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Ross Fulton Analysis: Who Should Ohio State Hire As Offensive Coordinator? · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to buck Eyes tomorrow morning for Tuesday, February fourth.
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  Speaker 1: I'm your host, Tom Moore. The Texas game is in
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  Speaker 1: two hundred and seven days. The game against Michigan in
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  Speaker 1: two hundred and ninety eight days. On Sunday News, broke
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  Speaker 1: to Kelly leaving the Buckeyes for the Las Vegas Raiders
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  Speaker 1: for six million dollars. Everyone understands that that makes sense. Okay,
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  Speaker 1: So now what's next for the Buckeyes. Well, I'm going
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  Speaker 1: to go through some possibilities for their buddy, Ross Fulton,
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  Speaker 1: the ex's and o's guru at Buckeheadle dot com. When
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  Speaker 1: we have Ross on the show, what you're sponsored by
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  Speaker 1: Jeff Rubies of Columbus, probably offering nationally acclaimed USDA Prime Stakes,
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  Speaker 1: attention to detail that is simply unmatched. Just go to
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  Speaker 1: jeffruby dot com slash Columbus to check out the menu
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  Speaker 1: and make it reservation for today. All right, Ross, We're
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  Speaker 1: going to start with the same question we started with
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  Speaker 1: on the defensive side of the ball where we did
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  Speaker 1: this show about a week week and a half ago,
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  Speaker 1: and that is so the benefits of a continuity hire
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  Speaker 1: versus a do a full national search. You know what,
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  Speaker 1: is this kind of a different conversation on the offensive
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  Speaker 1: side of the ball because you've got Right and Day there,
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  Speaker 1: and you know, so you already kind of have the
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  Speaker 1: continuity there in a way you don't necessarily on the
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  Speaker 1: defensive side of the ball. How do you weigh that in,
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  Speaker 1: you know, looking at candidates for this position.
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  Speaker 2: I would say so, I mean, I would think that
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  Speaker 2: any any person brought in is going to be running
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  Speaker 2: Ryan Day's offensive system and playbook. Like I don't think
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  Speaker 2: they're they're going to change the terminology.
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  Speaker 3: Or the concepts by and large.
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  Speaker 2: You know, you can always add things at the margins
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  Speaker 2: like Chip Kelly did, but I still think it's going
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  Speaker 2: to have the heavy fingerprints of Ryan Day on it.
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  Speaker 2: And so I think that you know, you're not You're
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  Speaker 2: not bringing in someone to to install a whole new offense,
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  Speaker 2: whereas like on the defensive side, there's going to necessarily
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  Speaker 2: be more h flexibility, if you will, because they're.
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  Speaker 3: Just less of days involvement there scheme wise.
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  Speaker 1: All right, So let's start with the two guys who
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  Speaker 1: are kind of internal or internal adjacent to kind of possibilities.
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  Speaker 1: One of them is wide receivers coach and current co
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  Speaker 1: offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. And you know, could he just
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  Speaker 1: get a title bump and you know, sort of do
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  Speaker 1: what he was theoretically in line to do a couple
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  Speaker 1: of years ago before Kelly came in, you know where,
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  Speaker 1: what would he bring to this and what would be
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  Speaker 1: the benefit of hiring him?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think that's the biggest question is
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  Speaker 2: I mean, it's now nine years I believe with Brian
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  Speaker 2: Hartlin and Ryan Day together, I would think at some
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  Speaker 2: point Heartline is going to want to move up in
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  Speaker 2: the profession. He obviously he interviewed for the West Virginia
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  Speaker 2: head coaching job. I guess you could question whether, like
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  Speaker 2: does he want to be a play caller? I presume yeah,
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  Speaker 2: since he was, as you said, in line to do
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  Speaker 2: it a couple of years ago before Day pulled back
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  Speaker 2: on that. So I think to the extent you want
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  Speaker 2: to keep Brian Heartline around, I think it's sort of
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  Speaker 2: like put up or shut up time, so to speak.
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  Speaker 2: And so I think the question then for Ryan Day
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  Speaker 2: is like how comfortable do you feel do you think
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  Speaker 2: he's more ready to do it than he was two
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  Speaker 2: years ago. This Day get more involved on the play
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  Speaker 2: calling side, you know, to varying degrees. You know, maybe
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  Speaker 2: not back to full time play calling, but maybe more
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  Speaker 2: involved than he was last year in terms of the
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  Speaker 2: game planning in the regular season week to week.
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  Speaker 3: You know, I know that he.
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  Speaker 2: Allotted Heartline's input in terms of, you know, on the
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  Speaker 2: passing game front in the playoffs following the Michigan loss.
