Ryan Day is making headlines with his coach hires. Not long after shocking the entire Buckeye Nation with the unexpected hiring of Matt Patricia as their new DC, he’s set to bring in more new faces. And this time, the focus is on the offensive side of the football. Brian Hartline is back as the Ohio State OC and while the names coming up may come as a surprise, Day already has a grander plan up his sleeves that only showcases his genius mindset. So let’s get straight into it with this report from an OSU insider. 

Ohio State is set to bring in three more additions to boost the O-line. In a new episode on Ohio State Football at Buckeye Scoop on February 20, Kirk Barton began with a new name — Wendy Laurent who will be joining the Buckeyes as an analyst. The former Penn State OL (2012-16) blocked for elite players like Saquon Barkley and is set to join the Buckeyes. He’s also a teammate of OSU’s new QB coach Billy Fessler. The 30-year-old served as the TE coach at Dartmouth for three seasons as well as the associate HC this past season. He also had previous coaching stints at Buffalo and Penn State. “Ryan Day’s loading up so yeah this is big,” Barton observed. “We’re starting to make some moves here so we added a ton of O-line guys so that’s interesting.” Yes, Laurent’s one of the three coaches stirring attention in Columbus lately. 

First reported by 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Ryan Day is also set to bring two senior analysts Marcus Johnson and Charlie Dickey who have ample Power 4 O-line experience. They’re expected to work in their field of expertise with new O-line coach Tyler Bowen. “He got a couple of veteran O-line guys to help out,” Barton continued. “I don’t want to say they’re more qualified than Tyler Bowen but it’s like you got a couple of grizzled old guys.” Experience isn’t something these veterans lack.

Marcus Johnson led Ryan Walters’ offensive unit in Purdue for the last two seasons as the O-line coach. He also coached for a combined seven seasons at Duke, Mississippi State, and Missouri from 2016-22 and played as Ole Miss’ OL from 2001-04. Meanwhile, Charlie Dickey comes with in depth experience serving as Oklahoma State’s OL coach for the past six seasons. Before that, he was at Washington, Utah, and Kansas State coaching the same unit from 2004 to 2018. Now, unlike these two seasoned coaches, Bowen is just 35 but he also has a lot of coaching experience under his belt, particularly on the offensive line. And he’s got recruiting calibre too, which takes us to the next step on Ryan Day’s ultimate plan. 

Ryan Day’s motive behind the hires

When Ryan Day hired Matt Patricia, it invited mixed responses from some people because of his resume. 13-29-1 as the HC of the Detroit Lions. But CFB analyst Bobby Carpenter who played under him for a season in New England believes he’s “smart and measured” and is a “great communicator and incredibly creative.” That’s the kind of personality that Day is seeking, per Barton’s speculation. And that’s where younger coaches like Laurent and Bowen also come in. 

It’s mostly about connecting with younger generations and being able to influence their interest. “I think you’re going to start getting some of these younger guys as position coaches,” Barton said. “That are really good on Instagram. They’re really good on Twitter. They’re good at recruiting. They’re good at playing NBA 2K with these recruits and building relationships and becoming their buddy buddies.” Whether or not they can be good coaches is something time will tell. But anyways, “you can fortify it with some of these old heads that don’t want to recruit, they don’t want to talk to these kids, they don’t want to be on 2K.” A fortified offensive coaching line featuring youthful energy and seasoned wisdom. 

With Tyler Bowen leading the O-line and this mix of new hires reinforcing the unit, Ohio State is laying the foundation for a championship-caliber offense. Ryan Day isn’t just making moves — he’s making statements!