Ohio State news: Rumored OC hire, Jeremiah Smith’s Chip Kelly reaction, Signing Day miss

The Ohio State Buckeyes are caught between three minds at the moment: (1) Celebration of a national title, (2) uncertainty around massive upheavals on the coaching staff and (3) focus on final recruiting efforts.

Ryan Day is as comfortable in his position as he's ever been now that he'll be able to point to a championship ring. But the staff around him is undergoing signifcant change with the departures of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

There's a lot going on in Columbus at the moment. Let's look at some of the biggest story lines:

The Buckeyes need late magic to end Signing Day with a bang

Ohio State is third nationally in the 247Sports composite team rankings coming into Signing Day, trailing only Texas and Georgia. With 26 commits in hand, the Buckeyes are mostly done on the recruiting trail. They do have their eye on one more big signature.

Four-star edge rusher Zahir Mathis out of Philadelphia ranks No. 114 in the composite. He was previously committed to the Buckeyes but backed off his pledge before Early Signing Day. He kept Ohio State in the running despite that decommitment. However, it seems increasingly likely he will land elsewhere.

Mathis reportedly considered Michigan and UCLA along with Ohio State. It seems that Maryland and Florida State have taken the lead down the final stretch. Terps insider Jeff Ermann submitted a Crystal Ball for Maryland on 247 while Steve Wilffong of On3 made the same prediction.

There is only one other top recruit available going into signing day. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, rival Michigan could land him. Four-star offensive lineman Ty Haywood, who recently decommitted from Alabama, is heavily considering the Wolverines.

Jeremiah Smith's reaction to Chip Kelly's departure puts OC challenge in perspective

Landing Chip Kelly to run the offense was a shock last year. It worked out as well as anyone could have hoped with a national title in tow. Of course, it always felt like a temporary move. Kelly clearly wanted to return to the NFL when he left UCLA. He got his wish by taking the Raiders' offensive coordinator gig.

Expected though it may be, taking a look at Jeremiah Smith's reaction to the change goes to show how important Kelly was to Ohio State's success.

"Nooooo," Smith tweeted along with a broken heart emoji.

Kelly's offense got the best out of Smith, who became a first-team All-American, Rose Bowl MVP and Big Ten Receiver of the Year while breaking FBS records for true freshman receiving yards and touchdowns.

A new offensive coordinator isn't going to stop Jeremiah Smith from being great. Still, making the right hire could make a difference between Smith acquiring individual accolades alone and amassing championship rings.

Dubious reporting suggests Ohio State already has OC hire ready to go

If you believe Buckeye Scoop, Ryan Day has already made his offensive coordinator pick: It's co-OC and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.

Granted, Hartline was already technically the Buckeyes' OC. He earned that promotion in 2023 and retained the title in 2024 beside Kelly. He's been the wide receiver coach at OSU since 2019.

Still, holding the title doesn't mean Hartline was doing the full extent of that job. Kelly called plays in 2024. Day handled that in 2023.

No offense to Buckeye Scoop, but the report would feel more solid if a site like Eleven Warriors backed it. Instead, 11W quoted Day on Monday talking about taking his time to fill the openings on his staff.

"I knew that right after the (championship) game. And so you have plans in place. But we're going to make sure we take our time and find the right guys because it's Ohio State, so you have the opportunity to get the best," Day said.

So maybe the plan really is to hand Hartline the reins on offense. But for now, this report might be premature.