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  Speaker 3: And you know, I think though.
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  Speaker 2: If you if you hire a Heartline, between Heartline and
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  Speaker 2: Day and Keenan Bailey, you have a lot of people
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  Speaker 2: who have been focused principally on the passing game, and
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  Speaker 2: so then I think it's really incumbent, you know, on
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  Speaker 2: whoever they hire for the offensive line coach to be
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  Speaker 2: heavily involved with the right game.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and that maybe is a little bit of a
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  Speaker 1: transition to the next guy I was going to ask
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  Speaker 1: you about, and this is ye. I'm sort of lumping
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  Speaker 1: him in as an internal person even though he has
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  Speaker 1: not been on staff for a couple of years at
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  Speaker 1: Ohio State, and that's Kevin Wilson. He was the offensive
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  Speaker 1: coordinator under Day for a few years and then left
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  Speaker 1: to take the Tulsa job. He lost that job at
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  Speaker 1: the end of last season, and so he is now
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  Speaker 1: back on the open market. He's been around the building
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  Speaker 1: a decent amount recently. His son Toby was on the team.
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  Speaker 1: Uh just graduated at the end of last season. But
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  Speaker 1: you know, where does Kevin Wilson potentially fit in that
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  Speaker 1: he has sort of the offensive line background, He has
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  Speaker 1: this sort of run game background. You know, is that
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  Speaker 1: a step backwards in terms of the development of the
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  Speaker 1: or the you know, continued growth of the Ohio State
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  Speaker 1: offensive or is that potentially something that is a you know,
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  Speaker 1: you can bring him in and then you're not you're
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  Speaker 1: not losing a step because he knows the players, he
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  Speaker 1: knows the system, and he knows the building.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't think it's step back. I mean they've
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  Speaker 2: had they had lots of good offenses.
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  Speaker 3: You know.
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  Speaker 2: I don't think that in terms I guess people would
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  Speaker 2: probably be concerned about, is this going back to being
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  Speaker 2: a heavy stretch or outside zone based team.
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  Speaker 3: You know, maybe, but I.
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  Speaker 2: Don't think that there's any reason that Kevin Wilson and
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  Speaker 2: Ryan Day can can't be more diversified if that's what
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  Speaker 2: fits the team better.
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  Speaker 3: You know, continuation of what they did in the playoffs.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I think it would be great in theory
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  Speaker 2: to my previous points, have Kevin Wilson involved help the
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  Speaker 2: run game.
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  Speaker 3: I do think that there's some.
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  Speaker 2: How the staff would fit together is a question mark
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  Speaker 2: to me, because I don't think you can make Kevin
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  Speaker 2: Wilson the offensive line coach. Like a I wouldn't want
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  Speaker 2: my like principal offensive coordinator to be an offensive line
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  Speaker 2: coach begin with, there's just too much going on with
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  Speaker 2: the offensive line. I also think that like you know,
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  Speaker 2: he didn't really recruit when he was the tight ends coach.
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  Speaker 3: I wouldn't.
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  Speaker 2: That was obviously, like a concern with Justin Fry, I
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  Speaker 2: would not want Kevin Wilson like being the principal recruiter
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  Speaker 2: for the offensive line. So but then if you like
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  Speaker 2: wanted to make him the tight ends coach back to
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  Speaker 2: where he was and like the co coordinator with heartline,
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  Speaker 2: then it's like in King of Bailey coach quarterbacks.
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  Speaker 3: I don't.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know the answer to that. So I think
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  Speaker 2: that there's like some like how would the puzzle pieces
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  Speaker 2: fit together? But I think in theory, like even if
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  Speaker 2: Brian Hartline became the principal offensive coordinator, Like it would
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  Speaker 2: be great to have Kevin Wilson's input in some capacity there.
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  Speaker 3: You know.
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  Speaker 2: I mean there's obviously, like you have more staffing positions
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  Speaker 2: now and so you have all kinds of people. You know,
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  Speaker 2: Kim Drevno's around in terms of the run game, and
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  Speaker 2: obviously he's been, you know, involved with Chip Kelly for
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  Speaker 2: a long time, so you still have some of that
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  Speaker 2: diversity run game diversity there on that front as well.
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  Speaker 2: But I just think there's there's questions depending which way
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  Speaker 2: they go in terms of how everything fits together, all right.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm gonna lump the next two guys together, and
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  Speaker 1: you know that that's probably a little bit of an oversimplification,
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  Speaker 1: but it's also sort of a reflection of the reality
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  Speaker 1: of the current job market, which is you're not going
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  Speaker 1: to hear any NFL guys on here because generally the
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  Speaker 1: trend has been if you're going to the NFL, you
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  Speaker 1: don't want to deal with the recruiting and all the
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  Speaker 1: nonsense that has come with college football in twenty twenty five.
