Ohio State is adding a veteran defensive coach to its staff as an analyst.
Paul Rhoads, who has more than 30 years of collegiate coaching experience including a stint as a Power 5 head coach and several stints as a Power 5 defensive coordinator, is joining the Buckeyes as a defensive analyst, as initially confirmed by Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel.
| Years | School | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ARIZONA | DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR |
| 2018-2019 | UCLA | DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH |
| 2017 | ARKANSAS | DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR |
| 2016 | ARKANSAS | DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH |
| 2009-2015 | IOWA STATE | HEAD COACH |
| 2008 | AUBURN | DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR |
| 2000-2007 | PITTSBURGH | DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR |
| 1996-1999 | IOWA STATE | DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH |
| 1995 | IOWA STATE | INSIDE LINEBACKERS COACH |
| 1994 | PACIFIC | PASSING GAME COORDINATOR |
| 1992-1993 | PACIFIC | DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH |
| 1991 | OHIO STATE | GRADUATE ASSISTANT |
| 1989-1990 | UTAH STATE | GRADUATE ASSISTANT |
Rhoads, most notably, was the head coach at Iowa State from 2009 to 2015. He spent last season at Arizona as the Wildcats' defensive coordinator after previously serving as the defensive backs coach at UCLA and defensive coordinator at Arkansas. Before becoming Iowa State's head coach, Rhoads was also the defensive coordinator at Auburn for one year and the defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh from 2000-07.
An Iowa native who played at Missouri Western State University, Rhoads previously spent one year at Ohio State in 1991 as a graduate assistant.
The addition of the veteran coach as an analyst is a new move for Day entering his third season at Ohio State, but one that has been a common practice around college football, with those roles often filled by coaches who were not retained by their previous schools. Rhoads was not retained by Arizona after Kevin Sumlin was fired, as new head coach Jedd Fisch hired former Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown to replace Rhoads.
Ultimately, Day decided it would be beneficial for the Buckeyes to add an experienced coach in a support staff role, helping to replace the experience that was lost from the staff with the retirement of former co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison.
“It’s something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about,” Day said when asked about potentially hiring analysts on Feb. 3. “Every program is different. You have to do what’s right for your program. And now that I’m going into year three, taking a hard look at that, and seeing if there are some people around who would be the right fit.”
As an analyst, Rhoads will not be involved in coaching players on the field, but will assist the Buckeyes' on-field coaches with scouting opponents and game planning.
