SKULL SESSION: BUCKEYES EXCEL AT HIRING COORDINATORS, LARRY JOHNSON IS AN INTERIOR LINE GURU TOO, AND TREVEYON HENDERSON RESPONDS TO MESSAGE BOARD RUMORS
COORDINATORS, TOO. It's not a secret that Ohio State hasn't always had
exactly the same success rate with hiring coordinators as it has head coaches – hello, Touchdown Tim Beck! – but that doesn't mean there hasn't been some good, too.
In the past decade, the Buckeyes have made three coordinator hires that ESPN rates among the top-10 hires in all of college football during that span – and no other team has more than one.
5. Kevin Wilson and
Ryan Day,
Ohio State offensive coordinators
Hired: Jan. 10, 2017 (Wilson) and Jan. 3, 2017 (Day)
Term: Wilson 2017-present; Day 2017, 2018 seasons (named Ohio State head coach Dec. 4, 2018)
What they inherited: A talented offense with a convoluted coaching structure and damaging no-shows against Michigan State in 2015 and in the 2016 CFP semifinal against Clemson, a defense that shut out the Buckeyes 31-0. Ohio State in 2016 ranked 48th nationally in yards per play and 81st in passing offense.
What happened next: Wilson was the high-profile hire, while Day arrived as a relative unknown after two years on Chip Kelly's NFL staff. Together, they have overseen a record-setting offense and the best stretch of quarterback play in team history. In 2017, Ohio State rose to No. 6 nationally in scoring (41.4 PPG) and ranked in the top 10 in yards per play, first downs and third-down conversion percentage. The next year, Ohio State set Big Ten records for total offense (535.6 YPG) and touchdown passes (51). Since 2017, Ohio State leads the nation in touchdown passes (138) and ranks second in total touchdowns (234). Quarterback Dwayne Haskins was a 2018 Heisman Trophy finalist and became the first Buckeyes QB drafted in the first round since 1982. Quarterback Justin Fields, a 2019 Heisman finalist, should be one of the first names called in the 2021 draft. Since 2017, Ohio State is 38-4 with three Big Ten titles and three AP top-five finishes.
Just like the head coaches list from yesterday, Ohio State is already featured on this list more than anyone else, and it probably should have been even more. But ESPN decided against honoring the guys who turned the worst defense in program history into the best defense in the country in one season with the same players.
Entire article:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/skul...son-is-an-interior-line-guru-too-and-treveyon
Two points:
1. Ryan Day should have made ESPN's HC list, but he did make their coordinator list.
2. Not only can Urban coach and recruit; he also, can hire great assistant coaches. Think about it, great coaches need to be able to do all three (i.e. coach, recruit, and hire great assistants). You fail in just one of those areas and you likely fail as a head coach too.