Urban Meyer always says he loves Bowling Green, because the school gave him his first head coaching job. Now Ohio State's head coach, Meyer is looking back to his time with the Falcons in hopes of mending what often felt like a disjointed Buckeye offense this past season.
Meyer hired former LSU offensive coordinator and Maryland offensive line coach Greg Studrawa, sources confirmed with Eleven Warriors Thursday night. Tight ends coach Tim Hinton will yield to Ed Warinner—who will remain offensive coordinator—and move to a more administrative role, sources said. The school announced the staff changes Friday morning.
Studrawa, pronounced STU-draw-uh, worked with Meyer as Bowling Green's offensive line coach in 2001 and 2002, the latter's lone years with the Falcons. He assisted Meyer in a complete program turnaround—the Falcons won two games in 2000, then eight the next season when they nearly doubled their rushing output (went from 98 yards per game to 167 yards per game).
In 2002, Bowling Green finished the year averaging 219 yards rushing and 449 total yards per game. In just two quick years, Meyer and Studrawa improved the Falcons' rushing output by 123 percent and total offense by 74 percent.
After earning a promotion in 2003 to offensive coordinator at Bowling Green following Meyer's departure, the Falcons finished third in the country in total offense at 496.7 yards per game under Studrawa's watch. The next season, they were second at 506.3 yards per game, as quarterback Omar Jacobs threw for 4,002 yards, 41 touchdowns and a measly four interceptions.
Studrawa grew up in Fostoria, Ohio, and attended St. Wendelin, a private, Catholic high school. From 1984-87, he played on the Bowling Green offensive line and started his final two seasons at left tackle, earning the Coaches Award his senior season.
Studrawa in 1997, then an OSU graduate assistant
Studrawa was a graduate assistant at Cincinnati from 1989-90, and after a brief stint at Division III Wilmington College, headed to Columbus as an offensive line graduate assistant under John Cooper. He worked with offensive coordinator Mike Jacobs in Columbus in 1997 when the Buckeyes finished 10-3 and ranked No. 12 in the country. Studrawa then went to Arkansas State before returning to his alma mater.
Meyer wanted Studrawa to come with him when he left for Utah, but the two could not reunite until now. The offensive line coach was considered to be on Meyer's radar for a while, as rumors swirled of Studrawa coming to Columbus once the head coach announced his return to Ohio State prior to the 2012 season.
Studrawa's career instead headed to LSU and later Maryland, where he served as both offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at different stages of his career. The Tigers won the national championship in 2007 in his first year in Baton Rouge, when running back Jacob Hester eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark and LSU averaged 214 yards on the ground. LSU hired Cam Cameron in 2013 as its offensive coordinator, leaving Studrawa to focus again on the offensive line.
He is responsible for recruiting top talent and current NFL players wide receiver Ruben Randle, running back Spencer Ware, linebacker Barkevious Mingo and offensive lineman La'el Collins to LSU. In his seven seasons at LSU, Studrawa produced two first-team All-Americans – Herman Johnson in 2008 and Will Blackwell in 2011 – and helped pave the way for four 1,000-yard running backs: Hester, Charles Scott in 2008, Stevan Ridley in 2010 and Jeremy Hill in 2013.
However, Studrawa often drew of the ire of LSU fans for perceived failures on the recruiting trail and at times issues to develop talent. He left the program after the 2013 season "to pursue other opportunities."
| YEAR(S) | SCHOOL | POSITION |
|---|---|---|
| 1989-90 | CINCINNATI | GRADUATE ASSISTANT |
| 1991-96 | WILMINGTON COLLEGE | OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR |
| 1997 | OHIO STATE | GRADUATE ASSISTANT: OL |
| 1998-2000 | ARKANSAS STATE | OFFENSIVE LINE |
| 2001-02 | BOWLING GREEN | OFFENSIVE LINE |
| 2003-05 | BOWLING GREEN | OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR, OL |
| 2006 | BOWLING GREEN | OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR, AHC |
| 2007-10 | LSU | OFFENSIVE LINE |
| 2011-12 | LSU | OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR, OL |
| 2013 | LSU | OFFENSIVE LINE |
| 2014-15 | MARYLAND | OFFENSIVE LINE |
| 2016-present | OHIO STATE | OFFENSIVE LINE |
More recently, Studrawa inherited a struggling rushing attack at Maryland under Randy Edsall.
The Terrapins averaged 121.9 rushing yards per game in 2014, his first season in College Park, good for 111th in the country. This past year, however, Maryland averaged 200.7 yards on the ground, a boost that put them at 31st overall.
In 2015, Studrawa earned $286,940, according to the USA Today assistant coaches database. He also helped draw five-star offensive tackle Damian Prince to Maryland.
Studrawa was not retained by former Michigan defensive coordinator and new Terrapins head coach D.J. Durkin, who was hired in December. Meyer's decision to move Hinton to a more administrative role and have Warinner coach tight ends in his place while still remaining offensive coordinator allows for Studrawa to join a staff under a friend and former colleague.
Ohio State's 2015 offense felt disjointed until the final two games of 2015, a 42-13 thrashing of Michigan and 44-28 victory against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Warinner manned the press box in both of those games alongside quarterbacks coach Tim Beck, after he stayed on the sidelines through the season's first 11 games to coach the offensive line.
Meyer hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano last month, another close friend, after Chris Ash accepted the head coaching job at Rutgers.
