Changes are coming to Ohio State’s defensive coaching staff in less than a week.
Former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will officially become Ohio State’s defensive coordinator on Sunday, which means at least one member of the current staff will be coaching his final game with the Buckeyes in Saturday’s Rose Bowl.
As of Tuesday, it remained uncertain which coach or coaches would ultimately be leaving after this week. Ryan Day has said he will wait until after the Rose Bowl to address further coaching staff changes, wanting to keep the focus this week on Ohio State’s efforts to beat Utah.
One defensive coach who already knows he’ll at minimum be in a different role next season than he is right now, though, is Matt Barnes.
Barnes has been Ohio State’s lead defensive play caller since the third game of the season, taking over those duties from defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs after the Buckeyes’ first loss of the year against Oregon. Knowles will assume defensive play calling duties for the Buckeyes next season, which means Barnes would move back into a lesser role if he stays on staff.
Barnes says he would be fine with that. While he doesn’t yet know whether he’ll remain at Ohio State for the 2022 season, he says he is hoping he’ll get that opportunity.
“I have yet to, almost 15 years in coaching, I don’t have enough ego to say ‘Well, this is mine,’” Barnes said during a Tuesday morning interview session at the Rose Bowl. “I steal from everybody that I think does a good job, and (Knowles has) done an exceptional job. I love Ryan Day, I love Ohio State, I love Columbus, Ohio, I love our players, so I’d certainly love an opportunity to remain here.”
Barnes, whose contract with Ohio State is expiring after this season, is also the Buckeyes’ secondary coach after being promoted into that role last offseason. It’s certainly plausible that Barnes could remain in that role with Knowles calling the defense, and he says he – along with the rest of Ohio State’s current defensive coaches – has had the opportunity to meet with Knowles individually, though he said their brief conversation did not proceed to the point of discussing Barnes’ potential role on next year’s staff.
“We had a very brief meeting,” Barnes said. “I could tell right away he’s an exceptionally talented and intelligent person, seems like a great guy. The nature of our conversation did not go that long. He had a bunch of meetings, and I’m running to try to get practice organized and things like that, so I have not really had those conversations.”
For right now, Barnes says he is fully focused on preparing for this week’s Rose Bowl, in which Ohio State’s defense will look to bounce back in its final game of this season after allowing 42 points on 487 yards of offense against Michigan. Considering Utah ranks in the top 20 nationally in scoring offense (35.5 points per game) and is a run-heavy offense like Michigan’s, ranking second in the country in rushing yards per attempt (5.62), Barnes knows that won’t be easy, so he’s trying to avoid being distracted by the uncertainty surrounding his future.
“Right now, I’m just trying to go win this game,” Barnes said. “If you’ve watched Utah on tape, you know how much work it’s gonna take to try to get that done. Sometimes I can be obsessive, and I’ve really just obsessed about this game and trying to give our kids a great opportunity to go win.”
Barnes believes the entire coaching staff has done a good job of staying focused on the task at hand rather than worrying about how things are going to change next week.
“I can see on the outside looking in where you might think that, but we’re all professionals,” Barnes said. “We all understand how this business works.”
That said, Barnes plans on being back at Ohio State in 2022 if he’s afforded the opportunity to return. Having been with the Buckeyes since 2019, Barnes is grateful for the three years he’s already had to be a part of Ohio State’s coaching staff, and he says his wife and son want to stay in Columbus, too.
“It's a wonderful place,” Barnes said. “I've enjoyed every moment that I've been here. I can't imagine there are many head coaches to work for better than Ryan Day, and Columbus, Ohio is an awesome place. It's a great place. My wife and I love it here. Henry loves it here. That's what I can tell you.”
Regardless of whether Barnes remains on the staff and what his role might be if he does, Barnes believes Ohio State’s defense will be in good hands with Knowles’ leadership.
“Just as a film junkie myself, what little bit of Oklahoma State I had a chance to watch, it’s an exciting defense,” Barnes said. “He does an outstanding job. I’m excited for the future of our program defensively.”
