Quick Hits: Tyler Bowen Calls Brian Hartline ”As Sharp” of a Football Mind He's Been Around, Keenan Bailey Says He'll Challenge Max Klare This Spring

Of course, there's a lot that's different from this year's staff compared to a season ago.

Ryan Day hired Matt Patricia to run his defense and Tyler Bowen to coach his offensive line. Billy Fessler earned a promotion from analyst to Ohio State's quarterback coach, and Brian Hartline earned a promotion to offensive coordinator.

Those four and Ohio State's other six full-time assistants – co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey, running backs coach Carlos Locklyn, co-defensive coordinator Tim Walton, safeties coach Matt Guerrieri, linebackers coach James Laurinaitis and defensive line coach Larry Johnson – fielded questions from reporters on Friday ahead of spring football.

DC Matt Patricia 

“Let them get on the field, let them play fast, let them play aggressive … making sure you have enough to defend what you’re going to see, but also let the players go play free enough where they can be aggressive and have the tools on the field that they need.”– Matt Patricia on his defensive philosophy

• Patricia said the family environment of college football was appealing to him after two decades in the NFL. “I just love this atmosphere. I’m married, my wife is amazing. I have three incredible kids, and I really wanted them to experience this, too.”
• Getting back into college football coaching for the first time since 2003 has been a “huge adjustment”, Patricia said, but he said he loves the recruiting process.
• Patricia said his defensive philosophy is built around putting players in the best positions to be successful rather than trying to fit them into a specific scheme. He has used many different packages, which will allow him to create roles for various players, but ultimately wants to make it simple for the players so they can play fast.
• Patricia says he “wasn’t my best version of a coach” during his stint as the Detroit Lions’ head coach and says he learned from that experience that he needed to be a better teacher.

OC Brian Hartline

“All four freshmen, I’m very encouraged by and impressed with. They carry themselves the right way like we had hoped. They’ve worked their tails off. They’ve all improved.”– Brian Hartline on Ohio State’s four freshmen wide receivers from the 2025 recruiting class

• Hartline says being promoted to offensive coordinator has not impacted how much time he spends with Ohio State’s wide receivers.
• Hartline says he thinks Jeremiah Smith’s freshman year was “excellent” but there wasn’t any expectation leading into it from him other than attacking every day and trying to maximize himself. He hopes that Smith can continue to grow in year two.
• Hartline says he’s given a lot of thought to whether he wants to call plays from the box or the field but hasn’t made a definite decision yet and will also solicit an opinion from Ryan Day.

Co-DC Tim Walton

“We speak the same language. He spent 20 years in the NFL, I spent 12 years in the NFL … I’m going to show him the lay of the land, a little bit of the college perspective because it’s changed a little bit since he’s been there.”– Tim Walton on being excited to work with Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia

• On having a prior working relationship with Matt Patricia at Syracuse: “I’ve worked with Matt before, so the relationship, we’ll build it together. It’ll be fun, it’ll be exciting for the guys. He’s really sharp, has a high football IQ, really understands the game and how to affect quarterbacks. 
• Walton says a lot of his job will stay the same as he’s promoted to co-defensive coordinator but that he’ll be working with Patricia more closely on game planning and tying schemes together.
• Walton says Ohio State’s defense will be a collaborative group effort of pulling things together and mixing in new stuff with schemes they’ve ran in the past to find the right blend with the new personnel they’ll have for the 2025 season.

DL coach Larry Johnson

“When God says I’ve got to stop.”– Larry Johnson on when he’ll retire

• Johnson said he gave no thought to retiring this offseason.
• Ohio State’s defense will use multiple fronts with Patricia as defensive coordinator, and Johnson’s on board with that, saying the perception that he’s only a 4-3 guy isn’t true. “I think that we’ve been multiple. We keep saying it’s a four-man front, but it can be an interchangeable four-man front.”
• Despite rumors to the contrary, Johnson said he had a “great relationship” with Jim Knowles. He said they had great conversations about the defensive scheme and that there wasn’t a rift between them.
• Johnson said C.J. Hicks has moved to defensive end. He wants Hicks to learn this offseason how to be an every-down player at that position, not just a situational pass-rusher. “He’s done an outstanding job thus far.”
• Johnson said Eddrick Houston will remain at 3-technique defensive tackle after moving inside last year. He’s up to 285-290 pounds.

Safeties coach Matt Guerrieri

“We want to see consistency from our guys. We want our guys to be consistently on the rise every day. It’s not OK to be good for two days then you’re taking a step back. So those habits, consistency and a competitive mentality, that’s what I want to see.”– Matt Guerrieri on what he wants to see from his safeties competing for a spot this fall

• Guerrieri said Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Jermaine Mathews Jr. have been two players that have been impressive when they’ve received reps at nickel. 
• Guerrieri said he’s been impressed by Matt Patricia’s football IQ and the “wealth of knowledge and experience” that he brings to Ohio State.
• Guerrieri said he was appreciative of Ryan Day’s remarks at the national championship celebration where he said Guerrieri was one of the rising stars in the coaching industry.

Linebackers coach James Laurinaitis

“Everyone should want to be the leader, the captain of their class. And it's a mindset.”– ames Laurinaitis on new leaders stepping up with Cody Simon gone

• On where Arvell Reese can grow at Mike linebacker: “A lot of it is just preparation. I think when you're a young player, there's so much to learn and sometimes it just goes back to habits.” Laurinaitis added that Reese has had a “phenomenal” winter.
• Laurinaitis approves of C.J. Hicks’ move to the edge defensively. “I think it's an opportunity to be multiple and use him at what he does best. ... I think he definitely needs to be utilized more as a, just go after the quarterback. Go be disruptive. Go attack.”
• On the hiring of Patricia as defensive coordinator: “I love the hire. I've got a lot of respect for Coach Patricia, heck, ever since he worked me and Marcus (Freeman) out back here (as players). ... But he's been incredible with, I think, the staff. He's very organized. He's detailed. You'll have constant, clear communication.”
• On the athletic profiles of Sonny Styles and Reese: “I think we just have a lot of guys with a lot of length. You talk about Sonny Styles, long, can run. Arvel Reese, long, can run. Like, it's crazy because you see Sonny and you're like, ‘OK, this guy, I wish I was built like that when I played.’ And then you see Arvel stand next to Sonny. You're like, ‘Heck.’”

