Ryan Day finalizes Chip Kelly replacement

Ryan Day and his Ohio State Buckeyes have lost many members of their staff in the weeks that followed their national championship win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The most recent departure from Columbus was that of Chip Kelly.

The established coach was the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator but has now returned to the NFL to be the OC at the Las Vegas Raiders, joining Pete Carroll's staff. However, his role was not vacant for long, as the Buckeyes have reportedly found Chip Kelly's replacement.

On Wednesday, Buckeye Scoop wrote on X:

"Brian Hartline named OC of THE Ohio State Buckeyes."

Brian Hartline has been with the Buckeyes coaching staff since 2017 and has worked his way up the ranks to get to this role. Hartline went to college at Ohio State, and played football for the Buckeyes as a Wide Receiver, playing an important role in Ohio State's journey to the 2008 National Championship game.

After a brief career in the NFL, Hartline returned to his alma mater and has stayed ever since. He has worked as the wide receivers coach since 2018 and has been able to groom the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr, Garrett Wilson, and recently Jeremiah Smith.

Speaking about his new OC, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said the following:

"Brian has been successful in every football capacity for which he has been engaged. He has progressed incredibly well from college to NFL receiver, and then from quality control coach to wide receivers coach and now to his roles as a coordinator.

"He has also developed his receivers at an unprecedented level and he has recruited as well or better than anyone in the country," Day added.

Has Brian Hartline previously been an OC on Ryan Day's staff?

Sep 2, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline yell from the sideline during the NCAA football game at Indiana University Memorial Stadium. - Source: Imagn

This is not the first time that Brian Hartline has been the offensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was promoted to the role for the 2023 season, something he was able to do with some success as the Buckeyes finished with an 11-2 record.

However, in the build-up to the 2024 season, Hartline was demoted to co-offensive coordinator when Bill O'Brien was hired by the team. O'Brien never coached a game or practice with Ohio and went to Boston College when he received their offer to be the head coach.

Instead of keeping Hartline as the sole OC, the Buckeyes then hired Chip Kelly, with Hartline as the co-OC. This partnership was successful and ended with a national championship. In 2025, Brian Hartline can pick up from his experience in 2023 and will work with an extremely talented wide receiver room to try to take the Buckeyes to back-to-back national titles.