The Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day entered the 2024 season going all-in, determined to win a national championship and beat the Michigan Wolverines at all costs. Following Saturday’s loss at home to unranked Michigan, it’s time to start evaluating Ohio State coaching candidates.
The Buckeyes made the right decision in keeping Day after last season, even after he lost three consecutive games to Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines. Even the loss earlier this season on the road against the No. 1 Oregon Ducks can be excused. However, losing at home to this version of Michigan is a fireable offense.
- Ryan Day coaching record: 66-9 overall with the Ohio State Buckeyes
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Let’s examine some potential Ohio State coaching candidates to replace Day in 2025.
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State Sun Devils coach
We first have to immediately rule out some popular names who will be mentioned among Ohio State coaching candidates. Dan Lanning has no reason to leave the Oregon Ducks and Urban Meyer almost certainly isn’t coming back. So, the Buckeyes have to pivot to different options and that includes Kenny Dillingham.
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Poaching the Arizona State alum won’t be easy. He’s turned the Sun Devils around almost instantly into a Big 12 contender. Even more impressive than Arizona State’s 9-win season, its first since 2014, is how quickly it happened after the disastrous Herm Edwards era. Edwards left this program in a complete mess, as evidenced by Dillingham’s 3-9 season in his first year at the helm.
However, the Sun Devils rebounded this year with wins over three ranked opponents. Only 34 years old, Dillingham already has experience at Power 4 programs – offensive coordinator at Auburn, Florida State and Oregon – and he’s quickly learned the ropes of being a head coach. There’s a strong chance Dillingham will want to stay home, but he’s someone the Buckeyes would have to pursue because he could do phenomenal work with Ohio State’s resources.
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Curt Cignetti, Indiana Hoosiers head coach
Curt Cignetti certainly would’ve led plenty of Ohio State coaching candidates lists prior to his contract extension with the Indiana Hoosiers. Now things are a lot more complicated. If the Buckeyes want to hire him, it will come at the cost of a $13 million buyout and that’s obviously not including the added costs of hiring a new coaching staff and firing Day.
- Curt Cignetti coaching record: 29-5 overall, 10-1 with Indiana Hoosiers
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What can’t be denied is that Cignetti wins. The former Alabama Crimson Tide wide receivers coach (2007-’10), owns a career 129-36 record with a 53-17 mark at IUP, a 14-9 mark at Elon and a 52-9 record at James Madison. While Indiana’s record this year can partially be attributed to a weak schedule, this same program went 3-9 the previous year. Plus, he actually beat Michigan this year. Cignetti, 63, is on the older side but that could also theoretically set up Ohio State to make a long-term succession plan.
Matt Campbell, Iowa State Cyclones head coach
Our focus is on head coaches with track records for winning and we’re placing less emphasis on recruiting. The Buckeyes’ boosters proved this year that they’ll spend the money to buy one of the best rosters in college football. What’s clearly missing is a head coach who can put those players in the best position to win games, especially physical matchups.
- Matt Campbell coaching record: 97-65 overall, 62-50 with Iowa State
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Matt Campbell, an Ohio native, boasts a strong track record of success with smaller programs. The 44-year-old head coach. At Toledo, he posted three nine-win campaigns in his final four seasons before taking the Iowa State job. As the Cyclones head coach, he took over a program that went 8-28 in the three seasons before him (2013-’15) and by 2027, Iowa State was an eight-win team. Campbell is a very good football coach and Ohio State’s resources could help him become one of the best head coaches in college football.
Mike Vrabel, former Tennessee Titans head coach
Mike Vrabel is only at the bottom of our Ohio State coaching candidates list because it feels like there’s little chance he wants this job. Turning 50 in August, Vrabel is going to be one of the most in-demand coaches among NFL teams next offseason. Even with his allegiance to Ohio State, being an NFL coach is better.
With that said, Vrabel is exactly the kind of head coach the Buckeyes need. He would bring the culture change this program will desperately be seeking. There’s also a case to be made that Ohio State could hire a de-facto general manager to oversee NIL and the transfer portal, while Day gets to focus on coaching football.
It still feels highly improbable to think Day would choose Ohio State over the NFL, but after four straight losses to Michigan, perhaps there’s a structure with the right people in place that could convince Vrabel to become the next Buckeyes head coach.
