Ohio State has its next running backs coach to replace the outgoing Tony Alford, announcing the hiring of an individual Ryan Day believes will “bring an edge” to the position group.

That individual is Carlos Locklyn, a fast-rising assistant coach who was serving as Oregon’s RBs coach under Dan Lanning. Locklyn’s first collegiate job came at Memphis in 2017, and he was at Western Kentucky for the 2021 season.

Now, he’s heading to Columbus after two seasons with the Ducks, helping develop an offensive attack that included Bucky Irving rushing for over 2,200 yards from 2022-23.

Locklyn’s background includes spending time as a corrections officer and time as a high school coordinator, a story Day said appealed to himself and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Locklyn is viewed as someone who can have a great impact as recruiting as well.

“When you hear his story — where he came from, how he came up in the business — Chip and I were really were both very excited about the possibility we could hire him here,” Day said Tuesday morning on 97.1′s “Morning Juice” via Cleveland.com.

“Now that he’s coming, we’re extremely excited for the rom. I think he can have a great impact on our room, a great impact on recruiting and be a tremendous coach.”

While Alford was a coaching veteran dating back to the early 90s, Locklyn is entering just his 8th season in the college ranks and his 16th season coaching overall. He’s a native of Alabama and played collegiately at Chattanooga.

The reasons for Alford leaving Ohio State to jump to Sherrone Moore’s Michigan program have been debated, but the ability to snag Locklyn should be viewed as a big win for the Buckeyes. The fact Day and Kelly are excited about his arrival should be enough for fans and an ultra-talented running back room that includes TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.