Ohio State Football: Getting to know new QB coach Corey Dennis

The Ohio State football team has a new quarterbacks coach. Corey Dennis has earned the opportunity of a lifetime and Buckeye fans should expect to see him flourish in his new role.

News has circulated that quality control coach/assistant QB coach Corey Dennis will replace Mike Yurcich as QB coach for Ohio State. It is pretty unfair that the first thing usually listed next to Dennis’s name is that he is the son-in-law to former head coach Urban Meyer. So let’s take a dive to see what coach Dennis is all about.

Dennis, from Troy Alabama, played wide receiver and in the secondary for Georgia Tech from 2011-2014. Upon graduating from school that year, Dennis made the leap to Ohio State as a graduate assistant. In 2018, Dennis was promoted to quality control coach where he mostly worked with the quarterback and wide receiver units.

Through a conference call, his former player and Heisman trophy winner, Joe Burrow, had this to say upon learning Dennis received the promotion at Ohio State, via Cleveland.com:

"“I texted him as soon as I saw the news and was fired up for him. He’s worked for that for a long time, and there’s nobody more deserving. He’s going to be a really good coach. I’m excited for him.”"

Burrow went on to say later in that conference call:

"“I think the best thing for Corey was learning under coach (Ryan) Day for a couple of years,” Burrow said. “I think that really helped him, and I think he’s going to be one of the best recruiters in the country, as well. He works his tail off, and he has for a long time."

Players can’t say enough good things about Dennis. Former Buckeye QB and first round NFL draft pick Dwayne Haskins also noted that Dennis played an instrumental role in his development. Haskins said this last season while at Ohio State, via Cleveland.com:

"“Yeah basically he’s like my personal quarterbacks coach when Coach Day is not around,” Haskins said this week. “I can ask him about looks, coverages, different pressures, and he has everything that Coach Day teaches him. He helps me throughout practice, throughout meetings. He helps out a lot.”"

That is some really high praise from two very good quarterbacks. It sounds like head coach Ryan Day made the correct call in bumping Dennis up to quarterback coach. And if he can recruit at a high level as Joey Burrow suggests he could, than Ohio State truly hit a home run with this hire.

Nothing has been made official on if Ryan Day is going to keep the passing game coordinator role around for next season, but if he does then all signs are pointing to wide receivers coach Brian Hartline to get that added title.

As the offseason continues to unfold, it will be interesting to hear how Dennis is doing with juggling the multiple things on his plate. First and foremost, he has to continue developing a Heisman trophy finalist in Justin Fields.

Secondly, he is going to be tasked with getting second-year transfer QB Gunnar Hoak positioned to take over for Chris Chugunov as the backup QB.

Lastly, Dennis will need to aid in the development and transition of two true freshman four-star QB prospects in CJ Stroud and Jack Miller.

That is a lot for any quarterback coach to handle, let alone one entering his first season in the position. But luckily Ohio State does have one of the best quarterback coaches in the country in Ryan Day at the helm. Also on staff is a former head coach and current offensive coordinator in Kevin Wilson. Both of whom will likely play key roles in helping Dennis transition into his new job.

So the system is set in place for Dennis to succeed, and he has been groomed for this position for a number of years by both Urban Meyer and Ryan Day. I don’t think Buckeye fans should have anything to worry about with Corey Dennis taking over the QB room at Ohio State. In fact, you should expect to see him succeed with flying colors.