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  Speaker 1: There's a reason that Chip Kelly headed off to the NFL,
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  Speaker 1: and it was probably a little more than just the
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  Speaker 1: six million dollars from the Raiders. So one of the
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  Speaker 1: other realities is the MAC is not quite what it
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  Speaker 1: used to be in terms of being a springboard to
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  Speaker 1: other head coaching jobs at higher levels. You've seen coaches
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  Speaker 1: like Sean Lewis, for example, leave Kent State and go
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  Speaker 1: be the OC at Colorado State, and at Colorado for
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  Speaker 1: a year before he went to San Diego State as
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  Speaker 1: the head coach. It's not necessarily as easy a jump
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  Speaker 1: from MAC head coach to low level power five kind
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  Speaker 1: of head coach as it used to be. So the
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  Speaker 1: next two guys on the list are two guys who
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  Speaker 1: have had some success and in various spots. Joe Moorehead
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  Speaker 1: is the acron head coach. Used to be the head
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  Speaker 1: coach at Mississippi State, was the OC at Penn State
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  Speaker 1: during the Deep State years, was at was at Oregon
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  Speaker 1: when they had some success against Ohio State in twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty one. Let's let's start with him before we get
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  Speaker 1: to Jason Kandall. Joe Moorehead as a candidate. You know,
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  Speaker 1: I would assume that he would probably take that phone
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  Speaker 1: call without much of a delay. What do you think
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  Speaker 1: about him? As a candidate for.
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  Speaker 2: Gust Yeah, I mean to back up to your NFL point,
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  Speaker 2: like I mean, Chip Kelly, like it would have been
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  Speaker 2: great for us date they got another year. But I mean,
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  Speaker 2: part of the reason, in my opinion, he didn't come
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  Speaker 2: with Ryan Day the first time around when he hired
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  Speaker 2: Bill Brian was he was waiting to see if he
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  Speaker 2: got an NFL off. It's a coordinator job, so I've
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  Speaker 2: long assumed that that was where he ultimately was hoping
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  Speaker 2: to go with this.
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  Speaker 3: Joe moorehead is interesting one.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I have a lot of respect for what
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  Speaker 2: he does, as in what he's been as a play caller.
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  Speaker 2: I you know, how it would mesh with Ryan Day
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  Speaker 2: to our earlier discussion is sort of an open question
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  Speaker 2: to me. I mean, Jim moore heads always much been
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  Speaker 2: very RPO run pass option focused, and it's a heavy
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  Speaker 2: dose to that and so you know how much, Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: how's a mesh. Obviously High State's done that does that,
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  Speaker 2: but it's not quite so like you know for many
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  Speaker 2: everything they do. So I think that's just how it
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  Speaker 2: would all mesh together question as much as anything else.
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  Speaker 2: But obviously he has a lot of prevent success.
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  Speaker 1: The other mac head coach I wanted to ask you about.
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  Speaker 1: Is Jason Kandall, who I was just checking, started at
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  Speaker 1: Toledo in twenty sixteen. He's been there forever and has
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  Speaker 1: won MAC titles, but he's still at Toledo, and you know,
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  Speaker 1: you would assume at some point he has he has
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  Speaker 1: had his name mentioned with a bunch of other head
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  Speaker 1: coaching jobs, and it never seems to work out. What
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  Speaker 1: would Jason Kandle bring to Ohio State in terms of.
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  Speaker 2: Offensive Yeah, I mean I think that you know, whether
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  Speaker 2: I can't remember if it was reported or just rumored
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  Speaker 2: last year that Candle was in the running at the
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  Speaker 2: time when Dave was looking for an off it's the
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  Speaker 2: quarterator last year.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, I think he would like to make that jump,
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  Speaker 3: you know, same thing.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, a lot of priven success track record, I
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  Speaker 2: think offensively, like probably a little bit more I don't
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  Speaker 2: know it, whereas like Joe Morehead is like a very
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  Speaker 2: sort of like defined way he does things. There's probably
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  Speaker 2: like a little bit more flexibility on the Jason Kandle
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  Speaker 2: side of things. But then again, like you know, and
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  Speaker 2: then the question it becods like how does everyone i'll
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  Speaker 2: fit together with that off that, like, is Brian Hartline
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  Speaker 2: that on the part of time at Ohio State and
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  Speaker 2: looking for another opportunity. So those are the things you
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  Speaker 2: have to get to weigh, and you know, where does
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  Speaker 2: he fit on the staff as well?
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  Speaker 3: In terms of position coaching.
