In announcing the hiring of Bill O’Brien as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Friday, the team also revealed that former quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis is expected to remain with in a “still-to-be-determined” role with the Buckeyes.
Dennis has spent the last four seasons as Ohio State’s quarterbacks coach after previously serving as a quality control coach, first under then-head coach Urban Meyer – his father-in-law – and then under Ryan Day. He has helped to develop several NFL quarterbacks during his time as the Buckeyes’ quarterbacks coach, including Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud, though Day also remained heavily involved in coaching quarterbacks even with a dedicated quarterbacks coach on staff.
While Ohio State had a very successful run of quarterbacks over the last years, play at the position took a step back this past season under Kyle McCord, and the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl – following McCord’s transfer to Syracuse – were largely unable to move the ball due to subpar play under center by Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz.
If Dennis does remain on staff, it is unlikely it would be as an assistant coach, with the only other opening on the staff – opened up by the firing of special teams coordinator Parker Fleming – expected to be filled on the defensive side of the ball.
