The coaching staff of the Ohio State Buckeyes is complete following a thrilling offseason. James Lauinaitis, a graduate assistant, was promoted to linebackers coach on Thursday, according to coach Ryan Day.

Following the appointment of Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator, who left Columbus to take a head coaching position at Boston College, the former head coach of the UCLA Bruins was named offensive coordinator.

Day said he’s happy with the staff as it’s now complete.

“It’s our job every year to identify what areas need to be adjusted, whether it’s with the team or with the staff. And we’ve worked really hard, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking to make sure the right guys are in the right seats. So now it’s time to go to work,” Day said Friday from the Ohio High School Football Coaches’ Association clinic.

Day and Kelly are familiar with one another, as Day played for Kelly at New Hampshire when Kelly was the offensive coordinator there. Day also coached under Kelly with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers as Kelly’s quarterback coach.

“Chip and I obviously have a long history together, so we see the same things the same way. And it’s been exciting to get him going here,” Day said. “He’s got a lot of excitement walking around the building, meeting the guys, so it’s been a great start. It’s great,” Day said. “All I know is I love having Chip on my side.”

For Laurinaitis, he’s just got one season of being a graduate assistant to his name, and based on what Day saw during that first year, he decided to promote him.

“Well, first off, he knows Ohio State, he loves Ohio State. He has credibility with the players, he has credibility with recruits because he’s done it,” Day said of Laurinaitis. “And not only did he do it, he did it at an unbelievable level, he did it in the NFL.

However, I’ve been amazed by how well he’s made the switch from player to coach. I believe that Brian and James were players that made the most of their opportunities on the field. They therefore apply a lot of what they’ve learned to assist players on the field as they go from the NFL to college, particularly in the later years of their NFL careers. I’ve witnessed numerous amazing things from him. I had the chance to observe him when he was recruiting during the past few weeks. performed a fantastic job. We thought that was the proper thing to do since there is a lot of momentum.

Day and his new staff kick off the 2024 season on Aug. 31 against the Akron Z