Running backs coach Carlos Locklyn

“In this microwave society we have, we move him in right in (to the lineup), but no, he’s got to earn it. Nothing, none of them, I’m not giving any of them anything. That’s just how it is.”– Carlos Locklyn on James Peoples needing to earn his role as RB1

• Locklyn said Ohio State’s running back room lost two “big dogs” in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. He looks forward to seeing Peoples, Sam Williams-Dixon and TC Caffey continue to grow as Buckeyes. He also wants to see newcomers CJ Donaldson Jr. and freshmen Bo Jackson, Anthony “Turbo” Rogers and Isaiah West acclimate quickly.
• Locklyn said multiple times that he is “excited” to see what Jackson can accomplish as a freshman. “He got gifts only God can give him. … You see the potential for what he could be. He’s gonna have to work and compete, but I’m excited about him. We’ll see.”
• Locklyn sees greatness in Peoples. “Compact runner. He has good hands. He has really incredible short-area burst. Quickness. Everything you want in a back, he has. … He wants to have a great knowledge of the game. … I see the growth in him now. He’s locked in. I’m excited to see him in a more demanding role where he gets the opportunity to showcase who he is.”

Offensive line coach Tyler Bowen 

“I think it's a very unique situation. We got a lot of guys, particularly on the interior, that have played a lot of football and rotated through. So that should help us as we go into spring.”– Tyler Bowen on the offensive line competition

• On what attracted him to Ohio State’s offensive line coaching job: “I think, number one, to be at a premier program in college football. I think the way the games go on and the way this place has been for decades and decades, that's obviously attractive. But the second reason, maybe even a bigger part of it, is getting back to my roots. I’m an O-line guy.”
• Bowen said Brian Hartline is “as sharp” of a football mind as he’s been around, but being a coordinator taught Bowen a lot about being a position coach. “I think the biggest thing you learn as a coordinator and me doing that job for the last three years, you learn how to be a really good assistant coach. I think that's my number one job for Coach Hartline is to be the best assistant coach I can be. Whatever his vision is for the offense, to be able to go out and make sure that those five guys (on the OL) can execute that vision.”
• On his first steps after arriving at Ohio State: “The most important thing is to try to build trust with a group and you've got to do it in a short amount of time. And trust, it's not easy to build. It's very easy to lose. So the first thing that I tried to attack here, before you even get into the X's and O's and talking about inside zone and gap schemes and all the things that go into it, six-man protection, is I wanted to meet with each player individually and get an idea of their story.”
• On his run game schemes: “In today's college game, to play and particularly run the ball at a high level, you better have a diverse scheme. So that's gonna look very multiple at this time of the year, then then as we go, we're funneling that down to what does this team do well, what does this offensive unit do well in the run game?”

Quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler

“Being the quarterbacks coach at Ohio State is such an honor. It’s a dream job. … When I was given the opportunity – just completely honored. So excited for the chance to do it. Excited to get rolling here and get after it.”– Billy Fessler on his promotion

• When asked how many seconds Fessler mulled over Ryan Day’s job offer to become Ohio State’s quarterbacks coach, Fessler answered, “Zero seconds.”
• Fessler on Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair competing to be Ohio State’s quarterbacks: “I’m excited to watch them grow. Last year, I think Linc and Julian and then Tavien at the end of the year had the opportunity to see what (being the quarterback) looks like and watch Will (Howard). They watched how he operated. They learned from him. At the same time, they prepared to the level that if something were to happen, they’re ready to go in the game and execute. … Now, I’m excited to see them compete more than anything.”
• Fessler said it’s “still in the conversation” for Ohio State to add a fourth scholarship quarterback to its roster this offseason. “We’ll kind of see how (the spring) goes. Obviously, three is a little bit less than we typically have, but you know, the three that we have we’re really confident in right now.”

Co-OC Keenan Bailey

“This past winter, there was a bunch of dudes that were super hungry to be the hardest working unit on the team. But time’s going to tell. I’m excited to see. It’s on them to set the culture.”– Keenan Bailey on his tight end room

• On adding Max Klare from the transfer portal: “I’m going to put a lot on his plate this spring. I haven’t seen him do anything football-wise just because we’re not in that period right now. But he’s got to earn everything he’s going to get. … It’s a new offense. Both positions, Y and H, 13 personnel, Z and X, I want to see if he can handle that standpoint schematically. But then also physically, I’ve got to evaluate him because I haven’t had a chance to coach him yet.”
• Now that Gee Scott Jr. has graduated and moved on from the program, Bailey said Bennett Christian and Will Kacmarek have become the tight end room’s leaders. Bailey said he asked them if Ohio State should add Klare from the transfer portal. Had Christian and Kacmarek said no, Bailey said he wouldn’t have pursued the Purdue transfer. However, Bailey said the tight ends “were all on board” and that they “did not even bat an eye.”
• Bailey called Fessler “one of the smartest football minds I’ve ever been around.” He added: “Like, you got Coach Day and then you got a couple of others. And then, like, Billy’s up there. … That was a home run hire, and I’m super excited to work with him.”