Many in Columbus thought the 1954 season would be Woody Hayes' last as head coach. The Buckeyes were projected to finish fifth in the Big Ten and the fans wanted Paul Brown back in Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State's defense did not perform to the standard Hayes expected his first three seasons. To shake things up for the future, the head coach went to the past. Hayes hired Minnesota defensive line coach Lyle Clark to strengthen the unit. Clark previously coached at Ohio State under Wes Fesler.
On the offensive side, Dave Leggett beat out John Borton for the starting quarterback job.