After two years of substandard performance for Ohio State’s defense, Ryan Day decided it was necessary to overhaul the defensive coaching staff rather than making small changes.
After two years of substandard performance for Ohio State’s defense, Ryan Day had to make a tough decision.
After Ohio State’s defense finished 59th nationally in yards allowed per game for the second year in a row, Day realized that more drastic changes needed to be made. When Hafley left after the 2019 season to become the head coach at Boston College, however, Day expressed a desire to continue running a similar structure of defense even after Coombs replaced Hafley as defensive coordinator. That never worked out as desired, ultimately leading to Coombs’ demotion from play-calling duties after the first two games of the 2021 season prior to his departure from the staff altogether after the season.
“And so I think that’ll look similar to maybe it did at Oklahoma State. I don’t know. That’s gonna be up to the defensive staff to determine. But there will probably be some other things too, some different things that guys do well that are on our team right now and trying to figure out what those skill sets are and maximize them to put them in an environment to be successful and that’s really what it comes down to. So that journey has started now.
“To those that a lot has been given, a lot is expected, and I went into Oklahoma State, really believing that when we could get the defense to rise to the level and culture of the offense and the things that they did off the field in the weight room, that we'd be able to compete for a national championship. And at Oklahoma State, we were what, two feet short this year, right? But it took four years. It's not lost on me that I don't have four years here.
There will still be a few familiar faces from last year in defensive staff meetings, starting with Johnson and Fleming, who helps out with the defense in addition to coordinating the special teams. Former Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads also remains on staff as a defensive analyst, and Knowles said Johnson and Rhoads have helped him get to know the defensive personnel he’s inheriting.
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