In his six years years as Ohio State’s defensive line coach, Larry Johnson has accomplished just about everything a position coach could.
Since Urban Meyer brought him across the Big Ten East from Penn State to Columbus in 2014, he has overseen a unit featuring six first-team All-Americans, eight first-round NFL draft picks and, most recently, a Heisman Trophy finalist. He’s experienced four Big Ten championships, three College Football Playoff appearances and a national championship.
It’s hard to boil down exactly what’s the single most impressive aspect of what he has done while coaching the Buckeyes, but his endless assembly line of top-level defensive linemen entering the program and developing to their fullest potential might be the answer.