Buckeyes' Ryan Day's Latest Hire is a Head Scratcher as he Assembles an NFL Staff

Ryan Day is dead set on assembling an NFL staff at The Ohio State University. Each of the last three years, he has dipped into the pro ranks. 

First, he hired Chip Kelly to be his OC. While Kelly is probably best known for his days at Oregon, he did spend several years in the NFL with the Eagles, trying to bring his fast-paced offense to the NFL.

Then, after Kelly left, he gave the OC job to the incumbent, Brian Hartline, who did an awesome job taking the reins. Now that Hartline left for USF, Day was tasked with replacing him. He zigged when everyone thought he might zag, and he hired Arthur Smith to run the offense. A fascinating hire and one that is equal parts exciting and risky.

The best hire that Day has made in his time as the head guy in Columbus is what he did after the 2024 season. Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles hit the road for Penn State, which was a disaster, opening up the DC spot. Day tapped into the NFL and hired Matt Patricia, who has seen it all in the league.

I was very vocal about really disliking the hire, and I couldn't have been more wrong. Patricia had zero college coaching experience since the turn of the millennium, and he came to Ohio State and didn't skip a beat.

Now, Ryan Day has again tapped into the NFL, and this latest hire deserves at least some questions.

Day hired former long-time NFL Scout Andy Howell to their staff as a lead recruiting coordinator and one of the head guys when it comes to roster management. Since the transfer portal is much like free agency now, it makes sense to move from a pro scout to this position.

However, the resume would be totally fair to question. Howell spent time in 2015 with PJ Fleck at Western Michigan before heading to the NFL. In the league, he had stints with Cleveland, the New York Jets, and the Miami Dolphins over the past ten years.

In a results-based business, none of those three teams were consistently good, or even competitive, in some time frames over the past decade.

It is truly a fascinating hire and one that, in theory, should pay dividends, but he is going to have to prove it. 

I am no stranger to having a skeptical view on Ryan Day's hires, and I have been wrong in the past. Here's to hoping that I am wrong again.

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