In the ever-expanding Big Ten, the Ohio State football program will look to remain a top-tier team next fall. The hyper-competitive conference will welcome Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, all of whom made bowl games last season (Washington the title game), into the now-18-team league in 2024. The Buckeyes continue to make high-profile changes, including at quarterback, but on Thursday, they made a lesser-known move regarding their coaching staff. According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the Ohio State Buckeyes have hired pass-rushing coach Brandon Jordan as a defensive assistant.
The Buckeyes made another big-time coaching hire earlier this month, hiring UCLA Bruins head coach Chip Kelly as their next offensive coordinator. Ohio State brought on Kelly after playcaller Bill O’Brien darted for the Boston College head coaching vacancy.
Brandon Jordan: Working with Ohio State Defense Next Season
On Thursday, Ohio State football inked defensive line guru Brandon Jordan to their coaching staff. Jordan spent the 2023 season with the Seattle Seahawks as a pass-rush specialist. Second-year edge rusher Boye Mafe posted a team-high nine sacks, tripling his output from the year prior. The Seahawks finished with 47 sacks, good for the 11th-best mark in the NFL. Before the Seahawks, Jordan worked for the Michigan State Spartans under the same job title.
Ohio State @OhioStateFB hires Brandon Jordan @CoachBTJordan previously #Seahawks and Michigan State @michiganstateu as a defensive program assistant. Highly regarded pass rushing coach has worked with multiple #NFL players, including @RashanAGary @jongreenard7 @SavageSevv…
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) February 22, 2024
Jordan will join the Buckeyes as their third defensive line coach. He will work alongside Larry Johnson and graduate assistant LaAllan Clark. Johnson is entering his 11th season with the Buckeyes, while Clark begins his second. Per the Aaron Wilson report of Brandon Jordan’s hiring, the defensive line coach has worked with future Hall of Famer T.J. Watt, Packers defensive rusher Rashan Gary, free agent Michael Brockers, and Texans linemen Jonathan Greenard and Maliek Collins.
Ohio State Football: Looking for Return to Big Ten Title Game
After four straight trips, all wins, in the Big Ten Championship from 2017 to 2020, the Ohio State Buckeyes are yet to return. Their rival, the Michigan Wolverines, has represented the Big Ten East each of the past three seasons. The Buckeyes have been unable to beat the Wolverines in their annual meet-up during that span, resulting in Ohio State failing to beat them in the East division.
However, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers after the Wolverines won the title last season. Ohio State last lost a conference game to a team other than Michigan in 2018 when they fell to the Purdue Boilermakers.
For More Football News:
Follow me on Twitter at @alec_musa. You can also reach out to me via email at musaalec@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest college and NFL news, click here!