After just one year at Ohio State, Alex Grinch has been hired away by Oklahoma to become their defensive coordinator, according to a report by Bruce Feldman.
The report backs what a source told The-Ozone this morning as well.
Grinch, formerly the defensive coordinator at Washington State, came to Ohio State prior to this past season to be the co-defensive coordinator and then presumably move up to defensive coordinator in the event that current defensive coordinator Greg Schiano took a head coaching job somewhere.
Rather than wait for presumptions, however, Grinch is now the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma.
Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley had been in the market for a defensive coordinator for a while, having fired Mike Stoops midway through the 2018 season.
Over the past few weeks, Riley was reported to have locked in on Grinch as his top choice.
Last week at the Rose Bowl media day, every OSU assistant coach except for Grinch expressed a desire to stay at Ohio State.
When asked to talk about the Oklahoma rumors and his coaching future, Grinch said simply, “I can’t answer it. I’m excited for the Rose Bowl.”
New Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is still putting his staff together, having just hired Mike Yurcich to essentially replace himself as quarterbacks coach.
Day will want to get things settled as quickly as possible because of signing day on February 6, but this being his first staff, he’ll also want to make sure he gets the best staff he can. With only a few spots left in the 2019 class, the February signing period is not quite the motivator it has been in the past.
Grinch will now join a program known as much this season for its defensive struggles as its offensive prowess. If he can change the defense in Norman (as he did at Washington State), then you would think a head coaching job won’t be far behind.
I don’t think Schiano is a terrible strategist. I think a big chunk of our defensive issues rest on the linebackers. When a non-football player like myself can see the bone-headed stuff our LBs are doing on the field repeatedly, that’s a problem.
However these guys watch film as a group. The DC and Co-DC are doing what is normally done by one man. So if they’re seeing something that must be corrected, they can go visit that unit’s room. Maybe they do. So then. . .
Where is the accountability?
Where is the defensive quality control?
Those aren’t tactical flaws, but they are systemic ones.
If Day had wanted Grinch, he’d still be here, IMO. It’s becoming apparent that Day has someone else in mind for his D-Coordinator not named Schiano or Grinch. It’ll be interesting to see who the other four coaches are that he teams with Coach Larry Johnson. Who he hires as D-Coordinator and his handling of the QB situation is going to play a large part in the 2019 success of the program. The player talent is already here.
There are some good choices out there. Just look at S&P rankings for great defense being played at smaller schools. While there is a question of whether they can recruit at 4 and 5 star levels, my thought is that if they can sell top recruits for a smaller school they have what it takes and it should be easier to sell an elite university like OSU. Take a look at:
Marcus Freeman – Cincinnati
Bert Watts – Fresno
Bryan Brown – App State
Tim DeRueter – Cal
Tim Billings or Derek Nicholson – Southern Miss
I can’t wait to see who Ryan Day picks up!
Of the rumor is correct and we are flushing the bathtub minus LJ, I am the happiest buckeye because nothing on defense looked right except for the most part the DL.
Bye…
Schiano and Davis really need to go. We are officially Oklahoma if they stay. Grinch was not here when Iowa hung 55 pts on us. But Schiano was. The LB play has suffered since the day Davis arrived.
The wrong guy left.
I hear they’ve just installed a revolving door at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Urban started it by retiring and going out. Yurcich coming in; Jordan going out; Fields coming in; Fuller staying; Grinch leaving; Haskins, Sheffield and Arnette standing at the door, trying to figure out whether they’re coming or going; and more to come.
With Fields coming from Georgia, I think it is a lock that Dwayne Haskins is gone.
Why is Schiano still there? This defense was terrible and he needs to go, now!!!
That’s not a loss! Why is it taking so long to get rid of Schiano and Davis?