Chip Kelly stunned the college football world last year by resigning as the head coach at UCLA and taking the Ohio State offensive coordinator job. After helping guide the Buckeyes to a national title, Kelly is heading to the NFL as the offensive coordinator of the Las Vegas Raiders. Kelly, who rose to national prominence as the head coach at Oregon from 2009-12, was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013-15 and of the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 before taking the UCLA job. Now, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who is already looking for a defensive coordinator and offensive line coach this offseason, is now also getting the Ohio State offensive coordinator search underway.
Brian Hartline, a former Ohio State receiver and the Ohio State receivers coach since 2018, had offensive coordinator added to his title before the 2023 season, but it was Kelly who called the plays in 2024. Will Day elevate Hartline or bring in an external candidate? If you want to know the top Ohio State offensive coordinator candidates, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at Bucknuts, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Ohio State.
The Bucknuts insiders are providing on-the-ground updates on every development in the Ohio State football program, including insights from Dave Biddle, Patrick Murphy and Steve Helwagon, who all have deep-rooted ties inside the Ohio State community. Get all the inside scoop on the football program, plus VIP intel on Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting and more. Plus get access to the Bucknuts message boards where you can connect with other Ohio State fans and insiders.
They already have an Ohio State offensive coordinator hot board up that features seven names. See them all and get everything else Bucknuts has to offer right here.
And right now, Bucknuts is offering 30% off annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up.
Ohio State offensive coordinator candidates
One potential candidate the team at Bucknuts has identified on its Ohio State offensive coordinator hot board: Neal Brown. Brown was fired as the West Virginia head coach this fall, but was adamant that he would quickly return to coaching.
Prior to his time with the Mountaineers, he was viewed as one of the top up-and-coming OCs in the nation at Troy, Texas Tech and Kentucky. With connections to Mike Leach and the Air Raid offense, Brown worked his way up the ranks and then combined the Air Raid with a power run game on his way to mixed results at West Virginia.
Brown appeared to have things moving in the right direction in 2023 with a 9-4 season and a bowl win, but WVU regressed in 2024 with a 6-6 mark and the Mountaineers ultimately rehired former head coach Rich Rodriguez in December.
Brown doesn’t have a direct tie to Ohio State, but he grew up just a few hours away from the campus and his stops at Kentucky and West Virginia give him some familiarity with the region. See more Ohio State offensive coordinator candidates at Bucknuts.
How to get insider Ohio State offensive coordinator news
The Bucknuts team has identified several other candidates, including multiple current collegiate coaches and the offensive coordinator of a huge rival. You can see them all at Bucknuts.
Who are the top candidates in the Ohio State football offensive coordinator coaching search, and which shocking current rival OC could be in the mix? Go to Bucknuts to see its Ohio State offensive coordinator hot board and more, all from a team of Buckeyes insiders, and find out.
And reminder, Bucknuts is offering 30% off an annual VIP membership, so subscribe now before it’s too late.
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