Scarlet Sunrise: Former Ohio State defensive staffer named Indiana co-DC
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Former Ohio State defensive staffer Matt Guerrieri named Indiana co-DC
Former Ohio State senior advisor and analyst Matt Guerrieri was officially named Indiana’s co-defensive coordinator Friday. This news comes more than a month after Guerrieri, 34, took the DC job at Tulsa on Jan. 6. He joined the Golden Hurricane staff following the head coach hiring of former Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson.
Guerrieri arrived in Columbus in 2022 to work alongside Buckeyes defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jim Knowles. They overlapped for six years at Duke, where Knowles was DC from 2010-17. When Knowles left Duke to become defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, Guerrieri became the Blue Devils’ co-defensive coordinator, a position he held for four seasons (2018-21).
Guerrieri spent a total of 10 years at Duke, starting as a graduate assistant and then being elevated to safeties coach ahead of the 2015 season. He coached that position group the next seven seasons, even holding that responsibility when he was promoted to co-DC.
Guerrieri worked with the Buckeyes safeties this past season and was part of a Knowles-led defensive overhaul that saw Ohio State improve significantly on that side of the ball in 2022 (just not enough in the biggest games of the season).
Guerrieri will try to mend an Indiana defense that seems to have had a revolving door at that coordinator position and has ranked last in the Big Ten in points per game allowed each of the past two seasons.
How Hero Kanu can break out, become star on Buckeyes defensive interior
When defensive tackle Hero Kanu arrived at Ohio State ahead of the 2022 season, the path to playing time was steep. So he embraced the process of learning from those ahead of him on the depth chart, most notably Mike Hall and Ty Hamilton.
Kanu said he wants to become a player with a combination of Hall’s athleticism and Hamilton’s strength. Those are some lofty goals, but the former four-star prospect from Rancho Santa Margarita, California, has already come a long way, according to Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
Read about Kanu’s development and aspirations here.
Film Room: Breaking down Ohio State QB Kyle McCord’s 2021 snaps
C.J. Stroud is off to the NFL. There was no drop-off when the two-time Heisman Trophy finalist replaced Justin Fields as the Buckeyes’ QB1 in 2021. Will Ohio State complete another seamless handoff this time around? That’s largely up to junior Kyle McCord and redshirt freshman Devin Brown. It’s a two-way race for Stroud’s old job. McCord has the inside track since he backed up Stroud the last two seasons. But we’ll be breaking down each quarterback’s tape ahead of spring ball in this “film room” series.
So let’s start at the beginning. Lettermen Row re-watched every snap of McCord’s 2021 season. How did the St. Joe’s Prep (Philadelphia) product fare as a true freshman?
For a thorough breakdown, including game GIFs and play analysis, head on over here.
Counting down
Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 196 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 280 days
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