A new favorite has emerged to be the Running Backs coach for the Ohio State football program
By Ryan Stano
The Ohio State football program needs to fill one last vacant position on its coaching staff. That's because Tony Alford left for Michigan in the middle of Spring practice. It's certainly a betrayal, but one that won't hurt the Buckeyes immensely. He was almost fired in the offseason anyway.
Ryan Day has had a strange offseason when it comes to the coaching carousel. After hiring Bill O'Brien to be the team's new offensive coordinator and play-caller, he left after just two weeks for Boston College. Then Day ended up hiring UCLA head coach Chip Kelly for that role.
Now, the Buckeyes have been conducting interviews for the running backs coach job. Through the interviews, a new favorite has emerged to take that open coaching spot. The new favorite just got to South Carolina in the offseason and might be moving from Columbia to Columbus.
That coach is Marquell Blackwell. Blackwell has been all over the place in his coaching career. He's been coaching at three different places in the last two years. He was with Ole Miss in 2022 before moving on to Texas A&M last season. Now, he's at South Carolina.
In all, Blackwell has been the running backs coach at seven different stops across the country. He's certainly well-traveled. He doesn't quite have the track record of recruiting great running backs as Alford did, but he clearly is someone that Day likes.
Blackwell could be the final piece to a coaching staff that is ready to make a run at a national championship with the players that they have around them. The Buckeyes are hoping to right the wrongs of the last few seasons where they have underachieved, specifically losing to TTUN.
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Day is doing the best he can to put the best staff around these great players. He knows it could be his last run with a new AD in place if things don't go well. He's hoping they do.