This Week in Ohio State Football: Play-calling, transfer QBs and more on C.J. Hicks

Here are three:

1. Maybe having the play caller independent of the head coach really will make all the difference for the Ohio State offense.

Ryan Day did not want to give up calling plays, but he concluded he had to do it for the betterment of the team — as long as he could find someone he trusts.

That person turned out to be Chip Kelly, who is no ordinary offensive coordinator because he is not only Day’s mentor but a former head coach.

I did not have a strong opinion on this move being necessary before it happened, mostly because I wondered if Day the play caller was actually more valuable than Day the head coach.

But he delivered a good explanation for why independence can be good this week.

“Anyone who’s called the game would tell you that you can get yourself organized a lot easier being up in the box,” Day said. “Most play callers want to get their next series organized.”

That might be even more important now that coaches can use tablets to review film during the game.

“Being able to watch the last series, if you just think about it logistically and practically, you have a desk there so you can put your call sheet here. You can put the tablet over here. You can write things down on a sheet of paper,” Day said. “You just you can’t do that when you’re on the sideline.”

2. The Buckeyes and their former quarterback are both off to good starts.

I believe if Kyle McCord had returned to Ohio State for another season, he would have shown at at the very least incremental progress and had a very good year, but we’ll never know because he transferred to Syracuse instead.

Day said he noticed McCord was off to a good start with the Orange, who beat Georgia Tech last Saturday to improve to 2-0. He threw for 381 yards against the Yellow Jackets and has eight TD passes in two games.

“We don’t want you to leave, but even if you were to leave, it’s still time well-spent and invested, so you’re happy when guys go on and do well even though you want to retain as many guys as you can,” Day said. “That’s our whole culture, but it’s just the way of the world, so happy to see Kyle do well. He won some great games here and poured a lot of effort into the program.”

McCord took a lot of heat last season as the Buckeye offense endured ups and downs, some because of his inconsistency and more because of the callow offensive line and injuries at running back and receiver.

He was one or two plays from being the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, but instead he became the focus of a lot of frustration. That’s unfortunate, but this is the life we’ve chosen — him the man in the arena and us in the media spin cycle — there isn’t much that can be done about it.

Nonetheless, watching how McCord evolves in a different setting and how the Ohio State offense evolves with a different offense that asks a little less of the quarterback’s arm and more of his legs will be interesting — and probably work out well for both sides.

3. I wrote about Alter grad C.J. Hicks already this week, but I think the situation is worth further discussion.

Another unfortunate fact of life: college football fans want all the five-star recruits to sign with their team, want them all to play right away and also want to write them off if they aren’t instant stars.

Hicks shot up the rankings early because of his athleticism and measurements, and his ranking was warranted. He was a very productive player for a great program for four years.

After waiting out the careers of seniors Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers, Hicks had to battle this spring with another junior five-star prospect, Sonny Styles, moving from safety, and sophomore Arvell Reese made a move in preseason camp.

That leaves four guys for two spots, a positive for the Buckeyes, but what about Hicks?

He might be a better fit at defensive end anyway, but that move is also blocked by multiple five-star talents who probably also expected to be in the NFL this year (Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau) who already have three older backups in Kenyatta Jackson, Mitchell Melton and Caden Curry.

In another bit of irony, coordinator Jim Knowles arrived with a defense that uses fewer linebackers most of the time, but his playbook includes a position that might be perfect for Hicks.

The problem with that is two-fold: Those five-star senior ends still need to play, and defensive line coach Larry Johnson still prefers to deploy his guys in a four-man front, leaving no room for that hybrid spot (the “Jack” or “Leo” position) as long as the base is working.

Whatever the case, it is far too soon to write off Hicks, who is far from the first five-star recruit to show up at Ohio State and have a hard time finding a role. Linebacker might be especially tricky as Baron Browning had a hard time fitting in inside but is now an NFL defensive end, so there is actually a direct comparison for Hicks from the not-too-distant past.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if next year (when nearly the entire defense is in the NFL) we finally see the Jack/Leo package become the base defense with Hicks and Melton forming an interesting 1-2 punch at the position.