Oller's Second Thoughts: 5 names to replace Tony Alford as Ohio State running backs coach
Now that Tony Alford has gone north 'til you smell it, as Buckeyes fans sometimes say, Ohio State might as well go tit for tat and pursue former Michigan tailback Mike Hart to replace Alford as running backs coach.
In a stunning development, Alford left OSU Wednesday for the same role at UM, adding the title of run game coordinator and, presumably, collecting a larger paycheck in the process. His departure gets the speculation wheel spinning, with a handful of potential replacements in the pipeline.
Related: Ohio State football players, Maurice Clarett react to Tony Alford Michigan move
— Mike Hart: Turnabout is fair play, right? Hart recently was let go by UM first-year coach Sherrone Moore, who replaced Jim Harbaugh in January. The Wolverines’ all-time leading rusher, Hart was hired at UM in 2021, and it remains unclear why he was not retained after his contract expired.
Hart has been vocal about his disdain for Ohio State, so he would need to swallow hard before throwing his name in the hat, but joining the Buckeyes would be a short-term bromide if Hart holds any bitterness against his alma mater.
— Stan Drayton: If Chip Kelly was willing to leave his head coaching job at UCLA, maybe Drayton could be coaxed to do the same. As Drayton begins his third season running the show at Temple, it is worth wondering if he might find returning to Columbus as a position coach – he coached the Buckeyes’ running backs from 2012-14 and was responsible for recruiting Ezekiel Elliott – a welcome relief from CEO responsibilities, not to mention having to explain back-to-back 3-9 seasons with the Owls.
— Scottie Graham: A former Ohio State running back and captain (1988-91), Graham is back in the Big Ten as Washington’s running backs coach, having followed Jedd Fisch from Arizona to Seattle. Former Buckeyes are trying to coax the native New Yorker back to Ohio – “We had one of our mildest winters,” former OSU defensive back Chimdi Chekwa tweeted. Come home!!! – and the Buckeyes’ cupboard is stocked with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, with Dallan Hayden waiting in the wings.
— Pepe Pearson: The former Ohio State tailback might be interested in the job. His resume includes stints with two different arena football franchises, but his college coaching experience is limited to a five-year stay at Marshall and his current position as associate head coach at Tarleton State. Still, he “gets” the Buckeyes, having run for 1,487 yards and 17 touchdowns his junior season, when he was named MVP.
— Robert Gillespie: Ryan Day already picked Alabama’s pocket by welcoming three Crimson Tide transfers into the OSU fold – offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin, defensive back Caleb Downs and quarterback Julian Sayin – so why not aim high and go after Gillespie, who has coached Bama’s running backs the past three seasons? The former Florida Gator running back has proved an excellent recruiter, winning a battle against Ohio State for five-star running back Justice Haynes. Over three recruiting cycles he has brought the Tide five 247Sports composite five stars. New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer promoted Gillespie to assistant head coach, but the Buckeyes would seem to offer a more sure thing, given the departure of Nick Saban.
Carrying golf weight pays the freight
Louis Fabro just received an Evans Scholarship estimated at $125,000 over four years for repeatedly toting a 25-pound golf bag around 18 holes.
Fabro, a senior at St. Charles, who looped at Scioto Country Club through high school, was one of 340 caddies nationwide to receive the scholarship, named for amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans, who formed the Evans Scholar Foundation in 1930.
The scholarship’s four selection criteria: strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character.
Listening in
“She’s 14 weeks, she’ll find out, there are (idiots) like you everywhere eager to shout it from the basements. I think being a drug addict and 7-time convicted felon may be the harder conversation, but we trudge on! – former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf, responding on X to a post asking if his daughter knows he was an NFL bust.
Off-topic
The more I play golf, the more I think it is the hardest sport in the world, but I’m willing to debate. Hitting a 90-mph curveball is not child’s play. Neither is driving a rocket 210 mph around a racetrack. Skating backward while controlling a puck is no picnic, either. But if you golf, well, you know.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football is shopping to replace Tony Alford as RB coach
