Growing interest for former Buckeyes OC might entice Ryan Day to bring him back

Once the season is over for the Ohio State Buckeyes, head coach Ryan Day is going to have a heavy task of finding a replacement for offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, but there is a clear option out there.

Hartline will be coaching the offense through the College Football Playoffs, but afterwards will be joining his new team, USF, as the head coach. That leaves Day in a predicament to find Hartline's replacement quickly after the season.

The biggest name out there for offensive coordinator is former Buckeyes coach Chip Kelly, whom the Las Vegas Raiders most recently fired after less than a year there. Kelly is already gaining traction on the job hunt, as On3 reported that he interviewed with Georgia Tech for their offensive coordinator opening.

NEW: Chip Kelly has interviewed for the open Georgia Tech offensive coordinator job, @PeteNakos reports👀

Intel: https://t.co/HnFxIzgjvW https://t.co/LQLguGfLiT pic.twitter.com/YoYIbHGHae
— On3 (@On3sports) December 11, 2025

Last year, in his only season with Ohio State, Kelly served as the co-offensive coordinator, sharing duties with Hartline. Kelly helped lead Will Howard and company as one of the best offenses in the Big Ten, finishing fourth in the conference with 429.4 yards per game. That was one of the catalysts for the Buckeyes' national championship victory.

With limited options becoming available for Ohio State as the playoffs near and most schools already having their coaching staffs in place, the Buckeyes might not have a ton to choose from. Kelly appears to be the best of the available bunch.

Another option for Day would be to promote from within his own coaching staff, since they have the offense in place already, and the coaches know the system. Buckeyes tight ends coach Keenan Bailey has been the most frequently mentioned name as Hartline's replacement as offensive coordinator.

The easiest option would be to promote Bailey and let him run the offense. He's been pretty much groomed for this moment and would be an excellent choice for the school to run the same system they have been running this season.

Kelly is obviously a big name and has had a ton of success at the college level with offenses, including his stellar work with the Oregon Ducks as head coach. He can bring a lot of the same things he did with the 2024 Buckeyes to this offense and could take it to new heights.

It'll be interesting to see where Kelly ends up landing and whether Day would take him seriously as a candidate for the job or give one of his staffers, like Bailey, a shot.