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Ohio State Football: Jeff Hafley is proving his worth

By Frank Teriaca

LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 28: Safety Jordan Fuller #4 of the Ohio State Buckeyes and cornerback Sevyn Banks #12 combine to tackle running back Dedrick Mills #26 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 28: Safety Jordan Fuller #4 of the Ohio State Buckeyes and cornerback Sevyn Banks #12 combine to tackle running back Dedrick Mills #26 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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The Ohio State defense has shut down opponents so far this season. A lot of that has to do with Jeff Hafley’s defensive backfield.

Jeff Hafley is proving to be Ryan Day’s best hire at Ohio State so far. The first year co-defensive coordinator has helped lead a unit that’s ranked fourth in the nation in total team defense.

In comparison, last season’s ranking was good enough for 68th.

In last Monday’s press conference coach Hafley had plenty to say about his defensive backs and here is one of the quotes as reported by Eleven Warriors.

"“The process has to get better. The results, yeah, they’ve been good far. But we have to do the little things to make sure those big things happen.”"

Coming in as part of Day’s first coaching staff, Hafley has successfully changed the secondary’s scheme from a man-to-man base defense to a multiple looks cover scheme, including more use of zone.

The results speak for themselves:

8.88 points per game allowed prior to this week, fourth in the nation; 152 passing yards per game given up, third in the nation; 234 total yards per game given up, second in the nation.

Not many teams have been able get into the end zone or in the red zone against Hafley’s defense either as they have allowed only four red zone touchdowns all season.

Hafley’s players are flourishing in his system. too. Jeffrey Okudah looks like a top five NFL draft pick, Shaun Wade is a lock down slot cover corner, Damon Arnette and Jordan Fuller are playing the best ball of their Buckeye careers, and young players such as Josh Proctor and Cam Brown are developing.

They must be enjoying themselves too. Here is one of the things Jordan Fuller had to say, also reported by Eleven Warriors.

"“Mostly just the whole vibe as a team has been great.”"

Additionally, maybe the icing on the cake is how Hafley is dominating the recruiting trail. 247sports.com has ranked Hafley the nation’s fourth-best recruiter, having just flipped former Oklahoma 2020 defensive back commit Ryan Watts this past weekend. He’s also responsible for landing seven other top recruits for the program in his ten months on the job.

Next. Fields could be the best Buckeye QB ever. dark

Hafley is only six games into his Ohio State coaching career but so far he has made an immediate impact on the health of this program. Let’s just hope no major programs start looking at him as a head coaching candidate just yet.

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