When the state of Ohio opens the 2021 college football season, the Buckeye team will look different. Head coach Ryan Day announced on Friday when speaking to the media for the first time in this off-season that the co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison will retire at the end of the month.
While Mattison trained only for Scarlet and Gray for two seasons, his retirement puts an end to a nearly 50-year coaching career that saw the Maidson, Wisconsin native succeed at all levels. After seven years in Michigan, his second stint with Buckeye rivals, Day brought Mattison to Columbus in 2019 not only to help fix a struggling defense, but to mentor a head coach for the first time.
Mattison was successful on both levels.
“He’s a special guy,” Day said of Mattison on Friday. “He and Ann, his wife, were very kind to Nina and me, helping us through our first two years as a head coach and his career speaks for itself. What he did and achieved on the field, but the most important thing is what he did outside the field. The relationship and respect he has across the country as one of the best coaches and the impact he has had on so many people. So I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done.
“I think his first year of coming here with Jeff (Hafley), the way they got along and set it up, and it was different. It was a different scheme than what had happened the previous year. And in a year, I put it on the field, working at a high level. And then he and Kerry, Larry being in the room this year, making that transition … We have been successful. I mean, we only lost two games and a lot of that has to do with Greg. “
In Mattison’s first year on the Ohio State team, Buckeye’s defense took a major turn, going from the 71st classified defense in 2018 to the country’s best defense the following season. The change to the cover 3 look in Day’s first year as a coach not only led to the turnaround, but saw three high school members selected in the NFL Draft, two in the first round.
Mattison, who worked with the internal linebackers and helped command Scarlet and Gray’s front seven, oversaw a defense that was in the top 10 in each of his two years.
With Mattison’s departure, Ohio will have a number of options in terms of where to go next and, according to Day, will explore all possibilities.
“I think we have a very good group of guys there now who are versatile,” said the head coach about his team. “And then let’s look at all the options. Is there anyone else out there who can take Greg’s place in the same role as him or are we just going to change some things and reassign some of the job descriptions? It’s all on the table and we’re working on it now and looking at all the different options.
“So, no, I’m not really determined on that, it’s exactly what the role needs to be. I just want to get the best group together to give our defenders the best chance of success. “
As it currently stands, Kerry Coombs is set to perform the Buckeye defense for a second consecutive year after returning to the program before the 2020 season. Larry Johnson, linebacker trainer Al Washington and safety technician / coordinator of special teams Matt Barnes they’ll all be back on the defense team too. Barnes, an underestimated part of that team, could be given a bigger role or a new title as part of the changes in this off-season. But a new coach has yet to be hired.
With Mattison’s retirement, Day now has the opportunity to make an important addition to the team after Scarlet and Gray were defensively inconsistent in 2020. While the fast defense remained strong, Ohio State ranked 43rd in the country in defense of scoring and in 122º nationally in defense pass.
Against the best pass attacks faced by the Buckeyes team, the defense gave 491 yards to Indiana, 400 yards to Clemson and 464 yards to Alabama. Despite defensive fights, Scarlet and Gray won the fourth consecutive Big Ten championship and made it to the national championship game, but were exposed in both College Football Playoff games.
“I thought we did a good job against Clemson. I thought our guys played well, we created turnovers and they played very well, “said Day.” I thought we played well, for the most part, against Northwestern. We didn’t play very well against Indiana and there were times at the beginning of the season when it just didn’t look the way it should and then it all kind of culminated in the end against Alabama. “
In short, Ohio’s pass defense was not good enough last season and, even going against an all-time great Crimson Tide attack, the secondary’s deficiencies probably cost the Buckeyes the national championship. Day will be responsible for making the necessary changes in this off-season.
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While having a more normal off-season and a regular season should help what was a relatively new secondary a year ago to continue to develop, Scarlet and Gray also need to assess the defensive scheme. Although the simple safety look worked just as well with NFL talent as Jeff Okudah, Damon Arnette and Jordan Fuller in high school, two seasons ago, that look didn’t have the same effect with different players in 2020. And when Ohio State made it to the Playoff, the Buckeyes moved away from the base of the team’s defense more often against top teams.
Day admitted that deciding where to go next with the defensive scheme will be a priority this off-season and whoever is hired as a replacement for Mattison can give an indication of what the defense will look like in 2021.
“I think bringing in someone who knows this style of defense – and again, as the season went on, we weren’t just in that,” said Day. . But yes, anyone who has defense experience from four down and one up would certainly fit in faster. But also bringing in someone who has a slightly more diverse background can give us a different perspective in areas where we can maximize who we have. And I think that’s what matters ”.