The offseason moves are still coming for the state of Ohio. Shortly after it was reported by Yahoo’s Pete Thamel and confirmed by Bucknuts that the Buckeyes would hire the former head coach of the Iowa state. Paul Rhoads as a defense analyst, two more positions were filled.
Head coach Ryan Day will add more Scarlet and Gray defensive star CJ Barnett to the staff as the director of player development. This was reported by Tony Gerdeman of Buckeye Scoop. Barnett will replace the pass departure Ryan Stamper in the same role. Stamper left Buckeye program to join former OSU head coach Urban Meyer as director of player assessment at the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In this role, Barnett will have the task of ‘an administrative resource for players in all areas of their development. ‘Stamper used to handle community outreach and prepare players for life after football. He helped create the very successful Real Life Wednesday program in the state of Ohio. Barnett will have to play a similar role at Day’s. staff.
The Scarlet and Gray can also be added Todd Fitch as an offensive analyst Bucknuts taught, similar to the role Rhoads would take on, but on the other side of the ball. Fitch has 30 years of experience in college coaching, including working with Day at Boston College in 2013-14 when he served as wide receiving coach and passing game coordinator and Day was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.
Barnett played security at Ohio State from 2009 to 13 and was a four-year-old letterman. He started three seasons for the Buckeyes, including the leading Scarlet and Gray with 75 total tackles in 2011 and second place with 85 tackles as a senior in 2013. Barnett registered 224 total tackles for his college career, defending 12 passes, four distinctions and four dives for a loss. He was named a team captain for his senior season.
Since his playing days, Barnett has worked for the Columbus Police Department for the past two years and was recently honored as part of the Ohio stories “Buckeyes on the Frontline.”
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Fitch, who played defensively in Ohio Wesleyan from 1992-85, began his coaching career at Battling Bishop in 1986 as a graduate assistant. He served in similar roles at Bowling Green and West Virginia before holding his first full-time reception as a wide-ranging reception coach at the Hawks in 1990. Since then, Fitch has held a number of different positions at schools across the country, including his time. in Boston College, who coached wide receivers, backs and backs for various seasons, spent time in South Carolina and last year as an attacking coordinator and coach at Vanderbilt, where he was also the interim head coach of the team.