There has been a lot of turnover on the Ohio State coaching staff since the end of the 2019 Rose Bowl.
Mike Yurcich replaced Ryan Day’s old spot on the offensive staff as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.
But on defense, Day pretty much cleaned house. Gone are Greg Schiano, Alex Grinch, Bill Davis, and Taver Johnson.
In came Greg Mattison, Jeff Hafley, Al Washington, and Matt Barnes.
Those were changes that were welcomed by a lot of OSU fans who sat through the 2018 defense’s performance.
Wednesday, for the first time, those new assistants met with the media, providing some initial insight into what drew them to OSU, and what to expect in 2019.
New co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and linebackers coach Al Washington are of particular interest, having come straight to Columbus from their old jobs in Ann Arbor.
If nothing else, please enjoy the last two or three minutes of Jeff Hafley, as he’s asked whether he will teach defensive backs to look back for the football.
Greg Mattison
Posted by The Ozone on Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Jeff Hafley
Posted by The Ozone on Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Mike Yurcich
Posted by The Ozone on Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Al Washington
Posted by The Ozone on Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Matt Barnes
Posted by The Ozone on Wednesday, February 6, 2019
All the feeds ‘broke’ at least once and I had to re-load to watch the full interviews.
Not overly-impressed with Mattison. Sounds a bit too much like is friend Schiano.
Hadley interviews well except for “That’s a good question” a bit too much. Seems like he is willing to learn (see, “You’re a first round pick. Why do you rotate?”).
I don’t think Yurcich will be a good fit. We’ll see.
Washington sounds like Fickell. I’m pretty optimistic he’ll be the right fix for our LBs.
Be interesting to see what happens with specials both with Meyer gone and Barnes. He doesn’t seem to be a communicator, but then Kerry Coombs’ special teams weren’t always special either.