Other than Ryan Day, Ohio State had 4 names as top candidates for head coaching job

Ohio State is competing in the Rose Bowl this year against Washington on Jan. 1.

It will be a highly-anticipated game because not only is it the Rose Bowl, but it also marks Urban Meyer’s last as head coach of the Buckeyes. Meyer is a humongous name at a big-time program. Who is taking over the team after Meyer is done?

Ryan Day. Day, currently the offensive coordinator, stepped in the first 3 games of the season earlier this year when Meyer was suspended. People liked what Day did, and with that, he earned himself one of the most coveted jobs in collegiate sports.

But, what if the Day experiment didn’t go so well? Who would Ohio State have targeted? According to Dave Briggs at The Toledo Blade, 4 names stood out:

If Ohio State had decided on a search to replace Urban Meyer, its top four outside candidates were Iowa State's Matt Campbell, Syracuse's Dino Babers, Bob Stoops, and a current NFL coach, per source. https://t.co/WFuljJM2EQ

— Dave Briggs (@DBriggsBlade) December 15, 2018

Matt Campbell, Dino Babers and of course Bob Stoops have either become big names or have been big names for a long time. Each of these 3 are intriguing, and to know that a current NFL head coach was a top candidate as well is interesting.

“Unwittingly in Smith’s scope were former Toledo and current Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, former Bowling Green and current Syracuse coach Dino Babers, retired Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, and a current NFL coach, an industry source told The Blade,” Briggs wrote.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith went with Day, but could a guy like Bob Stoops have stepped in? We’ll never know.

We’ll also never know if an NFL guy would have left the highest level for Ohio State.