Ryan Day, quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 under Chip Kelly and in 2015 for the Philadelphia Eagles under Kelly, is in his second season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State. He is in his 17th season, overall, as a coach in the NFL or collegiate ranks.
Day made an immediate and positive contribution to the Ohio State coaching staff in his first season. His starting quarterback, J.T. Barrett, was a finalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Year Award and he was named the Big Ten’s quarterback of the year after a season in which he set seven school single season records, including for touchdown passes (35), and he broke the Big Ten Conference single season and career records for touchdowns responsible for with 47 and 147, respectively.
Additionally, Ohio State’s offense was fifth nationally in passing efficiency in 2017, sixth in scoring and eighth in total offense, plus it led the Big Ten in rushing, passing efficiency, scoring and total offense.
Day came to Ohio State with 15 seasons of coaching experience, including two years in the National Football League and 10 seasons as a Division I assistant coach. He coached receivers for a year under Al Golden at Temple (2006) and for five seasons at Boston College (2007-11). Day has three years of offensive coordinator experience working under Steve Addazio; in 2012 he ran the offense and coached receivers at Temple University and in 2013 and 2014 he was quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Boston College. He started his coaching career in 2002 as tight ends coach at the University of New Hampshire.
Day also has experience working with Ohio State coach Urban Meyer; in 2005 he was a graduate assistant coach during Meyer’s first season with the Florida Gators.
In 2014, Day’s Boston College offense ranked second in the ACC and 21st nationally with 254.4 rushing yards per game, and in 2013 Eagle running back Andre Williams rushed for more than 2,000 yards on his way to unanimous All-America honors while being named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
Day’s Boston College assistant coach experiences — he has coached there on three separate occasions — include the 2007 season when quarterback Matt Ryan threw for over 4,500 prior to becoming the third overall pick in the 2008 draft.
In the NFL, Day worked with Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert in 2016 with the 49ers and he helped Sam Bradford to a record-setting 2015 season with the Eagles as he completed 65 percent of his passes — an Eagles single-season record — and threw for 3,725 yards. Both figures were career highs at the time for Bradford.
Day is a native of Manchester, NH. He was a three-year starting quarterback at New Hampshire when Kelly was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He was a team captain as a senior and earned his degree in business administration in 2002. He has a master’s in administrative studies from Boston College (2004).
Ryan Day Quick Facts:
Hometown: Manchester, N.H.
High School: Manchester Central
Alma Mater: New Hampshire
Degree: Business administration
Year in Coaching: 17th (Second at Ohio State)
Wife: Christina
Children: Son Ryan Jr., and daughters Grace and Ourania
Ryan Day Coaching Assignments
Year(s)
Position
School/Team
2018
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Ohio State
2017
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Ohio State
2016
Quarterbacks
San Francisco 49ers
2015
Quarterbacks
Philadelphia Eagles
2013-14
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Boston College
2012
Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
Temple
2007-11
Wide Receivers
Boston College
2006
Wide Receivers
Temple
2005
Graduate Assistant
Florida
2003-04
Graduate Assistant
Boston College
2002
Tight Ends
New Hampshire
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day confirmed today (Wednesday, Jan. 23) the 10-member assistant coaching staff that will lead the Buckeyes in 2019, the 130th season in program history. The staff features all of the offensive coaches from the record-setting 2018 campaign plus five new additions, including four on the defensive side of the ball.
“I am really excited with this foundation of coaches who will mentor, coach and prepare in all areas the young men in our program,” Day said. “I am obviously very comfortable with the coaches who have been here and helped us win consecutive Big Ten championships and bowl games, and I am thrilled they want to continue to help this program pursue championships and achievements.
“I am also confident the new assistant coaches will make an immediate impact on this program. I’m really looking forward to working with this staff these next couple months shaping the program and developing our players for the 2019 season.”
Offensive Coaches In addition to Day, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the past two seasons when Ohio State led all schools with 90 touchdown passes and set Big Ten Conference records in total offensive yards per game, passing yards and passing touchdowns, the offensive coaches include:
Kevin Wilson Offensive Coordinator / Tight Ends Wilson is in his third season with the Buckeyes as offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. A former head coach in the Big Ten for six years at Indiana, Wilson has experience at multiple offensive positions including directing some of the most innovative and prolific offenses in the nation. Ohio State has averaged 506.0 and 535.6 yards of offense per game, respectively, in Wilson’s first two seasons with the program. Twice he’s been on an offensive staff – at Oklahoma and Indiana – that has produced a 3,500-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same year.
