Ohio State football: Cornerback leaving, coach reportedly staying

Ohio State football had New Year’s Day off, but the Buckeyes were still in the news.

All-American cornerback Jeffrey Okudah announced Wednesday he will skip his last season in Columbus and head to the NFL.

A five-star recruit coming out of Texas, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder led the team with three interceptions this season and logged 30 tackles. He also broke up seven passes.

Okudah made the first team of all five major All-America selectors to become Ohio State’s first unanimous All-American since center Billy Price in 2017.

>>RELATED: Buckeyes’ season ends in Fiesta Bowl7 TakeawaysMistakes add to sting of loss

The last unanimous All-American defensive back at Ohio State was safety Malik Hooker in 2016, and Okudah is the first Buckeye cornerback to receive such distinction.

Joining Okudah and Hooker as unanimous All-American defensive backs at Ohio State are Mike Doss and Jack Tatum.

Meanwhile, multiple reports indicate Corey Dennis will be promoted to quarterbacks coach.

A native of Troy, Ala., Dennis came to Ohio State as an intern in 2015.

He was a graduate assistant the following two seasons before becoming a “senior quality control coach” in 2018.

That gave him “increased off-field coaching responsibilities in the areas of game planning, practice planning and daily organization with both the wide receiver and quarterback units” according to his official bio, but he has listed himself as assistant quarterbacks coach on Twitter.

In his new position, Dennis would be allowed to recruit off campus and coach on the field, but he has already been heavily involved with the quarterbacks and the subject of frequent praise from multiple players over the past two seasons.

>>RELATED: Notable numbers from the 2019 Ohio State football season 

This move comes shortly after multiple reports Dennis would be leaving to become quarterbacks coach at Colorado State, a move Day all but confirmed at a press conference in December when he said he did not want to confirm it before CSU made an announcement.

However, an opening on Day’s staff was created in the past week when passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich left to become offensive coordinator at Texas.

About the Author