Buckeyes assistant Matt Barnes accepts Memphis defensive coordinator job

COLUMBUS — Matt Barnes stepped up when Ohio State needed to make a defensive play-calling change early this season.

He did a good enough job to land a permanent defensive coordinator position.

Barnes has accepted an offer to become the next defensive coordinator at Memphis, he confirmed to Lettermen Row shortly after the Rose Bowl.

Barnes began the season as an assistant to defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs for the Buckeyes. But after the disappointing loss to Oregon in mid-September, the Buckeyes made a play-calling change, handing the keys to the defense over to Barnes for the final 11 games of the season.

Ohio State certainly improved during Barnes run as defensive play-caller. He made changes, including putting the Buckeyes in different looks that helped them confuse offenses on their way to climbing back into respectable territory as a unit.

The Buckeyes will soon hand play-calling duties and full responsibilities to new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who was a Broyles Award finalist this season at Oklahoma State. At least one defensive coach was going to be replaced, and Banes move to Memphis has the Buckeyes back at 10 assistant coaches.

Barnes wasn’t sure if he would be around with Knowles. Now it’s known that he won’t be there to help complete the defensive turnaround.

“Right now, I’m just trying to go win this game,” Barnes said Tuesday in Los Angeles. “If you watched Utah on tape, you know how much work it’s going to take to try to get that done. Sometimes I can be obsessive, and I’m really just obsessed about this game and trying to give our kids a great opportunity to go win it.”

Barnes stuck around to help the Buckeyes secure a Rose Bowl win over the Utes on Saturday night.

Moving forward, though, Barnes won’t be at Ohio State. He is moving on to becoming the next defensive coordinator at Memphis after helping turn the Buckeyes defense around.