Five months after Ohio State informed Perry Eliano his contract would not be retained in 2024, the former Buckeye safeties coach has found a new home.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Eliano will continue his coaching career at Toledo, where he will coach cornerbacks for two-time MAC Coach of the Year Jason Candle and the Rockets.
Sources: Toledo is hiring Perry Eliano as the schools new corners coach. Hes a former assistant at Ohio State, Cincinnati and New Mexico. He also coached Sauce Gardner for two years at Cincinnati. pic.twitter.com/Dlm8lUqCU3
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 6, 2024
Eliano joined Ohio State's staff in January 2022 as one of three new full-time assistants, along with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and secondary coach Tim Walton. The Buckeyes' defensive backfield improved in both seasons Eliano was on staff, leading the nation in passing yards allowed per game (145.9) in 2023.
However, Eliano was unable to land several key Ohio State targets on the recruiting trail, including his relative, five-star safety KJ Bolden, in the 2024 class. Instead, Eliano landed commitments from four-star Jaylen McClain and three-star Leroy Roker in the class, pairing them with the trio of Malik Hartford, Jayden Bonsu and Cedrick Hawkins in 2023.
Eliano was one of four coaches from Ohio State's 2023 coaching staff who did not return in 2024, along with quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis, running backs coach Tony Alford and special teams coordinator Parker Fleming. This fall, Dennis will coach quarterbacks for Ole Miss and Alford will coach running backs at Michigan. Fleming has yet to land with a new program.
To replace those four assistants, Ohio State promoted graduate assistant James Laurinaitis to linebackers coach and hired former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, former Indiana co-defensive coordinator Matt Guerrieri as its safeties coach and former Oregon assistant Carlos Locklyn as its running backs coach.
