force James Laurinaitis will be involved with during his time. Already seeing the benefits of Laurinaitis when it comes to recruiting, the Buckeyes would be wise to keep him near the big time linebacker targets on campus this weekend, and surely that will be the case again on Saturday just as he did last weekend.
It won’t be a surprise to see Riggins leaving with an offer in hand if the visit goes well and these tend to do just that when the staff rolls out the red carpet.
Peoples himself has admitted to having Ohio State as his current frontrunner, and while the staff would love to see him commit while on campus this weekend, he also took to Twitter yesterday to share his upcoming spring and summer visit plans. Maybe this update shows that he’s still wanting to go through the process a bit and see a few more schools before making his choice, but it really does still feel like this is Ohio State’s commitment to lose at this point with how much momentum they have.
It won’t be a surprise to see him join the 2024 class as early as Saturday, but the fortunate aspect here is knowing the Buckeyes are in a great spot whether it happens now or in the summer months.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Saturday is shaping up to be a major recruiting opportunity for Ohio State.
Spring football practice is already halfway over, and though the focus is on developing the current roster, it’s clear the staff is utilizing this time for much more than just that alone. Recruiting visits are taking place frequently, and with limited amount of opportunities left to do so, the coaches are hoping enough goes well that some BOOMS will be in place.
New names being added to this weekend’s guest list
Last weekend was a big one for Ohio State in regard to their recruiting efforts, but this weekend looks to top that one, and Saturday’s events on campus are a big reason as to why. With it being Student Appreciation Day, the Buckeyes are going to have a stellar environment to see the players on the field in action.
With that many high-profile recruits taking in the sights, it bodes well for the coaching staff to keep their momentum going. The guest list is already impressive, but names continue to be added, and that’s certainly no issue with Ryan Day and company as they look to make some lasting impressions.
On Thursday, Florida native Malachi Toney took to his social media to share that he would be in town over the weekend to visit the Buckeyes, and that’s just yet another elite receiver set to be on hand for Brian Hartline. A class of 2026 target, Toney currently attends American Heritage. With the recruiting success Ohio State just had at this prep Florida power, including Brandon Inniss, Toney looks to be the next great Patriot in line to be a real priority for the Buckeyes.
Only a high school freshman, Toney already holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Florida State, and several more. Maybe the most promising aspect for Ohio State this early on is seeing him make the trek on his own dime for an unofficial visit.
With Inniss the Buckeyes clearly have a strong presence at American Heritage and with this being another receiver, you’d automatically assume Hartline will be all over this with no problem. Either way, this trip will keep Ohio State heavily in the mix for a player that looks to be one of the higher ranked ones at his position.
In addition to Toney’s visit, the Buckeyes will also play host this weekend to class of 2025 linebacker prospect Kelvion Riggins when he arrives later today, staying Saturday as well. A 6-foot, 200 pound athlete out of Dallas, Texas, Riggins currently holds offers from nearly 30 schools as only a high school sophomore. Programs like Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan, and plenty of others are in the fold right now, but Ohio State has yet to throw their name into the mix.
This unofficial visit could change the status of Riggins and Ohio State when it comes to landing an offer, but regardless new recruiting force James Laurinaitis will be involved with during his time. Already seeing the benefits of Laurinaitis when it comes to recruiting, the Buckeyes would be wise to keep him near the big time linebacker targets on campus this weekend, and surely that will be the case again on Saturday just as he did last weekend.
It won’t be a surprise to see Riggins leaving with an offer in hand if the visit goes well and these tend to do just that when the staff rolls out the red carpet.
@OhioStateFB this weekend#GoBucks @Coach_Eliano @N_Murph @coach_traylor @SOCGoldenBearFB pic.twitter.com/TkpDsdlavh
— KELVION RIGGINS (@KelvionR) March 29, 2023
Quick Hits
- Arriving in Columbus on Friday, four-star running back target James Peoples has officially started his visit with the Buckeyes that will last through Saturday. The most talked about player lately when it comes to Ohio State recruiting, the running back has seen his name constantly in the news being pegged to end up a Buckeye when he makes his commitment known.
