3 coaches who would do more with Ohio State’s talent than Ryan Day
This seemed like the perfect time for Ohio State to make a statement. A bye week offered the Buckeyes an extra week to rest up and recharge from that one-point loss to Oregon, and their opponent on Saturday, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, were coming off an embarrassing 56-7 rout at the hands of Indiana.
Instead, the Buckeyes nearly fell on their face. Ohio State built a 14-3 lead early, but then the offense got stuck in neutral, while Dylan Raiola carved up the OSU secondary en route to a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. Will Howard responded with an impressive TD drive, and the defense slammed the door to escape with a 21-17 win. But fans were hoping for something much better than an escape, and that makes two frustrating performances in a row for a team that entered this season with title-or-bust expectations. Now a title is the least of this team's problems: With a trip to Penn State on tap next, this team's College Football Playoff hopes could be in serious jeopardy.
And if that happens, it would seemingly be the writing on the wall for the Ryan Day era in Columbus. Day was already on thin ice after three straight losses to Michigan and a reputation for coming up small in big moments. This was billed as possibly the most talented roster in the country; if Day can't manage to finally get over the hump with this team, it might be time for Ohio State to find someone who can. Here are three names who could fit the bill.
3. Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Campbell's recruiting track record might not be what Ohio State fans are looking for. But it's worth keeping in mind that 1) Campbell has spent the last few years at Iowa State, hardly a marquee destination for talent, and 2) the infrastructure that the Buckeyes have in place at this point goes a long way toward recruiting itself. What Campbell has proven that he can do is develop the talent he brings in, consistently producing tough and competitive teams at a place where consistent success has historically been hard to come by.
In a lot of ways, Campbell is the anti-Day: The guy who came up the hard way, rather than being born on third base, and someone who's managed to slay quite a few dragons over his time in Ames. What better replacement for an underachieving coach than an overachieving one?
2. Mike Vrabel
Vrabel has emerged as something of a white whale for Buckeye fans, the prodigal son who was once a part of the coaching staff but went off to the NFL rather than waiting his turn for the head job. Again, Vrabel offers something that Day seems to lack — more specifically, vibes. Vrabel's Titans teams never backed down from a fight, and that attitude would seem to be music to the ears of this Ohio State program right about now. If the problem in Columbus isn't talent but a lack of edge, Vrabel would seem to be just what the doctor ordered, while bringing fundamentally sound football to a place whose culture he already knows very well.
1. Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Hey, at least he knows how to deal with Nebraska. Cignetti has Midwest roots, and he's established a track record as a development machine: first at Division II IUP, then at James Madison, and now at Indiana, where he's completely flipped the script for a team that was downright awful just last season — and which hasn't seen success like this in over half a century. At every step of his career, Cignetti has done less with more, building contenders that punch above their weight. Combine that M.O. with the talent advantages inherent to Ohio State, and who knows what could happen?