Ohio State announces promotions, new contracts

james-laurinaitis

With his offensive coordinator now settled, Ryan Day on Thursday turned his attention to other matters on his staff.

Ohio State announced the promotion of former Buckeye great James Laurinaitis to the full-time staff as linebackers coach. A 3-time consensus All-American, a Butkus winner and a Nagurski winner, Laurinaitis played eight NFL seasons before transitioning to a career in media. He jumped into coaching under college teammate Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame as a GA working with linebackers in 2022, then moved to Ohio State in the same role last season.

Laurinaitis’s path to the coaching staff at his alma mater is nearly identical to his former teammate Brian Hartline, who spent one season on Ohio State’s support staff following seven NFL seasons before his 2018 promotion to wide receivers coach. Hartline has since blossomed into one of the most accomplished position coaches in college football.

Speaking of the game’s most accomplished position coaches, Larry Johnson was among the handful of assistants to earn a contract extension. Johnson’s contract had expired, but he’s now under a 2-year deal through 2025. It’s been a good week in the Johnson household; on Monday, Johnson announced the hire of his son, Tony, to Ohio State’s staff as a senior analyst.

Elsewhere:

— Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles received a 2-year extension through 2026.

— Tim Walton was promoted to assistant head coach/secondary and cornerbacks coach with a 2-year extension through 2026.

— Tight ends coach Keenan Bailey is netted a 1-year extension through 2025.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.