Ad Disclosure
Sports Illustrated grades B1G coaching hires at Ohio State, Maryland
Published:
The B1G underwent two coaching changes following the conclusion of the 2018 regular season, with Urban Meyer stepping down at Ohio State and DJ Durkin being terminated at Maryland in late October.
For the 2019 season, two new faces will be on the sideline in the conference.
Current Ohio State offensive coordinator Ryan Day will take the place of Meyer, assuming all responsibilities as head coach following the Rose Bowl. Maryland hired Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, who has deep ties to the area.
Just how good were the hires of Day and Locksley, though? One is really good and the other could’ve been better, according to one media outlet.
Sports Illustrated graded the coaching hires that have occurred this season, giving each coach a grade on a 5.0 scale. Using the following factors — Splash quotient, geography, stylistic fit, execution and instant impact — Sports Illustrated graded, and ranked all the coaching hires.
Day was near the top while Locksley was closer to the bottom. Here’s what Sports Illustrated had to say about the two hires in the B1G.
Day received a 4.0 grade out of 5.0. Sports Illustrated on Ohio State’s hire:
The splash came when Urban Meyer announced his retirement—Day’s promotion from offensive coordinator was an afterthought by comparison. Ohio State may be going from one of the winningest coaches in college football history to a 39-year-old with a 3–0 record as an interim, but it’s still loaded with talent and has proven it can contend for championships no matter who’s in charge. Day passed the interim test with flying colors during Meyer’s September suspension, and he’s been the man behind the Buckeyes’ excellent offense for the past two seasons. It may be time for some fresh perspective in Columbus, and Day will bring that—without too much of a seismic shift from the system that has won back-to-back Big Ten titles.
Locksley received a 3.4 grade out of 5.0. Sports Illustrated on Maryland’s hire:
Maryland has a lot going for it with this hire. Locksley spent two stints a decade apart in College Park as an assistant prior to DJ Durkin’s tenure, he’s one of the most respected recruiters of the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area and he has a ton of support from Maryland boosters and local fans. On top of that, he will arrive on campus in a full-time capacity only after leading the best offense Alabama has fielded under Nick Saban into the College Football Playoff. Maryland has some talent in place, but after a season of tragedy and administrative instability, it’s ready for a fresh start. In his first and only head coaching job at New Mexico from 2009 to ’11, Locksley was accused of age and sex discrimination (all legal claims were resolved) and served a one-game suspension for punching an assistant. This is not to say he doesn’t deserve a second chance after a nearly a decade, but Maryland would have been forgiven for hiring someone with as clean of a record as possible after the year it has endured.
It’ll be interesting to see which directions the two programs go under new leadership. The first eye test will come at spring football, but we’ll have to wait several months to see Ohio State and Maryland in action with new head coaches in place.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB