Oller’s Second Thoughts: 5 names to replace Tony Alford as Ohio State running backs coach

Sep 2, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running backs coach Tony Alford throws during warm ups prior to the NCAA football game at Indiana University Memorial Stadium. Ohio State won 23-3.

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

Michigan running backs coach Mike Hart watches a play against Ohio State during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.

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…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ollers-second-thoughts-5-names-150241751.html

Author : The Columbus Dispatch

Publish date : 2024-03-14 15:02:41

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