Buckeyes named school to keep former star
HC Ryan Day is reshaping the Buckeyes’ offensive approach at the right time, the margins are shrinking, taking over Brian Hartline’s CFP playmaking duties at Ohio State as the program prepares for a New Year’s Day game against Miami.
The move comes after an uneven showing in the Big Ten title loss to Indiana, when the offense struggled to consistently make explosive plays.
That playoff push now overlaps with the portal’s intriguing story.
According to On3, an early school “to watch” for Penn State EDGE Chaz Coleman is Ohio State. Coleman is listed as the top-ranked player on the On3 Industri Transfer Portal Ranking, and that status has some natural connective tissue: He’s a Warren, Ohio native, a former four-star recruit, and a 6-foot-1, 240-pounder who came in one sack as a true freshman.
The timing is noticeable. The staff can sell two things at once: immediate CFP relevance and a clear defensive role. For top prospects, the pitch is always about impact, development and visibility, and Ohio State can credibly offer all three while still making significant plays.
On the field, Dana’s change of play is making headlines because it signals urgency.
It also puts the onus squarely on the head coach to unlock a cleaner rhythm for Julian Saiin and deeper involvement with top weapons, especially with Miami bringing in a defense that just held Texas A&M’s three-point offense in College Station.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has already pointed directly at Jeremy Smith as the kind of game-changing problem. He said Smith is a “prototype NFL” player and praised Ohio State’s entire receiving corps for being big, explosive, quick and effective against both man and zone coverage while also blocking in the run game.
Ohio State and Miami meet on New Year’s Eve in the Cotton Bowl, and the Buckeyes now head into that phase with Day at the offensive wheel, and portal chatter adding another potential story that could be rushing in the backfield.
2025-12-29 19:53:00
