Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen is leaving Blacksburg. According to Pete Nekos on On3, the Ohio State Buckeyes are hiring Bowen as their new offensive line coach.

A native of Helena, Georgia, Bowen played offensive line at Maryland under Ralph Friedgen. He immediately jumped into coaching in 2010, serving as a student assistant before a two-year run as a graduate assistant.

After one year at Towson, Bowen landed at Penn State as a grad assistant in 2014 under James Franklin. Bowen met Franklin while he served as Friedgen’s offensive coordinator at Maryland. This is where Bowen first met Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry.

Over the next several years, Bowen had stints at Fordham (OL coach/offensive coordinator), Maryland (OL coach), Penn State (TE coach, recruiting coordinator, interim OC), and the Jacksonville Jaguars (TE coach) before arriving at Virginia Tech in 2022.

In his first year with the Hokies, Bowen was the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. In 2023, he took over as quarterback coach, with Stu Holt moving to TE coach.

Virginia Tech’s offense has fluctuated during Bowen’s tenure. The 2024 team had multiple players who will likely play in the NFL, including Bhayshul Tuten, Da’Quan Felton, and Jaylin Lane, but underachieved, primarily due to offensive line issues and injuries to quarterback Kyron Drones.

Bowen was not without fault, either. Of course, at Virginia Tech, the offensive coordinator will always face more criticism than others. Some criticized his scheme, which was fair at times, but, as with anything else, there was plenty of blame to go around. Pry erred in naming Bowen as quarterback coach. Once Brad Glenn left after 2022, Pry should have hired a dedicated QB coach and kept Bowen with the tight ends.

Now, Pry will look for his second coordinator since the end of the season. In December, he fired defensive coordinator Chris Marve and hired Arizona Cardinals linebacker coach Sam Siefkes in a search that lasted almost two months. While many will be happy with Bowen leaving, Pry’s timing in needing a new offensive coordinator isn’t ideal.

Whoever Pry hires will have a new offensive line coach, Matt Moore, who was universally praised. The only potential replacement on staff is wide receivers coach Fontel Mines. It’s unknown if Pry will promote Mines or look to the NFL for a possible replacement.

As for Bowen, coaching the offensive line is probably his best spot at the Power Four level. Losing Bowen could be a good reset for the Hokies; it’s just bad timing. We will look at potential options here, but don’t be surprised if Pry goes out of the box again for this hire.