Keeping Keenan Bailey in-house has paid great dividends for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.
The Ohio State intern turned quality control coach turned tight end coach and now co-offensive coordinator has built one of the best tight end rooms in the country. His approach to coaching has continued to evolve and grow over time.
“Probably the most unsung hero on our staff, the hardest worker in the building,” Day said of Bailey during Ohio State’s national championship celebration in January.
While Bailey won’t let any outside claims of his coaching prowess go to his head, he’s molded himself into one of the best leaders of tight ends in the country, and his role is only continuing to expand for the Buckeyes.
“I appreciate that,” Bailey said in March when asked about his renowned work ethic and journey up through Ohio State’s coaching ranks. “You know I'm not going to take the bait there. That's total rat poison. But, no, I think every offseason at Ohio State, we have such good players. We win championships. Everyone around here is going to get opportunities to go somewhere. And that's a credit to those guys.”
There’s something to be said for Day’s ability to both recognize Bailey’s potential and ensure he stayed in-house rather than letting another program scoop him up for a position coaching gig.
After his promotion from offensive intern to quality control coach in 2019, Bailey studied closely with wide receivers under Brian Hartline while also working with tight ends, primarily on their catching and route running. In 2022, Day named Bailey a special assistant to the head coach in addition to his quality control role.
“Keenan is probably the best-held secret in this whole entire place,” former Ohio State tight end Cade Stover said in August 2022. “I love talking to that dude. He helps me so much, and he’s just a very, very smart mind with football.”
Then, in the following offseason, offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson left to become the head coach at Tulsa. Rather than engage in a broad-scale search for an external candidate, Day promoted Bailey to coach tight ends.
Under Bailey’s tutelage in 2023, Stover put together one of the best receiving seasons ever by a Buckeye tight end, with 41 receptions for 576 yards and five touchdowns. But the unit drew frequent criticism for its run-blocking. Both Stover and backup Gee Scott Jr. graded out at 54.4 or worse for their run-blocking, according to Pro Football Focus.
So, Bailey’s next evolution last year was to attack that area. All offseason, he spoke of wanting his unit to become the toughest on Ohio State’s football team. And it bore results, Scott took massive leaps as a blocker, Will Kacmarek translated his prowess from Ohio and Jelani Thurman even flexed some improved body-moving abilities off the bench. All three men graded out at 64.7 or higher in the run-blocking category on PFF last year.
After just two seasons as strictly a position coach, Bailey is now getting input into the offense as a co-coordinator.
“It also shows all the trust that Coach Day and Coach Hartline have for me,” Bailey said. “Those guys have been my boss for the last nine years, whether it's Coach Day or Coach Hart. So, nothing's changed but a title. And just super blessed to be here with those two guys, and I love those guys.”
“The most unsung hero on our staff, the hardest worker in the building.”– Ryan Day on Keenan Bailey
If his unit’s growth on the blocking front wasn’t enough, Bailey proved his new title worthwhile by assembling one of the best position rooms in college football for 2025. He added former Purdue star Max Klare, the No. 1 tight end in the transfer portal, who led the Boilermakers with 51 receptions for 685 yards and four touchdowns in 2024. Kacmarek, Thurman and another rotational piece in Bennett Christian are back from last year’s national championship run. He also added two four-star prospects in the 2025 recruiting class, Nate Roberts and Brody Lennon.
“It's got to be (the deepest room I’ve had),” Bailey said. “How many guys played in the natty? I mean, we had four or five tight ends. We had all six play in the playoffs. And four of those six are back. So, yeah, I mean, we've got tons of guys in that room that have started college football games. And not just against the school down the street, like, big-time moments and big-time games. So, yeah, we're super deep.”
If that collection of talent lives up to the hype, Bailey’s star will only continue to rise.
