Justin Frye is leaving Ohio State for the NFL.
The Arizona Cardinals have hired the Ohio State offensive line coach as their new offensive line coach, according to multiple reports.
Sources: Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye is expected to become the offensive line coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Frye is a veteran OL coach with stops at UCLA, Boston College and Temple. Frye was also offensive coordinator during his time at UCLA under Chip Kelly. pic.twitter.com/QFEFL9HTC4
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 1, 2025
The #AZCardinals are hiring Justin Frye, Ohio States associate head coach for offense and offensive line coach, to be its new OL coach, source says.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2025
Arizona has an opening because its OL coach Klayton Adams is now the #Cowboys OC.
Frye leaves Ohio State after three seasons as the Buckeyes’ offensive line coach. In Arizona, he’ll reunite with former Ohio State left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., who played for Frye for one season before becoming a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
Frye becomes the second Ohio State assistant coach to leave the Buckeyes this offseason, joining defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who left to become the defensive coordinator at Penn State.
Frye became Ohio State’s offensive line coach in 2022 and helped develop a pair of NFL offensive tackles, Johnson and Cleveland Browns fourth-round pick Dawand Jones, in his first year on the job. Three of his offensive linemen are expected to be selected in the 2025 NFL draft: Josh Simmons, Donovan Jackson and Seth McLaughlin.
While he drew scrutiny across his three seasons at Ohio State for his recruiting – something he’ll no longer have to worry about as an NFL coach – his reputation as a developer of offensive line talent grew immensely this past season as his offensive line helped lead Ohio State to a national championship despite having to work through season-ending injuries suffered by Simmons and McLaughlin.
Frye has never previously coached in the NFL.
His departure leaves Ohio State needing two new full-time assistant coaches for the 2025 season as the Buckeyes have not yet hired a new defensive coordinator to replace Knowles.
