Oller's Second Thoughts: Crusty Bill O'Brien exactly what the doctor ordered for Buckeyes

Ohio State needed more nastiness on offense. The Buckeyes found it in Bill O’Brien.

I don’t know if I would label O’Brien’s hiring as brilliant, but OSU coach Ryan Day bringing in an offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach who doesn’t always say “please” and “thank you” is a big step toward moving the program forward by keeping players on edge.

Urban Meyer was an expert at making players and coaches uncomfortable to keep them sharp. Day is more player-friendly, which is not to suggest he can’t get after guys – he did, after all, just remove Corey Dennis, who is Urban Meyer's son-in-law, as quarterbacks coach – but the vibe is less confrontational.

O’Brien is confrontational, more sandpaper than Charmin. As New England Patriots quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator under Bill Belichick (2009-2011), O’Brien once got into a sideline screaming match with Tom Brady. Barking back at the GOAT? You betcha. The Buckeyes needed someone like that who does not back down.

Day talks about the need for Ohio State to show toughness, and he famously defended the Buckeyes when Lou Holtz questioned that toughness. But toughness is the wrong descriptor. All college football players are tough, or they wouldn’t last. Not all are nasty, and what OSU has lacked is nastiness. They need more guys who turn into attack dogs, or dawgs, on the field. Particularly on offense. O’Brien will make sure that happens by turning off-the-field choir boys into in-game devils, and pressing his in-your-face personality into the offense to shape its identity.

But that’s not all. O’Brien also brings maturity and NFL experience to a staff that last season listed four of five offensive on-field assistants as age 40 or younger. When 62-year-old Kevin Wilson left after the 2022 season to become head coach at Tulsa, a staff departure that negatively impacted OSU’s offensive production in 2023, Day wisely hired 62-year-old Joe Philbin as an analyst to add experience, but support staffers have limited impact.

O’Brien is 54. He’s seen a lot. Won a lot. Lost a lot. Learned a lot. He may not be a play-calling guru, but he will be creative enough, and having operated under Belichick and as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama (2021), he understands how to make in-game adjustments.

Day needed help juggling the duties of play-caller, offensive strategist, defensive monitor and leader of the program. O’Brien is that help. His arrival allows Day to focus more on team culture and less on the X’s and O’s. Good. Frankly, Day’s offense has flashed mostly because the Buckeyes put more talent on the field than 95% of the teams they play. Having NFL-level quarterbacks helps, too.

This past season, with Kyle McCord replacing C.J. Stroud, scoring dropped by nearly 15 points a game. But it wasn’t just because of the QB play. The offensive line was subpar. Part of the problem was talent. Part was tenacity. In recent seasons, the line has not shown bad enough intentions toward the defense.

Critics like to razz O’Brien for telling Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in 2022 that he was playing the wrong position. Milroe led the Tide to the playoff this season, which looks like egg on O’Brien’s face. Maybe, but let’s see where Milroe’s career goes before smacking O’Brien too hard. It may well be that before it's over he gets to smack back.

If all goes well, O’Brien’s ornery side will season the entire offensive stew. And if it doesn’t, well, he is used to moving on, having worked for the Patriots, Crimson Tide and Houston Texans all since 2020. He will understand. He’s a big boy. Just what the Buckeyes needed.

Miami tight end making career out of college

Cam McCormick is not college football’s player of the decade, but he comes close to winning the prize as player for a decade.

The 25-year-old Miami tight end is returning to the Hurricanes for a ninth season, explaining, “I want to say I gave it my best opportunity and best shot.”

He's given it the most opportunity, that's for sure.

McCormick has experienced a roller coaster career. A looong roller coaster. He was part of the 2016 signing class that included former Ohio State lineman Nick Bosa, now an established NFL star in San Francisco, as well as NFL quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts.

After redshirting as a true freshman at Oregon in 2016, McCormick played 13 games in 2017. Then came injuries, including a broken leg in 2018 that cost him the 2019 and 2020 seasons due to complications. He received an extra year due to COVID, but a foot injury ended his 2021 season early. He finally played a full season in 2022, then transferred to Miami before last season. The Atlantic Coast Conference this week granted his waiver for a ninth season in 2024.

Unlike Blutarsky in “Animal House,” at least McCormick has not seen 7+ seasons of college go down the drain.

Listening in

“When Harbaugh leaves for the NFL, what base will Sherrone Moore be starting from? They better hope it’s 3rd. – former Ohio State defensive back Chimdi Chekwa on X (formerly Twitter).

Off-topic

Welcome to my tutorial on how to drive in snow. 1. Slow down; 2. But not too slow.

Carry on.

roller@dispatch.com

@rollerCD

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football getting tough customer in coach Bill O'Brien