Ryan Day won the elusive Natty title after an incredible season. But, his victory parade got dampened a bit as devastating news came. Yes, it was Jim Knowles’ departure. OSU’s defensive coordinator, who had graced the program with his mastermind defensive strategies, was leaving for Penn State. And, if the news could have been any more shocking, another news came a few days later. Chip Kelly, their offensive coordinator, was leaving for the NFL. What did Ryan Day do? Well, it’s a little complex.

Ryan Day activated his panic mode and went quickly to fill his OC vacancy. He hired his team’s Co-OC Brian Hartline as offensive coordinator and quickly rectified the damage. He even hired the Virginia Tech OC Tyler Bowen to be his team’s O-line coach. But what about the vacant DC position after the departure of Knowles?

Although Jim Knowles departed relatively earlier than Chip Kelly. Ryan Day hasn’t yet filled the vacant position but is pursuing several key prospects. And why would he not? He wants the best of the best for his team, and that means going all in. And, in that pursuit, he was reportedly after the Kansas City Chiefs D-line coach Joe Cullen. Who is a veteran in his own right and has almost 18 years of experience coaching in the NFL. But that pursuit turned sour as soon as it began. And here’s why.

Dave Biddle, who runs the ‘Bucknuts 247 Sports‘ podcast on YouTube, broke the heartbreaking news. “There was a lot of smoke that it could be Joe Cullen coming here (Ohio State) at least in some capacity. He’s the Kansas City Chief’s defensive line coach, and I’m hearing it’s probably not going to happen with Cullen. I don’t know why, Dan and I were just talking about what’s going on and I don’t know. But I’m just hearing that it’s probably not gonna happen”. The move was reportedly on the cards for some time for Ryan Day, as it was also reported in several media outlets. But the KC Chiefs’ Super Bowl delayed the move, and it has finally broken down, too. But there are some other prospects too that are being speculated for the job.

Apart from Joe Cullen, who would have been a fantastic DC for Ohio State. Pittsburgh Panthers’ DC Randy Bates. He is someone who is also an alumnus of OSU and has been the coordinator for the Panthers since 2018. Although he had quite a poor season with his team, that may not be due to his lack of abilities. Apart from Bates, Matt Guerrieri, who is currently the safeties coach at OSU is also been reported to have landed the job. Overall the DC race seems to be getting more and more tense for Ryan Day after Jim Knowles’s departure. But, there are some revealtions that point to Ryan Day’s ‘villainous’ role in Knowles’ departure.

Why did Jim Knowles depart from OSU?

Well, Jim Knowles was someone at OSU, who had actually made Ryan Day’s defense formidable to even compete at the playoffs level. Cody Simon ended the season with 112 tackles, Sonny Styles had 100 and the D-line was just unbreakable the whole season. Furthermore, OSU finished 1st in scoring defense and 1st in red zone defense. This is a testament to his achievements at Ohio State. But what exactly went wrong?

As reported by Brandon Marcello and Richard Johnson of CBS Sports. It was reported that Ryan Day’s meddlesome behavior and lack of autonomy given to Jim Knowles had a major part in Jim Knowles’ decision to depart. The interference was ultimately increased after OSU’s loss against Oregon to the levels that Ryan Day was then attending defensive meetings overseeing Knowles’ strategies.

Apart from that, Jim Knowles was also snubbed for the OSU team celebration after their title win. “Ohio State DC Jim Knowles was asked by the school not to attend Buckeyes’ national title celebration while he deliberated his options”.  Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported. The snub might be the final nail in the coffin for Jim Knowles’ decision. He has since joined Penn State with a bigger pay bump reported to be around $3.1 million. Surely, Ryan Day must be ruining some of his decisions.