Ohio State made an important, and somewhat surprising, hire on Thursday night, tabbing Bill O’Brien to be the team’s new offensive coordinator.
O’Brien replaces Brian Hartline, Ohio State’s wide receivers coach who also served as offensive coordinator in 2023. The move also might indicate that head coach Ryan Day will be surrendering play calling duties.
O’Brien was the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator in 2023. Prior to that, he held the same position at Alabama in 2021-22 and brings extensive play calling experience at the pro and collegiate levels with him to Columbus.
Ohio State legend Maurice Clarett is a big fan of the move. There are others agree with him, though some people are taking more of a wait-and-see approach.
Anyone else check to see if this was a fake account like 100 times? https://t.co/NWDMaORhlh
— Bud Elliott (@BudElliott3) January 19, 2024
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ryan day not getting fired now depends on bill o’brien’s playcalling https://t.co/7JU3LVyKQa
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) January 19, 2024
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So much for Ohio State as my preseason pick to be the top seed in the 2024 College Football Playoff. https://t.co/MuQuh3PiQz
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) January 19, 2024
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This is something both Day and O’Brien put a lot of thought into. In the end, it made the most sense for O’Brien to move on from New England—last year was a tough experience for a lot of Patriot coaches. https://t.co/onrNx4yQtd
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 19, 2024
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The Patriots offense in 2023 was worse than 2022. https://t.co/IEWA7Er2Vd pic.twitter.com/8w2WZ38nM7
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) January 19, 2024
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Ryan Day has a top 2 roster coming back next season and this is their OC hire? https://t.co/jry6AwEzua pic.twitter.com/mhAnfkDwqo
— Sam Jessee (@SamOfSaturday) January 19, 2024
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O’Brien certainly possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience, but his results are a bit more hit or miss. He certainly managed to tick off his fair share of Alabama fans during his two seasons with the Crimson Tide.
Ohio State is in national championship-or-bust mode heading into this season. We’ll see if this move helps get them over the top.