Vince Oghobaase to join Ohio State staff

CoachingSearch.com's Pete Roussel reports he's learned that Duke graduate assistant Vince Oghobaase will join Ohio State's coaching staff. It's expected given the current make up of Ohio State's staff he'll be doing so in the same capacity. At Duke (where Oghobaase was an All-American before a brief cup of coffee with both the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins of the NFL), Oghobaase worked with the defensive line for head coach David Cutcliffe where he's done so for the last two seasons.

NCAA rules historically have only allowed a graduate assistant to serve in that role for two years. However, if that individual successfully completes 24-semester hours (or equivalent at institutions that have quarters) during the initial two-year period, the individual may serve as a graduate assistant coach for a third year, which sounds like will be the case with Oghobaase.

Graduate assistants receive full grant-in-aids as full-time graduate students and are required to take at least 50 percent of a regular graduate program load of courses while performing their duties with the sport they serve for. Those individuals are prohibited from emailing, texting, or conducting other written correspondences with prospective student athletes nor can they conduct off-campus evaluations. They are, however, allowed to make phone calls to recruits, as long as they've successfully completed the NCAA coaches cerification exam.

An NCAA rule change in 2012 allowed institutions like Ohio State to go from just two graduate assistants to four. The move was permitted both due to the rising need for additional hands in conducting major college football staffs as well as to help create additional minority coaching opportunities.