The decision by Ohio State football. coach Ryan Day to take over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Brian Hartline for the Buckeyes' playoff run is not an indictment of USF's new head coach. It's a smart move that Day said helps Hartline focus on coaching the Buckeyes' receivers.
"We wanted to take [play calling] off of Brian's plate because he's got so much going on with what he's trying to do," Day said. "Ultimately it will be my decision what calls go into the game.
"It's such a strange calendar and the timing is brutal. But he's handled it great, as you can imagine. 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."
That makes sense. It's not like Hartline was a flop this season at calling plays. Ohio State averaged 34.9 points per game this season and had one of the best overall offenses in the country. However, Indiana held them to 10 points in the Big Ten championship game and Buckeye fans focused their anger at Hartline after the loss.
He had accepted the USF job shortly before the news of his move to USF became public.
There is sufficient precedent for Day's decision. For that, we go back to the 2001 Orange Bowl game between Florida State and Oklahoma. The game was for the national championship, and even though Oklahoma was undefeated the Seminoles were favored by nearly two touchdowns. They had one of the top offenses in the country.
However, offensive coordinator Mark Richt had accepted the head coaching job at Georgia about a week before the game with Oklahoma. To this day, FSU fans blame Richt for the Seminoles performance in that game. They were beaten 13-2, denying Bobby Bowden a second national championship.
Like Hartline, Richt was a first-time head coach. There are a million details that have to addressed in a hurry, like recruiting, hiring a coaching staff, coordinating a move with his family, and, of course, the Transfer Portal.
Head coaches today have more distractions than Richt experienced. Players have agents now and the freedom to leave without having to sit out a season like they had to do when Richt made his move.
Hartline has already hired his coordinators, and they are no doubt 24/7 on recruiting and the portal. But as the head coach, he has to be involved. Every minute he spends on USF is time he doesn't spend on getting the Buckeyes' offense ready for Miami in their December 31 playoff game.
With Day taking over play-calling duties of the offense he developed anyway, Hartline's "to-do" list just got smaller. It was the right decision for all involved.