With just four games remaining, Ryan Day and Ohio State have decided to move on from first-year special teams coordinator Robby Discher following a 41-28 home loss to Oregon.
This move comes after Ohio State has had one of the worst-ranked special teams in the country, and it continued against Oregon. This marks the first time in Day's eight-year tenure with the Buckeyes that he has fired a coach during the season
This past Saturday, the Buckeyes seemed unable to click on special teams. Early in the second quarter, with a 14-3 lead and forcing Oregon to punt, the Buckeyes had all the momentum. The special teams unit allowed a 30-yard jump pass from defensive lineman Teitum Tuioti to fellow defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei, which began to snatch momentum from the Buckeyes and give the ball back to the Ducks, who would go on to score that drive, and it kick-started a 38-unanswered-point run by the Ducks, which allowed them to win 41-28.
This isn't the first time that the Buckeyes' special teams have had a poor impact in a game. Against USC, special teams allowed a 44-yard punt return, leading to a Trojans touchdown. In the same game, they allowed a 24-yard punt that gave USC good field position as the Buckeyes tried to storm back.
In the year leading up to the Oregon game, the Ohio State special teams have committed one flag in each game and even had a season-high three flags against Iowa that, luckily for Ohio State, didn't affect the outcome.
The special teams' issues also reared their head against Texas in Week 2 when kicker Connor Hawkins missed a critical 45-yard field goal.
In terms of national rankings in special teams, the Buckeyes rank No. 86 nationally in net punting yards (38.7 avg.), No. 113 in punt return average (5.9 yds), and No. 118 in kick return average (17.4 yds). They also rank No. 102 nationally in special teams efficiency.
At 6–3 on the season, just a year after making the College Football Playoff and two years after their last national championship, the Buckeyes find themselves likely missing the playoffs for the first time in two years and potentially facing a rebuild after the 2026 season, with decisions already turning toward a staff rebuild.