Ohio State’s 2025 football season ended in disappointment. They failed to meet two of their three ultimate goals.
Despite defeating Michigan, the Buckeyes lost the Big Ten Championship Game to Indiana. Then, they fell in the first round of the College Football Playoff to Miami.
The offense looked unprepared and out of sync. That unit took most of the blame for these losses.
Heading into a tough 2026 season, it feels obvious that big changes are needed—starting with the offensive coaching staff.
The Offensive Struggles in 2025
Ohio State’s offense sputtered badly in their key losses to Indiana and Miami. Against Indiana, the defense held strong and gave up just 13 points, but the offense could only manage 10.
A missed 27-yard field goal made things worse. In the playoff game against Miami, the offense stalled again, putting up just 14 points in a 24-14 defeat.
Both games had a similar vibe: the offense looked stiff, lacking creativity and any real spark. It was robotic, almost like they were going through the motions.
The Need for an Experienced Offensive Coordinator
During Ryan Day’s time as head coach, Ohio State’s had a revolving door at offensive coordinator. Since 2019, only one true play-calling coordinator has been hired: Chip Kelly.
Kelly’s run led to a national title, which says a lot about the value of a seasoned play-caller. The last full-time play-calling head coach to win a national title was Jimbo Fisher back in 2013, and that was a different era.
These days, college football is a complex beast. Having a dedicated offensive coordinator isn’t really optional if you want to stay on top.
The Inexperienced Coaching Staff
Ohio State’s 2025 offensive coaching staff just didn’t have much experience. Brian Hartline, a great recruiter, was promoted to offensive coordinator even though he’d never done the job before.
Tyler Bowen, the tight ends coach, hadn’t coached the offensive line since 2017. Keenan Bailey got promoted to tight ends coach in 2023 and then to co-offensive coordinator in 2025, but he’d never held any other coaching role.
Billy Fessler, the quarterbacks coach, was pretty green too. Carlos Locklyn, the running backs coach, was the only one with real high-level experience.
The Impact of Poor Coaching
The lack of experience and creativity on the staff led to an offense that just didn’t live up to expectations. It’s wild when you consider the talent they had—two future top-10 NFL Draft picks at wide receiver in Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, a former five-star quarterback in Julian Sayin, a versatile tight end in Max Klare, and a freshman running back in Bo Jackson who looked like a star in the making.
But coaching decisions and an odd approach to tempo left the offense struggling to score against good teams. It’s frustrating, honestly.
The Path Forward for Ohio State
If Ohio State wants to avoid another letdown, they’ve got to overhaul the offensive coaching staff. The top priority has to be hiring an experienced offensive coordinator who’s actually called plays and succeeded at a high level.
That person should be able to mix their own ideas with Day’s base offense and bring back the spark and unpredictability that was missing last year.
Building a Stronger Coaching Staff
Beyond just the coordinator, Ryan Day really needs to take a hard look at the whole offensive staff. Ohio State is a top-tier program, so there’s no good excuse for having coaches learning on the job at this level.
The staff should be loaded with people who have serious experience and fresh ideas. It’s time to get back to what makes Ohio State, well, Ohio State.
Conclusion
Ohio State’s 2025 season didn’t exactly go as planned. The offense just couldn’t get it together, and honestly, the coaching staff’s lack of experience and fresh ideas was obvious.
It’s tough to watch a strong team get dragged down like that. Heading into 2026, it feels like the Buckeyes have to bring in a seasoned offensive coordinator and rethink their coaching lineup.
Want to dig deeper into what went wrong and what needs fixing? Check out the full article on Land-Grant Holy Land.
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