Chip Kelly and Jim Knowles are both regarded as being at the top of their field when it comes to Xs and Os, so the realization we will not be able to see what they can do with a new group of players this fall is disappointing, but I guess reality rarely fails to set in these days when it comes to sports.
Nevertheless, that newest shiny gold statue isn’t going anywhere, so things could always be worse, (and maybe they aren’t even that bad).
Here are four thoughts on the matters:
1. This is college football today.
Before the season, I considered the stakes as being higher than “natty or bust” (if that’s possible).
Not only was Day not coming back a real possibility if the Buckeyes failed to live up to expectations, I thought they could have a long-term triumvirate of football brain power in place if Ohio State did win it all.
Coordinators typically become hot commodities when teams win, but neither Knowles nor Kelly might be interested in leaving to be a head coach, both were very well-compensated, and neither should have to worry about the raw material they get to work with at Ohio State.
With a national title in hand, there should be plenty of motivation to stay and build the monster over and over again, right?
Well, throw that theory out the window.
Knowles made an (at-best) lateral move to Penn State while Kelly is off to the NFL, where he reportedly will make $6 million a year to be the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders so Day is starting over again.
(Both got raises, but that is an astronomical figure for Kelly if accurate.)
2. Recruiting is an interesting aspect of all three moves.
Knowles and Kelly reportedly didn’t do much of it, and Frye wasn’t very successful at it.
From that standpoint, Ohio State not only could but should be able to get more from all three positions when it comes to talent acquisition, which is still the most important part of winning in college football.
Frye was brought in to replace Greg Studrawa, a very good coach who wasn’t much of a recruiter, and ended up doing probably a B-minus job overall in three seasons.
While the 2022 line was solid, the ’23 group held back the offense to no small degree.
For as much praise as Frye has gotten for the unit bouncing back from a dismal performance against Michigan this season, the success in the playoffs was more a result of scheming around a deficiency than the offensive line suddenly becoming a dominant unit like we saw later in the 2014 championship season.
3. Exactly how much “guru-ing” did the gurus do while they were in Columbus when all was said and done?
The Ohio State defense certainly improved after Knowles arrived in 2022, though that season ended with his unit getting incinerated by Michigan and Georgia in ways we can easily lay at the feet of the coordinator for taking risks that were unnecessary given the game situations (and some of the players being relied upon).
A year later, he dialed back the pressure but watched his defense fail to stop Michigan in the second half of another loss to the Wolverines, this one a death by 1,000 cuts, that ended another potential title run.
This season, it all came together in the end after a poor showing at Oregon, but even the final against Notre Dame had some tense moments as the Fighting Irish’s limited offense mounted two big scoring drives to cut the lead to eight by creating explosive plays in the passing game before the Ohio State offense put the game away.
So what’s the final Knowles impact? The scheme under Kerry Coombs left a lot to be desired, but some of the issues were also a lack of experience and talent, especially in the secondary.
Secondary coach Tim Walton, who was hired the same year as Knowles, fixed the latter issue with exemplary recruiting and development, and everyone gained experience over the course of three seasons.
Kelly came in to revamp the running game, which was mostly a failure because of the offensive line issues, and take play-calling and game-planning off of Day’s plate.
But the offense never really took off until the playoff, and then there is a twist. Day revealed midway through the postseason run he was able to be a lot more involved in developing those attacks that bombed Tennessee and Oregon because school was out and he had fewer other things to worry about.
4. No matter what, the Buckeyes will need a new winning formula.
The best-case scenario for Ohio State fans at this point would be Day has proven he can make good hires and rally a team with talent to win it all, offering reason to have faith he can do it again.
For all the stories written about Kelly and Knowles in their time in Columbus, Day getting and keeping his guys and getting them to play for him is still the most important when chronicling 2024.
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