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It was a jam-packed morning for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The 2018 recruiting class saw additions of Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Tyler Friday, Chris Olave and Nicolas Petit-Frere.
Petit-Frere, an offensive tackle, was recruited by Greg Schiano, who was thought to be gearing up for another stint in the NFL. However, that didn’t materialize, and better yet, it appears that Schiano will be staying with the Buckeyes for the foreseeable future.
Greg Schiano tells me he is staying at #OhioState contrary to reports from Monday that he was leaving for the Patriots. Big day for the Buckeyes. Schiano played a key part in landing top OT Nick Petit-Frere out of Tampa.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 7, 2018
Schiano did masterful work in getting Petit-Frere, who was graded by the 247sports composite as the No. 1 OT and No. 7 prospect in the class, out of Tampa—and even more importantly, away from the clutches of SEC powers Florida and Alabama.
But, Schiano staying put wasn’t the only coaching update surrounding the Buckeyes; there were a few other updates worth mentioning.
Meyer and a contract extension
Urban Meyer’s salary is roughly $6.4 million per year. He brings in loaded recruiting classes, puts people in seats inside The Horseshoe, beats Michigan, and gets the Buckeyes in contention for titles come December.
With all the things he’s done, it was only a matter of time before a fresh contract extension would find him. During the Wednesday press conference, Meyer was asked about his future at OSU, and said that he planned on signing an extension “soon”.
His current deal keeps him in Ohio’s capital city until 2020, but with the extension, he would be the head man in charge of the Scarlet and Gray until 2022.
After the presser, athletic director Gene Smith didn’t divulge the dollar amounts of an extension, but did note that there would be assistant coaches making $1 million in the 2018 season.
Could that $1 million club include Schiano? Maybe even Ryan Day or Kevin Wilson? We’ll find out once the deals are signed and approved.
Graduate assistant Randall Joyner leaving for SMU DE coach position
Randall Joyner is a defensive grad assistant for the Buckeyes, and worked under defensive line coach Larry Johnson. Uh, well, that was his position until Wednesday afternoon.
Joyner, who was a four-time letterman at SMU, is going home to his alma mater. He’ll take over as a defensive ends coach for the Mustangs, under new head coach Sonny Dykes
Buckeye Nation Please Read.
— Randall Joyner (@LetsGo_Bo5) February 7, 2018
Excited about this New Chapter in my life! Excited to join Coach Dykes’s Staff at SMU and Go back home to my Alma Mater as the Defensive Ends Coach! This is more than a position but an opportunity to impact lives for the better! pic.twitter.com/uy8ARa4qDX
A Mustang linebacker from 2010-13 when June Jones was coach, Joyner amassed 240 career tackles, and led the team with 98 in his senior campaign.
Graduate Assistant Ryan Crow on the move to the Tennessee Titans
Joyner wasn’t the only grad assistant to be on the move on Wednesday. Ryan Crow, who was a defensive coach for OSU, will be departing for a position in the NFL with Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans, according to Footballscoop.
Crow has been with the Buckeyes since January 2017, and before that, spent three seasons at Baldwin-Wallace where he was offensive line coach (2014) and offensive coordinator (2015-16).