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  Speaker 1: One of the name I saw someone on our board
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  Speaker 1: throwout was Neil Brown, who was the former head coach
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  Speaker 1: at West Virginia. The ironically the job that Brian Hartland
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  Speaker 1: was interviewing for. Earlier. Coaching community a small one, especially
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  Speaker 1: in regions of the country. Neil Brown had some success
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  Speaker 1: at West Virginia, had a lot more as a Troy
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  Speaker 1: previous to that. What kind of offensive coordinator would he
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  Speaker 1: be and what kind of fit would he potentially be
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  Speaker 1: at oheist give any sense for that?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's kind of an odd one to me.
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  Speaker 2: I mean he was like at Troy, like he was
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  Speaker 2: a big air raid guy, and then like a West Virginia.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I guess you could say that he has
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  Speaker 2: brought some you know, a lot of focus on the
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  Speaker 2: run game from like spread sets and maybe like that
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  Speaker 2: would be his niche and then you you know, count
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  Speaker 2: on day and heartline to a lesser extent on the
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  Speaker 2: passing game and that's how it sort of meshes together.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, again that's sort of an interesting one.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I guess Bill O'Brien didn't really have any
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  Speaker 2: Ryan Day connection last year, but there's not really any
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  Speaker 2: like sort of shared background with Brown, so to me,
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  Speaker 2: like when I saw that name, like that's a little
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  Speaker 2: bit out of left field, but I guess I could
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  Speaker 2: see how, like, you know, he's bringing a particular focus
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  Speaker 2: that would that would sort of add something staff.
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  Speaker 1: And just to kind of put a button on this,
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  Speaker 1: we talked in terms of the defensive staff about Matt Greary,
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  Speaker 1: but maybe you bring in a veteran voice to kind
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  Speaker 1: of help him out or you know, be sort of
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  Speaker 1: the Greg Madison type role for you know, lack of
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  Speaker 1: a better explanation, is that something if you were going
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  Speaker 1: to go with a Brian Hartline type, a first time
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  Speaker 1: play caller, or have him in some sort of a role,
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  Speaker 1: there is that something where you'd maybe be looking for,
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  Speaker 1: whether it's Kevin Wilson or someone else outside to sort
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  Speaker 1: of be that veteran, veteran Greg Madison type guy to
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  Speaker 1: help with that adjustment. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, I mean it'd be you know if you're looking
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  Speaker 2: at Heartline like it would be great to have Kevin
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  Speaker 2: Wilson help, as I said, And then it's it's sort
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  Speaker 2: of a question of like how does everyone fit together
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  Speaker 2: on the staff and who's doing what. But certainly like
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  Speaker 2: someone who could not only like the veteran presence, but
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  Speaker 2: as I said, like someone who brings sort of like
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  Speaker 2: a history of being focused on the run game would
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  Speaker 2: be helpful, just as like we said with like Breerry,
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  Speaker 2: like someone like Madison who had a history of being
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  Speaker 2: focused on the front in particular. And so you know,
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  Speaker 2: again I think just like on the defense, you're looking
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  Speaker 2: sort for like a back end front kind of mix here,
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  Speaker 2: you're looking for like a past game run game mix.
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  Speaker 3: It.
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  Speaker 2: But to me, like so that would that to me
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  Speaker 2: would be essential in some way, particularly if Heartline. But
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  Speaker 2: like as I said, you want someone who certainly, if
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  Speaker 2: you're like making a Heartline the primary offensive play caller,
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  Speaker 2: you would want someone who was very much on the
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  Speaker 2: same page with the Ryan Day offensive system and how
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  Speaker 2: the run game fits in that.
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  Speaker 3: And obviously Kevin Wilson fits that bill.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, I think anyone even if you're like
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  Speaker 2: bringing in a Neil Brown with heartline. It's like co
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  Speaker 2: OC's you know, I think then you'd have like a
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  Speaker 2: pass game, run game dichotom mix there as well.
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  Speaker 1: All right, well, we will have plenty to talk about
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: all week long at bucke huddle dot com as we
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: break down the defensive coordinator search, the offensive coordinator search,
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: the offensive line coach search. There's a whole bunch of
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: other stuff going on. We have a little bit of
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: a timetable now for what spring football looks like. Looks
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: like you can be pushed back a couple of weeks,
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: so that's coming in just a little over a month,
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: and basketball season. There is a ton to talk about
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: right now at bucke huddle dot com. Our board has
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: been very active for the last couple of weeks as
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: we head into what it should be a very entertaining
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: and very eventful offseason for the Buckeye So thank you
• 14:31
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  Speaker 1: Thank you guys all for joining us. Have a great day.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: We'll talk to you tomorrow.