Once upon a time, a young Toledo head football coach left to become second in command for a friend with a shared expertise — in this case defense — at a flagship Ohio organization about two hours away.

Could it happen again?

Possibly.

In 1991, it was Nick Saban becoming Bill Belichick’s defensive coordinator in Cleveland.

Now, it could be Jason Candle taking the offensive keys from Ryan Day at Ohio State.

With Day feeling the heat after three straight losses to Michigan, he’s reportedly prepared to relinquish his play-calling duties — read: transition to a CEO role — and Candle is not just a name I keep hearing.

He may be the name.

Two industry sources said Candle is at — or near — the top of Day’s wish list to be the Buckeyes’ new offensive coordinator. (My sense is he’s Ohio State’s preferred college candidate; there are rumblings that Day is poking around the NFL, too.)

And why not?

Since Candle began calling plays at Toledo in 2012 — first as offensive coordinator under Matt Campbell, then as head coach — the Rockets have reliably been one of the better offensive teams in the country.

They have ranked in the top-40 in total offense all but once (2022) and — when the pieces align — proven capable of scoring with anyone anywhere. In quarterback Logan Woodside’s three seasons as a starter, Toledo averaged 490.5 yards per game in 2014, 517.8 yards in ‘16, and 483.9 yards in ‘17. For context, those numbers this season would have slotted UT eight, third, and ninth nationally.

It’s not hard to imagine what Candle could do with Ohio State’s toys.

The Buckeyes would be fortunate to have him.

Now, if it comes to it, we’ll see if the feeling is mutual.

I have no idea.

Candle teaming with Day at Ohio State makes a lot of sense in some ways, less in others.

In one respect, leaving to become a coordinator at a power-conference program may seem counterintuitive, given that Mid-American Conference schools are supposed to be lily pads to big-time head coaching jobs, not stairs down to deputy posts.

This isn’t Sean Lewis bolting Dodge — Kent State — to become the offensive coordinator at Colorado. Toledo is the best job in the MAC.

I also wonder about the fit at Ohio State. If Day were a defensive-minded boss appointing an OC, this job would be infinitely more attractive. He’s not. His offensive acumen is half the reason he got the Buckeyes’ job in the first place, and he’s continued to call plays in his first five seasons as head coach.

This would be like Lincoln Riley or any other reputed whisperer delegating the role that made their careers. You have to wonder if they would have the humility to empower someone else.

And what about Brian Hartline? The receivers coach and ace recruiter is one of the highest-paid assistants in the country ($1.6 million per year) and was nominally promoted to offensive coordinator last season.

A new OC would be sandwiched between Day and the alpha star assistant. That’s a lot of cooks in the offensive meeting room.

But, hey, what do I know?

The possible appeal of Ohio State to Candle is easy to see, too.

The Buckeyes would offer more money (think $2 million per year, a bump from his incentive-loaded $1.1 million-per-year deal at UT), a new challenge with one of his better friends in the business, and perhaps a faster track to a big-time top job.

Face it: Candle has not received the power-conference offers you would think, given his success at Toledo (65-35, two MAC titles). As much as he loves UT and has a good thing going, with the Rockets losing the bulk of their production, sometimes timing is everything. Light it up at Ohio State — which finished a hard-to-fathom 48th in total offense this season, but is going all in on a national title run in 2024 — and the 44-year-old would be one of the hottest names in the sport.

I think back to the press conference before the Cotton Bowl, when Day listened in as a reporter asked Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz about why he ceded offensive play-calling duties this year. Drinkwitz has cited the move as a key reason for the Tigers’ breakthrough 11-win season.

“I wasn’t doing the best that I could for our football team,” he said. “We have a sign in our football building that says, ‘Do your job, put the team first.’ I wasn’t doing that. I wasn’t embracing my role as the head coach. I was trying to hold on to my ego of being the play caller. I needed to step back and say the job of a head coach is to build this team, empower other people to do their jobs, and really build connections. … It really just came down to me living my integrity and not just talking about it, but being about it and putting the team first, embracing my role as the head coach.”

Does Day truly have it in him to do the same, and might Candle be the answer?

No idea. 

The questions are nothing new for Candle, who turned down veritable blank-check offers from Miami to be its OC each of the past two years.

This time, though, if it comes to it, I suspect his decision will be a little harder.

First Published January 14, 2024, 9:54 p.m.