Why Ryan Day, Not Brian Hartline, Will Call Plays for Ohio State in CFB Playoff Games

Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is sticking with the team through the College Football Playoff before becoming the head coach at South Florida, but he's not going to have as much influence anymore.

Per The Athletic's Cameron Teague, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day announced on Monday that he will be calling offensive plays for the Buckeyes throughout the CFP.

The Buckeyes are ranked No. 2 in the CFP bracket and will face No. 10 Miami on New Year's Eve in the CFP quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Day went on to add that Hartline will continue to coach the wide receivers, and he clarified that they will take a committee approach to the offensive play-calling.

"Just really happy for Brian and the opportunity he's getting," Day said, per Nick Kosko of On3.com. "It's such a strange calendar, and the timing is brutal, but, you know, he's handled it great, as you can imagine. And so, you know, right now, as we move forward, he's coaching the receivers, you know, it's a lot on his plate. It's a lot, you know, to manage. So we're kind of taking it day to day right now, just in terms of as we move forward, going into the game, you know, it'll be a group effort.

"Everybody will be involved with the play calling, and ultimately be my decision, you know, what calls can go into the game, in this game," he continued. "Kind of want to take that off of Brian's plate as we head into the playoffs, because he got so much going on with what he's trying to do, but he's working hard and we're just going to keep evaluating it every day to see what's best for the group."

Ohio State is trying to win its second straight national championship, so it's clear that Day feels it's best for him to have more of a say in the offense before Hartline leaves for USF.