Carlos Locklyn was getting out of bed to go work out when he saw his phone light up with the first text from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. The Oregon running backs coach was so excited he turned to show his wife, Victoria.
“She said, ‘I don’t know who that is, let me find my glasses,’” Locklyn said with a laugh.
Locklyn described his feelings while talking with Day later that day as a “kid on Christmas morning.” Locklyn said a few other schools reached out to this offseason about jobs, but Ohio State stood out. The Buckeyes are one of the most recognizable programs in the country, with arguably the best running back group in college football and full focus on a national championship in 2024. It made sense for him to make the jump.
Locklyn spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since taking over as running backs coach, replacing Tony Alford, who left for the same job at Michigan. A few takeaways from his comments:
A ‘slam dunk’ hire
This was no simple search for Day. After Alford left for Michigan in March, Day said he talked to more than 12 candidates, mostly via video call. Much like his offensive coordinator search earlier this offseason, Day wasn’t going to rush things. Ohio State was left without a running backs coach in the middle of spring…
