Ryan Day Receives Unfortunate Coaching News During College Football Season in Ohio State

This past Saturday, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes ended a four-game skid against the No. 15 Michigan Wolverines, triumphing in "The Game" with a 27-9 score. This win secured a flawless 12-0 regular season for Ohio State, keeping their hopes alive for consecutive national championships.

After Michigan initially led 6-0 in the first quarter, the Buckeyes dominated the remainder of the game, outscoring Michigan 27-3. Redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin, a Heisman contender, recovered from an early interception to finish 19 of 26 for 233 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with six different teammates.

Despite Ohio States strong position for another deep College Football Playoff run, a report from On3 on Monday suggests that head coach Ryan Day may lose a key assistant.

Following Mark Stoops dismissal at Kentucky, On3s Pete Nakos released an early list of potential candidates for the Wildcats next head coach, which included Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. Nakos noted, "Hartline has only coached at his alma mater, Ohio State, but his brother, Mike, played quarterback for Kentucky and most recently served as an analyst for the program in 2025. He is considered one of the top recruiters nationwide."

Hartlines recruiting skills are widely recognized and may even surpass his success in developing wide receivers. According to 247Sports, he played a major role in recruiting Buckeyes such as Jeremiah Smith, J.T. Tuimoloau, Emeka Egbuka, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, C.J. Stroud, and this years top wide receiver recruit, C.J. Henry. Losing Hartline would be a significant setback for Ohio State, given his ability to both recruit elite talent and develop players.

The top-ranked Buckeyes are set to face No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers, also 12-0, in the Big Ten Championship Game at 8 p.m. ET Saturday on Fox.

This article was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 1, 2025, in the College Football section.

Author: Sophia Brooks