As Ryan Day began his search to fill out his defensive staff at Ohio State, he didn’t have many schematic conditions on what he was looking for in hiring assistant coaches. As an offensive coach for his entire career, Day turned to the one remaining defensive assistant sticking on his staff.
Day said he had “long discussions” with Larry Johnson, the longtime defensive line coach whom he called a “legend,” about the future of the defense, and they came to a key conclusion: the next coaches would utilize a four-defensive lineman front. As Day noted on Wednesday, Ohio State had recruited to a four-lineman defense for the entirety of Urban Meyer’s seven-year run as head coach to great success, leading to impressive depth up front.