Ohio State officially expanded its coaching staff on Monday when the Buckeyes hired Alex Grinch as its 10th assistant coach.
Grinch comes to Columbus from Washington State, where he served as defensive coordinator and secondary coach for the past three years.
Grinch's specific role on Ohio State's coaching staff has not yet been announced, but Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman reported last week that Grinch will be a co-defensive coordinator.
"I am pleased to announce the addition of Alex Grinch to our coaching staff," Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said. "I am very impressed with his body of work while at Washington State, as many others were, and am happy he chose to come home to Ohio to become a part of our Buckeye coaching staff."
Grinch's addition comes with the new NCAA rule, which goes into effect Tuesday, that allows teams to employ 10 full-time assistant coaches instead of the previous nine.
Grinch comes to the Buckeyes with Ohio roots, having grown up in the Columbus suburb of Grove City and played his college football at Mount Union, where he graduated in 2002. Since then, Grinch has climbed his way up the coaching ranks, starting as a graduate assistant at Missouri before stints as the recruiting coordinator and secondary coach at New Hampshire and Wyoming and as the safeties coach at Missouri.
| Years | School | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| 2002-04 | MISSOURI | ADMINISTRATIVE GRADUATE ASSISTANT (02), DEFENSIVE GRADUATE ASSISTANT (03-04) |
| 2005-08 | NEW HAMPSHIRE | CORNERBACKS COACH (05-06), SECONDARY COACH AND RECRUITING COORDINATOR (07-08) |
| 2009-11 | WYOMING | SECONDARY COACH AND RECRUITING COORDINATOR |
| 2012-14 | MISSOURI | SAFETIES COACH |
| 2015-17 | WASHINGTON STATE | DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND SECONDARY COACH |
| 2018- | OHIO STATE | TBD |
With more than a decade of experience coaching defensive backs, Grinch will look to help improve an Ohio State defense that had an up-and-down year, particularly in the passing game. Considered to be a rising star in the coaching industry, Grinch could be groomed as Ohio State's defensive coordinator-in-waiting should Greg Schiano continue to pursue head coaching jobs after next season.
The addition of Grinch to the coaching staff gives Ohio State five defensive assistant coaches – the same number of assistant coaches the Buckeyes have on offense – with Grinch joining Schiano, Larry Johnson, Bill Davis and Kerry Coombs.
Grinch, a three-time nominee for the Broyles Award as one of college football's top assistant coaches, led a Washington State defense that ranked 16th nationally in total defense this past season.
Grinch, 37, and his wife, the former Rebecca Blaser of Alliance, Ohio, are the parents of two children: a son, Tyler, and a daughter, Corbi.
According to USA TODAY's Steve Berkowitz, Washington State is owed a $250,000 buyout because of Grinch's decision to leave. According to a report from Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune, former Minnesota head coach Tracy Claeys will replace Grinch as Washington State's defensive coordinator.
