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Ohio State’s Larry Johnson not going anywhere, but defensive line questions remain, too
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football coach Ryan Day delivered a message Wednesday, perhaps to a single defensive line prospect wavering in his commitment, or perhaps to all potential Buckeye targets across the country.
None of the assistant coaches spoke on signing day. Therefore, Larry Johnson was not available to once again bristle at the notion that anyone would use “retirement” and his name in the same sentence. That instead fell to Day, who confidently said Johnson will return for his 11th Buckeye season in 2024.
On one hand, the constant age-related speculation is unfair. Give or take a few months, Johnson is the same age as 72-year-old Alabama coach Nick Saban. Some believe the hoarder of national championships has summoned one of his best coaching performances to lead the Crimson Tide into the playoff.
On the other hand, Johnson and OSU would be naive to think teams won’t spin Johnson’s age (and standard short-term assistant coach contracts) as a source of uncertainty. Day, almost as if he knew five-star Eddrick Houston was streaming the press conference live from Georgia, brought a full-throated support of Johnson to the signing day lectern.
“Guys have brought that up over the years in recruiting, but he’s young,” Day said, “In terms of his approach every day, he’s got a lot of energy. He wants to continue to coach. The guys in that room love him.
“He’s still got a lot of energy when it comes to coaching and he still has a passion for coaching. His wisdom his experience is the best in the country, and our guys know that and certainly people recognize that in recruiting.”
Not long after making that statement, Day left the middle of his press conference to take a phone call. After Houston’s letter of intent had been signed, Day confirmed the call had concerned the top-30 prospect. What could have been a disastrous day for the defensive line — and frankly, for Johnson — had been averted.
Staff changes are almost certainly coming for Ohio State, though likely not until after the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29. After a third consecutive loss to Michigan and another year out of the playoff, Day faces tough decisions.
He laid out the three factors he uses to evaluate his assistant coaches, in order: Recruiting, development and schematic contributions. Few defensive line coaches in the game’s history have experienced Johnson’s peaks in all of those categories.
From 2016-20, he sent Nick and Joey Bosa and Heisman Trophy finalist Chase Young to the NFL Draft as top-three picks. That unprecedented string of backfield terrors solidified Johnson’s reputation as the country’s premier identifier, evaluator and developer at arguably the most important defensive position.
It was unrealistic to expect generational talents took keep rolling through on an annual basis — and they haven’t.
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The last few high-profile edge rushers who entered the NFL draft went in the fifth round (Tyreke Smith, 2022) and third round (Zach Harrison, 2023). Two former top-five prospects on this roster — J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer — may return for a fourth season. Tremendous news for the 2024 squad no doubt, but also indicative of a lack of consistent dominance at that position.