Peoples himself has admitted to having Ohio State as his current frontrunner, and while the staff would love to see him commit while on campus this weekend, he also took to Twitter yesterday to share his upcoming spring and summer visit plans. Maybe this update shows that he’s still wanting to go through the process a bit and see a few more schools before making his choice, but it really does still feel like this is Ohio State’s commitment to lose at this point with how much momentum they have.
It won’t be a surprise to see him join the 2024 class as early as Saturday, but the fortunate aspect here is knowing the Buckeyes are in a great spot whether it happens now or in the summer months.
Continue reading...
LGHL Buck Off Podcast: Ohio State’s offensive line, receivers step up in scrimmage, and recruiting updates
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Buck Off Podcast: Ohio State’s offensive line, receivers step up in scrimmage, and recruiting updates
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
With Jordan back, the guys have to talk about the scrimmage and who shined the most.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On today’s episode of “Buck Off with Christopher Renne,” I’m joined by Jordan Williams to to talk about the biggest takeaways from the first Spring scrimmage and the practices that followed.
We start with a discussion about the offensive line. Justin Frye has heaped praise on Carson Hinzmann, so the guys recalibrate their expectations. The conversation then turns to a more holistic look at the offensive line, and why figuring out the five or six offensive linemen definitively competing for jobs is important for the long term strength of the unit.
After that, our discussion turns to the defensive side of the ball. We talk about the impact Davison Igbinosun has already had in the secondary room, and how his ability also creates a higher level competition at the corner position. We also touch on why that is a huge factor for the corners potentially being more successful this season.
To close out the spring talk, we get into our thoughts on the receivers who have taken advantage of Julian Fleming and Emeka Egbuka being out. This turns into a conversation about the freshmen wideouts, and why the injuries to the second year players is bad for their potential outlook in the future.
After that we get into out recruiting segment. This talk gets into all the biggest stories over the last week, and why Ohio State is building a strong base class. In this part of the show, we discuss how Notre Dame lost even more than James Laurinitis when he joined the Buckeye staf,f and why Ohio State is about to get hot on the recruiting trail.
To close out the show, we discuss Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, and why our respective teams will end the year in sad places.
Connect with the Show:
Twitter: @BuckOffPod
Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB
Connect with Jordan Williams
Twitter: @JordanW330
Continue reading...
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
With Jordan back, the guys have to talk about the scrimmage and who shined the most.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On today’s episode of “Buck Off with Christopher Renne,” I’m joined by Jordan Williams to to talk about the biggest takeaways from the first Spring scrimmage and the practices that followed.
We start with a discussion about the offensive line. Justin Frye has heaped praise on Carson Hinzmann, so the guys recalibrate their expectations. The conversation then turns to a more holistic look at the offensive line, and why figuring out the five or six offensive linemen definitively competing for jobs is important for the long term strength of the unit.
After that, our discussion turns to the defensive side of the ball. We talk about the impact Davison Igbinosun has already had in the secondary room, and how his ability also creates a higher level competition at the corner position. We also touch on why that is a huge factor for the corners potentially being more successful this season.
To close out the spring talk, we get into our thoughts on the receivers who have taken advantage of Julian Fleming and Emeka Egbuka being out. This turns into a conversation about the freshmen wideouts, and why the injuries to the second year players is bad for their potential outlook in the future.
After that we get into out recruiting segment. This talk gets into all the biggest stories over the last week, and why Ohio State is building a strong base class. In this part of the show, we discuss how Notre Dame lost even more than James Laurinitis when he joined the Buckeye staf,f and why Ohio State is about to get hot on the recruiting trail.
To close out the show, we discuss Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, and why our respective teams will end the year in sad places.
Connect with the Show:
Twitter: @BuckOffPod
Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB
Connect with Jordan Williams
Twitter: @JordanW330
Continue reading...
