Ohio State’s 59-3 blowout of Kent State looked spotless on the surface. The Buckeyes rolled up 527 yards, posted a net success rate of more than 60% - the only team in Week 3 above 40% - and got meaningful work for younger players, highlighted by Chris Henry Jr.’s 75-yard touchdown and Jamir Perez’s scoop-and-score.
But the score and the stat sheet didn’t erase the same problems that showed up in the loss to Texas, or the broader issues that have followed Ryan Day’s offense for years.
The Buckeyes were just 1-for-8 on third down and 2-for-4 on fourth down. Against an overmatched Kent State team, that kind of finish is hard to ignore. The offense also kept getting bogged down once the field tightened near the goal line, where Day’s teams have repeatedly leaned on heavy tight end looks that produce very little instead of stressing defenses with receiver talent and speed.
That problem, the column argues, points to a bigger one: Ohio State’s offensive staff is not living up to the standard the program should demand.
Tyler Bowen’s arrival at offensive line coach brought recruiting ability, but not much evidence of development. Before taking over the group in 2025, Bowen was Virginia Tech’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
He had not coached offensive line since 2017, when he spent one season at Maryland, and his only other work with the position came at Fordham in 2015 and 2016. As Virginia Tech’s OC from 2022 through 2024, the Hokies’ offense ranked 120th, 57th and 68th nationally.
The column also takes aim at Kennan Bailey, whose rise inside the program has been steady but, in the author’s view, unwarranted. Bailey started as an Ohio State intern in 2016, became a quality control coach in 2019, took over tight ends in 2023 and was promoted again to co-offensive coordinator in 2025. Since then, the tight end room has only gotten worse, and Bailey was part of the staff that produced 10 points against Indiana and 14 against Miami at the end of last season.
That room is now described as the worst it has been under Day. Nate Roberts keeps being used like a fullback despite showing he cannot handle that role, and the group as a whole cannot block or catch. Jelani Thurman, who transferred from Ohio State to UNC this offseason, has been the Tar Heels’ best offensive player.
Billy Fessler, the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, gets similar treatment. His first major role came at Akron, where he coached quarterbacks for two seasons.
Akron ranked 18th nationally in passing yards in 2022 before falling to 99th in 2023 under his watch. After a brief stop at UCLA, he landed at Ohio State.
The result, the column says, has been little growth from Julian Sayin, who still does not see open receivers in the middle of the field.
Carlos Locklyn and Cortez Hankton are presented as the exceptions. Locklyn arrived from Oregon after two seasons there, while Hankton came from Georgia and LSU. Arthur Smith, brought in from the NFL by Day, also earns mention as someone with pedigree.
Outside of those names, the column says Ohio State’s offensive staff is “quite frankly a joke.” The core complaint is simple: a program that recruits elite players should not be handing those players to coaches who are either taking on their first real job or working in positions they have not coached in years.
The argument ends with a familiar challenge to Day. If he wants to operate as a true CEO and keep stressing Ohio State’s high standards, he needs to build a staff that actually meets them. And, the column adds, he should let his offensive coordinators call the offense instead of hovering over every decision.
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Jay Timmons, Jason Moore, JaKobi Jackson, Riley Pettijohn and Khary Wilder have each flashed in ways that line up with the preseason buzz around them, whether it has been through steady defensive work, quick development or snaps that suggest bigger roles could be ahead. The challenge now is whether that early promise can carry from September into the heart of conference season, where every mistake gets magnified and every new contributor has to prove the first impression was only the start. [Read more 🡒]