The Ohio State football team is getting ready for their game against Tennessee this weekend. It's a critical game in the lexicon of the program at large. A win means they have a rematch with Oregon in the Rose Bowl. A loss could mean the end for several Ohio State coaches.
Ryan Day has been under fire for losing to TTUN yet again. Ross Bjork has come out in support of him. If the Buckeyes lose against Tennessee and Day stays, you can guarantee that there will be some changes among assistant coaches heading into next season.
Some assistant coaches are in bigger trouble than others. We give you a power ranking of who might be in the most trouble. First, we give you who is in the hottest seat among the assistants entering Saturday.
1. Justin Frye
Justin Frye has been in the crosshairs of fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes for a while. Many of them wanted him fired after the abysmal showing the offensive line had against TTUN and Missouri in the final two games of the season. His performance this season hasn't done enough to warrant him staying on staff.
Frye still has not recruited a five-star offensive lineman. The offensive line has been a mess with guys from his recruiting classes. Seth McLaughlin was an All-American this year, but he only spent one season with the Buckeyes. He was developed by Alabama.
2. Larry Johnson
Larry Johnson was one of the best assistant coaches in the country for a long time. He developed great players like Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa, Tyquan Lewis, and Chase Young. The last few years has not seen the same kind of production from the defensive line.
Johnson and Jim Knowles had somewhat of a power struggle earlier in the year. They clearly have different philosophies on how to do things up front. Johnson is fairly old at this point, though. He is 72 years old, and rumors of his retirement sprout up every offseason. This might be the year the Buckeyes ask him to retire.
3. Keenan Bailey
Ohio State's tight ends coach is not nearly in as hot of a seat as the two previous coaches on this list. Yet, the tight ends haven't been a huge part of the offense in each of the two seasons he's been the tight ends coach. This is his eighth overall season with Ohio State.
Because of Bailey's tenure, it might be a stretch to see him go. But the tight ends have had issues this season blocking on the edge, although it has gotten a bit better recently. Drops have plagued the unit though. That's something that is a negative on his resume.
Ultimately, nothing will happen until we know the result of the game on Saturday. Buckeye fans are hoping for a win so this becomes moot.