Mike Yurcich Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Yurcich was named to the Ohio State staff on Jan. 2 after working as Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator for the past six seasons. Yurcich, who is originally from Euclid, Ohio, has spent 20 years coaching at the collegiate level within a variety of divisions. Oklahoma State experienced one of its great offensive eras under Yurcich, with the program averaging 38.0 points per game and 478.3 yards per game throughout his six-year run. The Cowboys scored 40 or more points 35 times (in 76 games) and put up 50 or more points 15 times.
Tony Alford Assistant Head Coach for Offense / Running Backs Alford is in his fifth season at Ohio State and his 22nd season as a running backs coach. He has coached a 1,000-yard runner in each of his first four seasons with Ohio State: Ezekiel Elliott (2015), Mike Weber (2016), J.K. Dobbins (2017 and 2018). Elliott won Big Ten Conference offensive player of the year and Chicago Tribune Silver Football award honors; Weber was the league’s freshman of the year; and Dobbins is the first running back in Ohio State history to surpass 1,000 yards rushing as a freshman and sophomore.
Brian Hartline Wide Receivers Hartline, who coached a receiver unit in 2018 to Ohio State single season records for receptions, yards and touchdowns, was elevated to permanent receiver’s coach by Ryan Day in December. Hartline is a 2009 Ohio State University graduate who spent seven seasons in the National Football League with six years as a Miami Dolphin and his final season with the Cleveland Browns. Hartline played for the Scarlet and Gray from 2005 through 2008 and was a part of four Big Ten championship teams – meaning he’s been with six Ohio State teams and has won six Big Ten titles.
Greg Studrawa Offensive Linemen “Stud” is in his fourth year at Ohio State and this will be his 27th season coaching offensive linemen. In his three seasons with Ohio State, the Buckeyes rank second in the Big Ten and eighth among Power 5 teams in rushing and in 2018 the team was third in the Big Ten in fewest sacks allowed while setting Big Ten records for pass completions, yards and touchdowns. Studrawa has already coached two major award winners – Rimington Trophy winners Pat Elflein and Billy Price – and three All-Americans at Ohio State, including Michael Jordan this past season. His 2016 offensive line was one of three finalists for the Joe Moore Offensive Line Award.
Defensive Coaches The 2019 Ohio State defense features Larry Johnson, who in his is sixth season with the Buckeyes, a pair of co-coordinators with unique backgrounds and a total of three new coaches with Big Ten coaching experience. The 2019 Ohio State defensive assistant coaches:
Jeff Hafley Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Coach Hafley, who has spent the past seven seasons in the NFL and most recently three seasons coaching the defensive backs with the San Francisco 49ers, was named to the staff on Jan. 6. “I’ve had some great defensive back coaches, some great defensive coaches and defensive minds,” said 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, who played for Hafley in 2018. “He is right up there with his preparation and how he breaks down film … how easy and simple he makes the game plan sound and how easy he makes it for guys to understand.”
Greg Mattison Co-Defensive Coordinator Mattison joined the Ohio State coaching staff in January, 2019. He carries a thorough knowledge of the Big Ten Conference as he has coached the past eight seasons at Michigan. He has been the defensive line coach for the Wolverines the past four seasons. Mattison’s work has helped four consecutive Michigan defenses rank in the top 5 nationally in total defense and pass defense, and it has been top five in pass efficiency defense during three of those seasons.
Larry Johnson Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line Coach Johnson was promoted to associate head coach earlier this month and remains a defensive line coach. Johnson is one of the great defensive line coaches in football, and he has coached 14 Big Ten Conference defensive players of the year or defensive linemen of the year, including a run of four consecutive Ohio State winners of the league’s defensive linemen of the year award: Joey Bosa in 2014 and 2015; Tyquan Lewis in 2016 and Nick Bosa in 2017. Johnson has also coached 11 first-team All-Americans and seven first-round NFL draft picks.
Matt Barnes Special Team’s Coordinator / Assistant Secondary Coach Barnes, who spent the last three seasons coaching at the University of Maryland, was named Ohio State’s special team’s coordinator and assistant secondary coach in early January, 2019. Barnes has 10 years of coaching experience. This past season, he served as linebacker coach and specials team’s coordinator at Maryland. Linebacker Tre Watson was a first-team all-Big Ten performer, and on special teams the Terrapins ranked 18th nationally and third in the Big Ten with a 23.9 yard average on kickoff returns. Maryland had two players – Ty Johnson and Tavion Jacobs – who averaged better than 25 yards per kick return.
Al Washington Linebackers Columbus, Ohio native Al Washington brings 12 years of college coaching experience into this first season with the Buckeyes. This past season Washington coached linebackers at Michigan, helping the Wolverines produce the nation’s No. 3-ranked overall defense and the second-ranked unit against the pass. Washington mentored consensus All-American and Butkus Award finalist Devin Bush, who was the Big Ten’s Woodson-Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year and Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year. All three of his linebackers earned all-Big Ten honors this past season.
