Why did Ryan Day call plays for Ohio State? Explaining head coach’s decision to take duties away from Brian Hartline

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Why did Ryan Day call plays for Ohio State? Explaining head coach’s decision to take duties away from Brian Hartline originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Ohio State entered the College Football Playoff as one of the favorites to win the national championship, but the Buckeyes are dealing with some operational changes.

Despite not calling offensive plays in the regular season, Ryan Day took over play-calling duties ahead of the Cotton Bowl against Miami. Day hasn't called plays for the Buckeyes in a couple of years, but the head coach is no stranger to calling plays as a head coach.

In the first half against, Day's return to play-calling couldn't have gone much worse. Ohio State was shutout for the first time in since the 2016 CFP semifinals against Clemson, and to make matters worse, QB Julian Sayin even threw a pick-six while the Buckeyes had -3 rushing yards, their worst first-half total since 2004.

While Ohio State's offense played better in the second half, it wasn't enough to defeat Miami. Now, Buckeyes fans will wonder whether Day made the wrong decision to take play-calling away from the Cotton Bowl. When Ohio State won the National Championship last year, Day wasn't the one who called plays, as that responsibility belonged to then-OC Chip Kelly. 

Here's a breakdown of why Day is calling plays in the Cotton Bowl.

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Why is Ryan Day calling plays for Buckeyes?

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took over play-calling from offensive coordinator Brian Hartline after the Big Ten championship loss to Indiana. Hartline is set to become the head coach at South Florida after this season, and Day wanted to lighten Hartline's workload with him juggling two jobs.

"We wanted to take [playcalling] off of Brian's plate because he's got so much going on with what he's trying to do," Day said, via ESPN. "Ultimately it will be my decision what calls go into the game … It's a lot on his plate. It's a lot to manage. So we're kind of taking it day-to-day right now, just in terms of as we move forward."

After the game, Day said he plans on evaluating the offensive protocol from the quarterfinals.

"I gotta look at it all and figure out what that was and what that is, because it's not good enough," Day said. "So, look at it all."

Day added that he felt the team wasn't ready for the game in the first half, and he takes responsibility for that issue.

"I take responsibility for not getting the guys ready"

Ryan Day after Ohio State's loss vs Miami in the CFP Quarterfinal ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/qHRMElZZit

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 1, 2026

When is the last time Ryan Day called plays?

According to the ESPN broadcast, Day hasn't called plays since the 2023 season, when Hartline was in his first season as offensive coordinator. Ohio State missed the College Football Playoff that year, the second time in three seasons that occurred.

After that season, Day hired Chip Kelly to call plays, and when Kelly left for the NFL in 2025, Hartline assumed the responsibilities.

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Why did Brian Hartline leave Ohio State?

Hartline agreed to be the next head coach at South Florida, and was officially introduced during the first week of December. However, Hartline is remaining on Ohio State's coaching staff until the Buckeyes season is over.

With Hartline juggling responsibilities for both South Florida and Ohio State, Ryan Day felt it was important to take some pressure off him. While Ohio State competes for a national title, Hartline is trying to build his team at USF.

Ryan Day coaching history

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