Ohio State Football: Larry Johnson’s last dance

The Ohio State football team got rid of its entire defensive staff in the offseason except for one coach. The one coach that Ryan Day decided to bring back was Larry Johnson. There were rumors that Johnson was going to retire in the offseason but he decided to come back.

Johnson isn’t getting any younger though. He’s 70 years old and has been around the game of football for quite a long time. The defensive line also wasn’t exactly a great unit last season. He probably did his worst coaching last year on a defense that was really bad.

And yet, Johnson can still recruit. He is still bringing in some top-shelf players. It’s unclear when his final season will be, but I’m starting to think that he gets to go out on his own terms. Johnson is still an elite-level recruiter and can still put people into the NFL.

We don’t know what the succession plan is for Johnson, which is concerning in his own right. The Buckeyes don’t really know what comes next after Johnson is no longer coaching the defensive line. That makes this last run that he is going to be on even more important.

Johnson’s coaching this year will make a lasting impression with Ohio State football fans because, for all we know, Johnson is coaching on a year-to-year basis. Like I said, he’s getting old. He doesn’t want to do this forever. Spending time with his family is important to him.

We’ll see how the Buckeyes are on the defensive line this season with Johnson refocusing with Jim Knowles now leading the defense.