The Ohio State football program might have one more coaching change
The Ohio State football program might not be done rearranging their coaching staff yet.
The Ohio State football team has already had to replace three members of the coaching staff this off-season. Jim Knowles was the first to leave and was the last to be replaced, as the Buckeyes just hired Matt Patricia last week. They also had to replace offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who was replaced by Brian Hartline.
Justin Frye is in the NFL, and the new offensive line coach is Tyler Bowen. Those are three big coaching hires who had to be replaced. Ryan Day wanted to make sure that he made the correct hires with those guys gone. However, he may not be done replacing coaches this offseason.
The Buckeyes have been trying to figure out if Larry Johnson is going to come back each year for the last couple of years. The defensive line coach is over 70 years old and might be retiring soon. Rumors have been swirling around that he is still contemplating his future, despite Spring ball being about to start.
The Ohio State football team might have to replace another coaching staff member
Johnson would have to be coaching under a new defensive coordinator a year after he lost a power struggle to Jim Knowles. Johnson is very stubborn with how he wants to use his defensive linemen. If Patricia wants to do things differently, Johnson could think that it’s time to hang things up.
While he has been a great defensive line coach for a long time, it’s pretty clear that things have been slipping in each of the last couple of years. The recruiting hasn’t been there. Neither has the on-field production. That didn’t come until after the Oregon loss in the middle of the year.
If he does decide to retire, Patricia would likely be in charge of the defensive line as well. Johnson leaving might not be the worst thing in the world for the Buckeyes because he’s by far the longest-tenured coach. He’s been getting negatively recruited against for years because of that.
If he does stay, hopefully, he’s able to produce a defensive line that’s great in 2025. It would also be ideal if he could actually get along with this defensive coordinator.
