At this time last year, Ryan Day was a respected, up-and-coming Ohio State offensive coordinator.

His first year in Columbus was a solid one, but nobody was expecting him to take over Urban Meyer’s program at season’s end.

Consider that my way of saying things happen fast in this sport. Sometimes.

It can happen fast with coordinators looking to rise the ranks of the coaching world. There are a handful of B1G coordinators who are in their mid-30s, but already look like viable candidates to be running their own programs in a hurry.

Like Day, here are 4 B1G coordinators who could easily become head coaches next year:

1. Josh Gattis, Michigan OC

In my opinion, Gattis is the most obvious name on this list. If he takes Michigan over the hump, he’s going to have a flood of FBS head coaching gigs rolling in. He’s had success everywhere he’s been, including most recently at Alabama, where he took a group of receivers who were non-factors on that 2017 team and turned them into a group that was basically unfair by the end of 2018.

Obviously Gattis has a lot to prove this year. The fact that Jim Harbaugh gave him complete control of the offense suggests that he’ll get every chance to do that. Gattis has also developed some impressive inroads nationally as a recruiter, which will make him that much more attractive to teams with FBS openings.

If Michigan finally has that year that they’ve been waiting for and it’s fueled by Gattis’ offense, he’ll at the very least be in line for a significant raise. But the 35-year-old head coach, who spent 5 years on James Franklin’s staffs at Vanderbilt and Penn State, might be intrigued by the idea of running his own program (we saw how much Penn State’s receivers struggled without Gattis).

I think Michigan fans would take a year of Gattis if it meant big things in 2019.

2. Jim Leonhard, Wisconsin DC

A lot of people were bracing for Leonhard to leave Madison last year when he was linked to assistant openings at Alabama, Florida State and Texas A&M. But instead, Leonhard got a raise and stayed at his alma mater. The 2018 season proved to be a disappointment for the usually stout Wisconsin defense — injuries didn’t help — but there could be Group of 5 head coaching opportunities waiting for Leonhard if the Badgers bounce back in 2019.

The issue with Leonhard would be experience. He might not have enough experience to get a Power 5 job, and I’m not sure he’d leave his current role at Wisconsin for an FBS gig. I definitely don’t think he’d leave for another coordinator position.

Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY NETWORK

But this is about projecting. Maybe a MAC school would roll the dice and make Leonhard an attractive offer that would be worth taking at this stage of his career.

Or maybe Leonhard will continue to make an annual appearance on this list.

3. Troy Walters, Nebraska OC

Walters might not be an obvious name on this list, but he would make sense as a potential Group of 5 candidate next year. As much as Walters probably enjoys working with Scott Frost, it’s still Frost’s offense. Walters is entering his fourth season as the offensive coordinator on Frost’s staff. It could be attractive to him to have total control of his offense and continue his rise up the coaching ladder.

This would be dependent on Nebraska having the top-25 season that many are expecting. This is the type of year where if Walters is on board for a significant improvement, he could be someone who reaps the benefits.

And while it’s Frost who gets a lot of the attention, Walters was a Broyles Award finalist for UCF’s undefeated 2017 season. Even though he’s young (42) and not as experienced as other potential candidates, there could definitely be a market for the first major branch of the Frost coaching tree.

4. Brent Pry, Penn State DC

I think the average college football fan would be surprised to hear that Penn State’s defense actually ranked better than its offense each of the last 2 years. Well, technically they were both No. 7 in FBS in 2017 (how that team failed to reach a B1G Championship is beyond me). But that’s a testament to how good Pry has been really since taking over for Bob Shoop back in 2016.

Pry is obviously super loyal to James Franklin. The two go way back to the early 90s, and this will mark their ninth season together, so why would it potentially be their last? Well, this will be Pry’s last opportunity to try and get a head coaching gig on the right side of 50, and if he has another top-25 defense, I have to think he’ll be a name that a few Group of 5 schools on the East Coast would target.

As we saw last year with Penn State’s nation-leading 3.6 sacks per game, Pry specializes in finding ways to dial up pressure. In an era when that’s all the rage, there are worse skills to possess as a prospective head coach.

Another year of doing that and Pry could have some enticing opportunities outside of State College.