Right-hand man: Strength coach molds winners at OSU
— Technically, he isn’t a coach so his name and salary aren’t included on lists identifying Ohio State’s pay structure. However, there’s no debating Mickey Marotti’s place on the hierarchy: equal-footing with Ryan Day.
And his $735,000 salary is a bargain.
“I feel like coach Mick is one of the backbones of this program,” freshman defensive end Zach Harrison told The Blade. “Other things change, but coach Mick is the same. He sees us every single day and talks to us every day, more than our coaches sometimes.”
Marotti, Ohio State’s revered strength and conditioning coach, is a hulking presence with Popeye forearms and biceps to match. The 54-year-old’s booming voice renders a bullhorn irrelevant, as he leads winter workouts and stalks the practice fields.
One of Urban Meyer’s first hires at Ohio State was Marotti, his strength coach during Florida’s glory days. Meyer called Marotti “the most important hire I made on this coaching staff.” Seven years later, Meyer sat down with athletic director Gene Smith to discuss retirement. Featured prominently in the succession plan was Marotti.
“I know the infrastructure, like Gene talked about, is going to be secure with coach Marotti and the rest of the staff,” Meyer said alongside Day at the transition press conference. “I think it’s very healthy.”
Officially, Marotti is the assistant athletic director for football sport performance, a jazzed-up title to illustrate he executes a plan to make Ohio State’s players strong, fast, and mentally tough. He oversees a rigorous workout and nutrition program that’s developed into a year-round enterprise, altering the college football landscape.
This is only the second season since 2005 that Marotti has spent working for a coach not named Urban Meyer, with whom he’s been a confidant of for two decades. The other was 2011 at Florida when Marotti never gelled with Will Muschamp. That’s not a problem with Day, whose relationship with Marotti dates to 2005 when Day was a graduate assistant at Florida.
Marotti’s credentials mirror Meyer’s win-loss record, turning Florida into the nation’s premier program and applying the same standard at OSU. The Buckeyes have had 24 first-team All-Americans and 14 firstround draft picks during Marotti’s tenure. In 2016, Marotti was named the national strength coach of the year.
“Coach Mick is the man,” sophomore cornerback Sevyn Banks said. “He’s going to push us to our limits no matter what and get the best out of us.”
His importance to the overall operation — the Ohio State machine — doesn’t stop with preparation. Marotti is essentially a second head coach, so much so that there’s a transfer of power ceremony held the night before fall camp begins each year, with Marotti handing the team back over to the head coach. His guidance during Meyer’s three-game suspension in 2018 was invaluable for Day.
“The good thing about Ohio State under Gene’s leadership is that the infrastructure is solid top to bottom,” Meyer said. “It’s arguably the best I’ve ever been around. And that’s talking about the academic, coach
Mick and his charges in the sports performance team, player welfare, our training staff, etc., etc.”
During the offseason, it’s Marotti who has unfettered access to the team. He knows the players on a personal level and constantly evaluates their attitude. His influence on the roster is greater than even Day’s impact.
“Everything we want this program to be is embodied by coach Mick,” junior linebacker Tuf Borland said.
The infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is the most-feared workout of the year, a grueling sadistic event organized by Marotti each February. While there’s the appearance of attempting to break the Buckeyes, in actuality it’s about building a team with stockpiles of fortitude. At his core, Marotti is a master motivator.
“Without coach Mick, we wouldn’t be the team we are,” junior linebacker Baron Browning said.
On the wall of Ohio State’s nearly 15,000-square-foot weight room is a sign that reads: “The tougher you are, the tougher you will get.”
“It’s very important that they understand that we care about them first,” Marotti said. “And if they know we care, they’ll give us everything they have.”
His compassion, despite being an imposing figure, is an asset in recruiting. Banks, specifically, mentioned his family’s comfort level with Marotti, who gave off an energy they approved and trusted. It was on display at the Heisman Trophy ceremony when Joe Burrow embraced Marotti before the Ohio State-turned-LSU quarterback reached the stage to deliver a rousing speech, which also included a nod to Marotti.
“It was super special for me,” Burrow said. “I love coach Day and coach Mick with all my heart. I’m also forever grateful for them because they gave me opportunities when not a lot of people were going to out of high school at that level. They’ll forever hold a place in my heart, and I hope they know that.”
Ohio State showed its appreciation to Marotti with a $122,000 raise prior to the season, making him the second-highest-paid strength coach in the country behind Iowa’s Chris Doyle. He already received a 25.5 percent bonus for OSU winning the Big Ten and advancing to the College Football Playoff.
In a raucous, celebratory locker room after the Buckeyes beat Michigan State in October, instead of handing the game ball out to someone who made a difference-making play, Day gave it to Marotti, the man who made it all possible.
“He’s the guy this whole thing is built upon,” Day said. “He’s the backbone and he’s the blood that runs through this whole program. And to say we’re tough, it’s because of him and his strength staff and all the work that they put in with these guys.”
‘He’s going to push us to our limits no matter what and get the best out of us.’
sophomore cornerback Sevyn Banks