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Ohio State Football: 3 Buckeye assistants poised to be head coaches

By Frank Teriaca

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 30: (L-R) Chase Young #2, Defensive Coach Al Washington, and Head Football Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrate after a college football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Ann Arbor, MI. The Ohio State Buckeyes won the game 56-27 over the Michigan Wolverines. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 30: (L-R) Chase Young #2, Defensive Coach Al Washington, and Head Football Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrate after a college football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Ann Arbor, MI. The Ohio State Buckeyes won the game 56-27 over the Michigan Wolverines. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images) /
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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 30: (L-R) Baron Browning #5, Chase Young #2, Defensive Coach Al Washington, and Head Football Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrate after a college football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Ann Arbor, MI. The Ohio State Buckeyes won the game 56-27 over the Michigan Wolverines. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 30: (L-R) Baron Browning #5, Chase Young #2, Defensive Coach Al Washington, and Head Football Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrate after a college football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Ann Arbor, MI. The Ohio State Buckeyes won the game 56-27 over the Michigan Wolverines. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images) /

The Ohio State football team has produced some excellent head coaches throughout the years. Here are three assistants to keep an eye on.

Due to the excellent coaching staff’s put together by both Urban Meyer and current Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, Buckeye assistant coaches are often mentioned as possible candidates to vacant head coaching positions throughout the country.

This offseason, Ryan Day lost his co-defensive coordinator in Jeff Hafley to Boston College. In the past, Urban Meyer lost the likes of Everett Withers, Luke Fickell, Tom Herman and Chris Ash to head coaching positions. Meyer also lost current Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel to the NFL.

Ryan Day will need to always be prepared for his coaches leaving via head coaching positions. It just comes with the job in having a top college football program. It will be up to Day to keep filling his staff with quality coaches. And as long as he can do that, there should be no stopping this current Ohio State program from being elite.

Here are three coaches that Ryan Day needs to look out for possibly leaving due to getting a head coaching job.

No.1: Al Washington, linebackers coach

Al Washington is one of the fastest rising coaches in all of college football. Coaching this current Ohio State linebackers unit to its best season since Luke Fickell left Ohio State, Washington is poised to take over a program of his own.

The former Boston College player and Columbus, Ohio native is a dynamic recruiter who relates extremely well to his players. Washington started his coaching career in 2008 as a graduate assistant at North Carolina State and has made stops at Boston College, Cincinnati and Michigan before he found his way on to Ryan Day’s inaugural staff.

Ryan Day has known Washington for a while and had this to say upon his hiring at Ohio State, via Eleven Warriors:

"“Al Washington is going to be a terrific addition to our coaching staff,” Day said Tuesday in a statement. “I’ve known him as player and as a coach and I know his family very well. I think his familiarity with this region as a coach and as a recruiter is going to be very impactful, as will his leadership with our linebackers unit.”"

Don’t be surprised if after another season or two that mid-major programs look at Al Washington to take over their football team. His familiarity with both the east coast region and Midwest gives him a variety of potential landing spots when its time to move on. I could see Washington making a leap to the MAC conference to start his head coaching career.

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