Al Washington will stay with the Buckeyes.
According to several reports, Washington declined an offer to become Tennessee’s defensive coordinator and will remain in Ohio for a third season as coach of the Buckeyes linebackers.
Washington’s decision was first reported by 247Sports. Austin Ward of Lettermen Row reported on Thursday that “an increase and a new responsibility as a run-game coordinator was already underway” for Washington, although the state of Ohio has yet to announce a new title for Washington.
Following the retirement of former defense co-coordinator Greg Mattison, Washington is now set to train the entire Ohio linebacker unit in 2021. If he is promoted to game coordinator, he will be second in command of the defensive training from the state of Ohio, behind defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, although defensive line coach Larry Johnson and recently promoted secondary coach Matt Barnes are also fully involved in planning the Buckeyes’ defensive game.
Washington, now 36, has never been a coordinator in his coaching career, but was offered $ 1.5 million – almost three times the $ 515,000 he earned in Ohio in 2020 – to become the defensive coordinator in Tennessee . Ultimately, however, Washington decided that it should stay in Ohio instead of joining a Tennessee program that is undergoing a staff transition after Jeremy Pruitt was fired for committing NCAA recruitment violations.
Although Ryan Day said earlier on February 3 that the state of Ohio would not have a co-defensive coordinator this year, he said Washington would have a bigger role this year after Mattison’s departure.
“Al is going to take on additional responsibility,” said Day. “I think Al Washington did a very good job with the linebackers.
Washington’s decision to remain at Ohio State is crucial not only for maintaining continuity in the linebacker room, but also for Buckeyes recruiting efforts, as he has been one of his aces on the trail.
In addition to Washington’s status as Ohio State’s only linebacker trainer last season, he has always been one of the Buckeyes’ aces on the recruiting trail, making it increasingly important for them to keep him in the herd. Washington is currently ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 recruiter among all assistant coaches for the 2022 class, having led the way in commitments from linebackers Gabe Powers, CJ Hicks and Dasan McCullough, as well as offensive tackle Tegra Tshabola.