GREG SCHIANO SAYS HE WOULD LIKE TO BE BACK AT OHIO STATE NEXT SEASON, BUT DOESN'T KNOW YET WHETHER HE WILL BE
While we already know Urban Meyer is in his final week as Ohio State’s head coach, Greg Schiano could be in his last week with the Buckeyes, too.
Schiano has been one of Ohio State’s top assistant coaches for the past three years, serving as the Buckeyes’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator. Whether he will be back with the Buckeyes for a fourth season, however, remains uncertain as Ryan Day prepares to succeed Meyer as Ohio State’s head coach next week.
A decision on Schiano’s future won’t be made until after Tuesday’s Rose Bowl, as Schiano is currently focused on preparing Ohio State’s defense for its final game of the season against Washington, while Day – in his current role as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach – is doing the same with the Buckeyes’ offense.
“Right now I'm worried about one thing, and that's winning the Rose Bowl,” Schiano said during an interview session on Thursday. “Ryan and I have discussed (the future) a little bit. But I really didn't want that to be any (distraction). He's got so much on his plate right now. I want him to get our offense ready, No. 1; he's done an unbelievable job doing that this year. And then he's going to have a whole mess of things. He's already had them on his plate. But January 2nd comes, his life's going to change quite a bit. And he needs time to work through all that.”
Schiano has been linked to several coaching jobs outside of Ohio State in the past 14 months. He signed a memorandum of understanding in November 2017 to become Tennessee’s head coach before the Volunteers backed out of that deal at the 11th hour. He opted to turn down opportunities to become an NFL assistant coach last offseason, but was reportedly interested in the head coaching vacancy at Temple (who ultimately hired Manny Diaz instead) earlier this month.
Schiano said Thursday that he did not want to talk about other opportunities he had pursued in the past or might pursue in the future, as he did not want to distract from his team’s preparation for the Rose Bowl. He did, though, express that he would be interested in staying at Ohio State for another year if Day wishes to retain him, saying that his experience in his first three years with the Buckeyes has “been outstanding.”
“I love being here. My family loves being here,” Schiano said. “Ohio State is a unique, rare place. Every week, incredible fan support. All the things you need to be successful as far as resources. Gene Smith, an incredible athletic director, who has a great staff that provides you with all the things you need to win. And more than anything, we have great players, great kids, young men that are not only talented and fun to coach in that way, but really good people.”
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