Taver Johnson will not return to Ohio State.
With Ohio State's hiring of Matt Barnes as its special teams coordinator and assistant secondary coach, Johnson is out after just a single season as Ohio State's cornerbacks coach.
Johnson replaced Kerry Coombs, the energetic assistant who left the college ranks to join Mike Vrabel's Tennessee Titans staff as defensive coordinator. Prior to his one-season stint in 2018, he worked as cornerbacks coach at Ohio State under Jim Tressel from 2007 to 2011.
Ohio State's cornerbacks had a generally solid, yet inconsistent season as a group, flashing moments of greatness, such as Jeffrey Okudah's and Kendall Sheffield's performances in the Rose Bowl. Yet, all of the cornerbacks had bouts of poor play.
Whichever coach replaces Johnson will have a talent-filled room for which they can thank Coombs, who both churned out NFL first-round draft picks and brought in highly ranked recruits.
Okudah will be back for his third season and looked like a potential first-round talent against Washington. Shaun Wade will also return for his third season. He played nickelback, but could shift outside to cornerback. Both Damon Arnette and Sheffield have NFL decisions to make. Multiple players and coaches at the Rose Bowl named Sevyn Banks, a freshman, as someone who has made major strides. Marcus Williamson also could enter the mix, among other young players.
