Ohio State hires Greg Schiano as associate head coach, defensive coordinator
The Ohio State Buckeyes hired Greg Schiano to replace Chris Ash as the new defensive coordinator and will have an associate head coaching title as well.
Urban Meyer’s coaching staff has seen some defections over the last two years with offensive coordinator Tom Herman taking Houston head coaching job last year and defensive coordinator Chris Ash leaving to take the Syracuse head coaching job.
Replacing Ash on the staff is former Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter who reports Schiano will be the new defensive coordinator and serve as the associate head coach.
Schiano went 68-67 in 11 years as the head coach at Rutgers, his first head coaching job, after serving as the defensive coordinator at Miami for one year and an assistant with the Chicago Bears and Penn State Nittany Lions. Schiano left Rutgers for the NFL to take the head coaching job with the Buccaneers but after going 7-9 in his first year went 4-12 in his second year and was fired.
Former Bucs HC Greg Schiano expected to accept Assoc HC/DC at Ohio State, per source; will replace former OSU DC Chris Ash, new Rutgers HC.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 11, 2015
He’s been interviewing for jobs to get another shot at a head coaching job since the dismissal after the 2013 season and has worked as an analyst for ESPN.
Schiano has a track record of being able to recruit the state of Florida and with the Big Ten branching eastward with the expansion of Rutgers and Maryland to the conference, having strong footholds in that area for recruiting is imperative, so adding Schiano to the staff is a big hire.
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He may have failed as a NFL head coach, but he can coach defense and that’s what he’ll be asked to do at Ohio State with the hopes of rehabbing his image and giving him a shot at another head coaching job in the coming years.