The Ohio State football team was able to win the national championship in large part because of how well their offensive line played during their run in the College Football Playoff. Even with the injuries that they suffered, the unit was still cohesive and played very well.
Ohio State had to go through their run in the CFP without Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin, who were their best offensive linemen. Both of them were lost to season-ending injuries. The Buckeyes had to shift things around in order to deal with those.
Justin Frye, the offensive line coach, deserves a massive amount of credit for what he was able to do with that unit. After facing a lot of fire for his lack of recruiting and development, he showed how well he can develop guys this past season. Now, the Buckeyes are losing him.
The Ohio State football program loses Justin Frye to the NFL
Frye has been interviewing for offensive line coaching positions in the NFL. Now, he has decided to take one. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, he has decided to become the new offensive line coach of the Arizona Cardinals, ending his tenure with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Sources: Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye is expected to become the offensive line coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Frye is a veteran OL coach with stops at UCLA, Boston College and Temple. Frye was also offensive coordinator during his time at UCLA under Chip Kelly. pic.twitter.com/QFEFL9HTC4
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 1, 2025
This means that the Buckeyes will have to replace another coach this offseason. They already have to replace Jim Knowles after he left for Penn State. Ryan Day now has to replace two critical members of his coaching staff just a couple of weeks after being champions.
This is not as big of a loss as Knowles is. Frye's job was on the line before the CFP started. The Buckeyes have known that they might have to replace him for a while, so Day should have some people in mind for who he wants to take over that job.
Ohio State shouldn't have any shortage of candidates for this job. They can afford to pay a hefty price for an offensive line coach compared to some other universities. The Buckeyes are not going to shirk when it comes down paying for a quality coach.
Ryan Day's offseason just became even more busy.