Ryan Day made two training announcements on Wednesday during a National Signature Day press conference with few recruitment topics to discuss. The Ohio State coach confirmed earlier reports that the Buckeyes have now promoted former security guards and a special team coordinator Matt Barnes to the secondary coach to fill the hole left by the retirement of Greg Mattison. To replace Barnes, Day chose to promote the quality control coach Parker Fleming to the coordinator of special teams.
If you were not impressed by the news and you were expecting a big name hiring to join the Ohio state defensive technical team, you were not alone. Some Buckeye fans didn’t even know about Barnes or Fleming’s previous roles on the team – you can find out more about them here – but there is a method to Day’s perceived madness.
While there is a perception that Buckeye’s defense was historically poor in 2020 and needed a major overhaul, it was actually just the pass defense that had problems. For the third time in four years, Scarlet and Gray had a defense against the rush in the top ten. The pass defense, which ranked 122 out of 127 FBS teams, was what brought Ohio State’s total defense out of the top 50.
This led Day to spend most of the past three weeks, since the 52-24 loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship game, considering what was best for the defense after the Buckeyes gave up 464 of 621 yards for Crimson Tide. the air.
“When something like that comes up, you try to find out if it’s personal, it’s coaching, it’s a scheme,” said Day. “I would say that if you’re looking at it, I think we have good enough people. I think we have to continue to observe how we put our people in certain situations, but I think we have good enough people. We lost some guys in that game (against Alabama). Scheme, I think our scheme is good, but I also think that there were times when we could have done a better job schematically in that game. And then coaching, I think it’s also a part. That we could have done a better coaching job there.
“So, do we overreact? No, I will not do that, not now. “
The conclusion that Day reached was that the answers were already in the building. In Barnes, Ohio State has a young coach who is ready for a bigger role than working with special teams and security guards. Looking at him for the past two years, Day believes that Barnes can have a greater impact on defense by taking control of the entire secondary.
Given that Mattison’s main focus was to work alongside the defensive line coach Larry Johnson and linebacker trainer Al Washington to help with the top seven while Jeff Hafley/Kerry Coombs, with the help of Barnes, worked with the secondary, this now adds another full-time coach to deal with passing defense. In theory, it also allows Coombs to be more involved with defense as a true defensive coordinator.
“I thought we needed more attention on the back end,” Day explained his thinking. “So you say to yourself, ‘Well, are you going to get a secondary coach somewhere in the country who knows our scheme, who understands what we want to do and fits in?’ and suddenly, the list gets smaller and smaller. And then I see the way Matt Barnes works, I think he’s very good. I think he’s very, very good. And if I didn’t believe it, I just wouldn’t do it. “
What Barnes brings to this position is the ability to teach concepts and work with players in a good way. Several sources told Bucknuts that Barnes’ understanding of Xs and Os is remarkable and that the coach did not receive enough credit or attention for what he did behind the scenes in his first two years in Columbus.
What he also brings is continuity, something that Day proved to be a fan of in his first two seasons as head coach. After being surprisingly chosen among Meyer Urbanoof the company team will be the successor to the main coach in 2019, Day elected to promote the former quality control coach Corey Dennis for the coach of the defenders before last season.
This move worked with the quarterback Justin Fields riding another impressive, albeit short, 2020 season. Day believes that the decision to promote Barnes will be equally successful.
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As for the idea that the defense needs a makeover after last season, Day has not yet arrived. After evaluating high school in recent weeks, Day believes that not having a normal off-season, pre-season or even regular season hindered a group that had three new entrants and a new defensive coordinator. Coombs did not have the usual time to evaluate and teach during the off-season or the film needed to make changes during the regular season.
“I think with a whole off season, with a spring ball, a pre-season, we will put the right people in place, we will make some adjustments schematically and then we will do an unbelievable coaching job”, said the day. “So that will be the focus as we head into spring for the next six and a half weeks and, obviously, as we move into autumn.”
This does not mean that there will be no changes schematically to better adjust the Buckeyes’ staff and help improve secondary. There will be what Scarlet and Gray deem necessary. But, in Day’s opinion, there was no need to bring in a new coach or new eyes, but to use what was already available in him, in Barnes, in a new way.
“I think Matt Barnes will do this job better than anyone else in the country for what we need,” said Day. “And if I didn’t think that, we wouldn’t do it. But after a lot of conversation and a lot of talking and watching a guy work for the past few years, I believe in Matt and I think he’ll be fine. “