The Ohio State Buckeyes have faced unexpected attrition within their coaching staff since winning the national championship. Columbus was left blindsided when defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, a key figure in the team’s championship success, departed to accept the same role at Penn State. Compounding this issue, defensive quality control coach Joe Lyberger was placed on administrative leave in December amid an ongoing investigation by the university office handling complaints of harassment, discrimination, and sexual misconduct, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Head Coach Ryan Day’s position remains tenuous with many fans, as the Buckeyes have suffered four consecutive losses to their archrival, the Michigan Wolverines—something unimaginable during Urban Meyer’s tenure. The intensity surrounding the rivalry is so high that after this year’s loss, Day’s wife revealed their family received threats from fans. “The time between the Michigan game and the Tennessee game was as low and dark as you could possibly imagine,” Nina Day told the Columbus Dispatch. “Extremely negative. Unprecedented hate. They told me multiple times to have Ryan follow in his father’s footsteps and kill himself.”
A significant factor in the Buckeyes’ recent failures against Michigan has been the Wolverines’ defensive line, which has consistently overpowered Ohio State’s offensive line, allowing a below-average Michigan team to claim victory this season. With these losses fresh in the minds of the loyal Columbus fans, the Buckeyes’ offensive line coach has resigned to pursue other opportunities—likely in a more favorable environment.
“BREAKING: Ohio State OL coach Justin Frye is expected to take the Arizona Cardinals OL job,” reported On3 early on Saturday. It will be interesting to see how the Buckeyes fill their coaching staff moving forward.
