Alex Grinch joins Ohio State coaching staff

Over the course of the past month, there was rampant speculation that Alex Grinch, the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Washington State, was going to leave for a spot on the Ohio State Buckeyes coaching staff. His specific job on staff, however, hasn’t been released yet.

The speculation is now over, as it’s been officially announced that Grinch is part of the Buckeye program, per a press release from Ohio State athletics.

Grinch isn’t unfamiliar with Ohio; he grew up in Grove City, Ohio, and attended Mount Union. At Mount Union, he was part of a program that went 54-1 and won three national championships.

For the last 15 seasons, Grinch has been in the coaching ranks, with notable stops at Missouri (as a graduate assistant), Wyoming, and New Hampshire. At New Hampshire, Grinch was there at the same time as current UCLA head coach Chip Kelly. Grinch was a secondary coach from 2005-08 at New Hampshire; Kelly was the offensive coordinator from 1999-2006, before departing for the same position at Oregon.

At Wazzu, the defense became a turnover juggernaut under Grinch, forcing 51 turnovers over the last two seasons. In each of those years, WSU went to the Holiday bowl—however, they lost to Big Ten programs Minnesota and Michigan State, respectively.

Now in Columbus (and back home in Ohio), Grinch can get the long awaited redemption against Big Ten foes.