The Ohio State Buckeyes are undergoing coaching changes within Ryan Day’s staff as the college football offseason gets underway. According to a statement from the university, special teams coordinator Parker Fleming has been relieved of his duties after three seasons in the role.
Fleming initially joined Ohio State in 2018 as a quality control coach and was later promoted to the full-time coaching staff in 2021. Throughout his tenure, both Fleming and the special teams unit faced scrutiny, particularly in the 2023 season, where they encountered significant challenges.
This year, the Buckeyes struggled in various aspects of special teams play, ranking poorly nationally. In punt returns, they were ranked 100th, with less than five yards per return. Additionally, they placed 65th in kick return yards and 33rd in field goal kicking.
Despite these challenges, there is a positive development as the Buckeyes have secured a replacement for safeties coach Perry Eliano, whose contract was not renewed. The newly appointed safeties coach is Matt Guerrieri, the former co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Indiana.
Guerrieri previously served with Ohio State in 2022 as a senior advisor and analyst. Before joining the Buckeyes, he spent a decade with the Duke Blue Devils, starting as a graduate assistant in 2012 and eventually becoming the co-defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021.
