Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he interviewed at least seven candidates for the Buckeyes' running backs coach vacancy in a search that culminated Monday night with the hiring of Carlos Locklyn.

In an appearance on 97.1 The Fan the following morning, Day said Locklyn, who had been the running backs coach at Oregon for the past two seasons, stuck out as they narrowed down a pool of nearly a dozen candidates.

“He brings a lot of energy to the table,” Day said.

The 46-year-old Locklyn has made a fast rise in coaching, an ascent that caught the attention of Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

His first job as an on-field assistant in college came as recently as 2021 as the running backs coach at Western Kentucky. It followed the four years he spent in off-field roles at Florida State and Memphis.

A former running back at Chattanooga, he began coaching in 2009 as a volunteer for high schools in Tennessee while he worked as a corrections and police officer. Locklyn later referred to himself as a “walk-on” coach during those years.

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“I love that about him,” Day said. “Some of us in this profession came up not in a football family, but grew up and kind of had to figure it out on their own. He’s one of those people.

“When you listen to how he came up in this thing, he’s very appreciative of all the opportunities he’s gotten, but he’s earned them all and he deserved them all. He really earned and deserved this opportunity.”

Locklyn coached Bucky Irving in both seasons at Oregon as he became one of the top running backs in the Pac-12 after transferring from Minnesota. Irving surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in 2023 and 2022, putting him among the leading rushers in the conference.

The Ducks were especially efficient running the ball in recent seasons. Their average of 5.9 yards per carry ranked third out of the 133 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision last fall.

While Locklyn replaces Tony Alford, a veteran assistant who spent nine seasons coaching the Buckeyes’ running backs before leaving for Michigan last month, Day said he expects Locklyn to have a significant impact as he leads a talented backfield that includes the duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.

“I’m just fired up to have him,” Day said. “I think he’s going to bring an edge to our offense and the running back room.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football coach Ryan Day on hire of Carlos Locklyn