Ryan Day Expected to Make More Ohio State Coaching Changes After Discher Firing

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day fired special teams coordinator Robby Discher on Monday following a 41-28 home loss to No. 23 Oregon.

The Buckeyes entered the season as the No. 1 team in the AP poll. Nine games later, they sit at 6-3 and face the very real prospect of missing the College Football Playoff.

Discher might not be the final assistant to lose his position. The Athletic’s Cameron Teague Robinson and Bruce Feldman reported that multiple sources around the program expect additional coaching changes before the season concludes.

Day indicated that staff adjustments were under consideration immediately after Saturday’s defeat.

Múltiplas fontes indicam que o coordenador defensivo Robby Discher foi DEMITIDO de Ohio State! https://t.co/79zN6Ng7uk

— Post by @collegefootbr on X

“I’ve got to evaluate everything and try to come in tomorrow and figure out, with the staff, the things we’re coming up short on and figure out how to adjust those things,” Day said.

“It all starts with the staff, and then it goes to the players. There needs to be accountability for all of it, and then we go from there.”

The firing dismantles the operational model Day built during the offseason, which placed experienced coordinators in charge of all three units while he functioned as the team’s CEO. Financial investments matched that strategy.

Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia earns $3.75 million in his second year, making him the highest-paid assistant coach nationally, while first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith makes $1.5 million with a scheduled bump to $2 million next season. Both coaches bring prior NFL head coaching backgrounds to Columbus.

Day holds an 88-15 record at Ohio State and signed a contract extension in February 2025 guaranteeing $12.5 million annually through 2031.

Ryan Day parts ways with Ohio State special teams coach Robby Discher. The Buckeyes rank: – No. 85 in net punting – No. 118 in kickoff returns – No. 113 in punt returns – No. 103 in punt return defense https://t.co/kEMsfx209D

— Post by @CSmithMedia on X

Special team lapses contributed directly to the decision regarding Discher. During the loss to Oregon, Ohio State held a 14-3 lead in the second quarter and forced a fourth-and-9 punt from the Ducks’ 31-yard line. Instead of a routine change of possession, defensive lineman Teitum Tuioti threw a jump pass to fellow defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei for a 30-yard conversion. Oregon capitalized by scoring the next 35 points.

Special teams miscues also surfaced a week earlier in a 30-18 loss to USC, where the Buckeyes allowed a 44-yard punt return that set up a touchdown and later surrendered a 24-yard return on an onside kick attempt.

Ryan day wife nina day ohio state versus michigan

Statistical metrics reflect those struggles. Ohio State ranks 86th in the FBS in net punting at 38.7 yards, 113th in punt return average at 5.9 yards, and 118th in kick return average at 17.4 yards.

Those numbers materialized after Day recruited Discher away from Illinois in February. Discher marked the program’s first full-time special teams coordinator since Parker Fleming’s departure in 2024. He signed a two-year contract paying $400,000 this season and $450,000 next year, with the Columbus Dispatch reporting that the university owes him a buyout exceeding $500,000.

Robby Discher dismissed as Ohio State's special teams coordinator

Ryan Day has made a change to his coaching staff with the firing of Ohio State special teams coordinator Robby Discher. https://t.co/dMUMVzLt07

— Post by @usatodaysports on X

Ryan Day has begun making changes to the Ohio State staff. Robby Discher is out as special teams coordinator, sources tell @CBSSports. pic.twitter.com/wKFwx78nmm

— Post by @mzenitz on X