Okudah leaving, but coach stays
One Ohio State football player made his expected departure official on Wednesday. One Buckeyes assistant coach expected to leave won’t.
Unanimous All-america cornerback Jeff Okudah announced that he would become the second Buckeye underclassman to enter the 2020 NFL draft.
Like J.K. Dobbins, who
Okudah announced his decision on Monday, Okudah foregoing his senior season was considered a certainty. He is projected as a possible topfive selection in the draft.
The other news was that senior quality control coach Corey Dennis will be promoted to quarterbacks coach, sources confirmed to The Dispatch. An announcement is expected next week.
Dennis, the son-in-law of former coach Urban Meyer, had been expected to join Steve Addazio’s staff at Colorado State, where Meyer was an assistant
early in his career. Dennis replaces Mike Yurcich, who will join former Buckeyes assistant Tom Herman’s staff as offensive coordinator at Texas.
Okudah announced his decision on Twitter. He also described his OSU journey in The Players’ Tribune in a letter to his late mother, who died shortly after he arrived on campus.
“As I embark on the next part of my journey, I leave feeling like there was still more to be accomplished by this team,” he wrote on Twitter. “However, I also leave knowing that the competitive excellence that makes Ohio State the best university in the country has been in place long before I arrived and will continue long after I leave.
“It has been my honor to be a part of a brotherhood as strong as the one here at Ohio State. I hope that during my time here that I did not only grasp but embodied what it means to be a Buckeye.”
Okudah, a 6-foot1, 200-pounder from Grand Prairie, Texas, was a shutdown cornerback on the Buckeyes’ vastly improved defense. He was a finalist for the Thorpe Award given to the country’s top defensive back. He was also an OSU Scholar-athlete.
Okudah had three interceptions and nine pass breakups even though opponents usually avoided throwing his way. He also forced two fumbles.
He would have been credited with a third forced fumble if not for the controversial replay-review reversal of a strip he had against Clemson in a College Football Playoff semifinal loss. The reversal to an incompletion negated a fumble recovery for a touchdown by Jordan Fuller that would have given Ohio State the lead.
Okudah was part of Ohio State’s banner 2017 recruiting class. The only player ranked above Okudah in that Buckeyes’ class was defensive end Chase Young, who’s considered likely to be a top-2 pick in next year’s NFL draft. Young has yet to declare for the draft.
Fellow cornerback Shaun Wade will announce on Saturday from his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, whether he will also leave for the NFL.
Dennis, 27, has been a member of the Buckeyes’ support staff since 2015. He started as an intern and graduate assistant before becoming senior quality control coach with the offense in 2018.
Dennis played wide receiver and defensive back at Georgia Tech, where he met and later married Meyer’s older daughter, Nicki.
Last month, before Yurcich’s departure, Dennis appeared poised to leave Columbus
and join Colorado State’s coaching staff. According to The Coloradoan of Fort Collins, Dennis attended Addazio’s introductory news conference at the school.
Day did little to dispute reports that suggested Dennis’ departure was imminent. When asked two weeks ago whether Dennis was headed to Colorado State, Day smiled and indicated the move was in the works.
“I know he has a chance,” Day said then of Dennis’ possible hire by CSU.
In his new role, Dennis will oversee a quarterback room that features Justin Fields, who successfully took over for Dwayne Haskins Jr. and was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy last month, as well as returning senior Gunnar Hoak and incoming freshmen Jack Miller and C.J. Stroud.
Fields passed for 3,273 yards with 41 touchdowns to three interceptions in his debut season as a sophomore.
While Dennis will work with the quarterbacks, Day remains the primary offensive play-caller for the Buckeyes and is heavily involved with the development of the passers.