Three possible candidates for the running backs coach of the Ohio State football team
By Ryan Stano
The Ohio State football program was caught off guard when running backs coach Tony Alford decided to leave Columbus for the same job at Michigan. So not only do the Buckeyes lose a coach who is a good recruiter, they lose him to their arch-rivals. That's less than ideal.
Now Ryan Day has to find his replacement as the Buckeyes are in the middle of Spring practices. Despite almost letting Alford go in the offseason, he didn't expect to have to fill the job now. Day now has to find some candidates to take over the job.
One candidate the Buckeyes might look at is former Ohio State football legend Eddie George. George won the Heisman Trophy while playing for the Buckeyes in 1995. He doesn't have any position coach experience but does already have head coaching experience. He's been the head coach at Tennessee State since 2021.
Would George come back to his alma mater for a position coaching job? Tim May of Lettermen Row says he isn't interested, but I would say he would if the money was right. He's only making $400,000 as a head coach. Ohio State could easily pay him more to come and coach the running backs considering Alford was making over $770,000 doing the same job.
To nip one rumor in the bud, former @OhioStateFB Heisman-winning RB @EddieGeorge27 now @TSUTigersFB HC tells me he is NOT interested in now-open OSU rb job. But his current RB coach and former @OhioStateFB rb Pepe Pearson likely is.
— Tim May (@TIM_MAYsports) March 13, 2024
Another candidate the Buckeyes could look at is Craig Johnson, the current running backs coach at IU. He has NFL experience coaching running backs, something that appeals to Day. He loves coaches with NFL coaching experience. While Johnson is a bit older than George, he could be a good option.
A third person to keep an eye on is Scottie Graham. Graham is a former Ohio State running back as well and is currently the running backs coach at Arizona. He is considered a great RB coach by all accounts and should be another guy Day calls.
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We'll see what the Buckeyes decide to do with this sudden news. Fans are already calling for George to be the next guy, which is understandable. I can almost guarantee that Day makes a call to him to gauge his interest in the job. That would be the home run hire if he can get it done.