Ohio State defensive backs brace for another new position coach

COLUMBUS — Jahsen Wint has had three defensive backs coaches in four years at Ohio State.

So when Wint and the defensive backs were told before the season that if they were good enough, they would play, it took some convincing.

“I told the guys today: ‘We have about a week and a half until we play, so I want everybody to prove to me that they have earned the right to go into the rotation,’” Buckeyes co-defensive coordinator and new Boston College coach Jeff Hafley told them in August. “If they do, I’ll play them.

“That’s the truth. That’s exactly what I said in the meeting today.”

But after a third position coach, it’s understandable why a certain trust had to be earned before Wint could completely believe if he showed he could play, he would play. Then late in the season, Damon Arnette had a back injury. Shaun Wade missed the Michigan game. Jeff Okudah was sidelined for a portion of the Big Ten title game. Suddenly, what Hafley said came true. Wint was practicing well and proving that he could play. So he did.

“You just never know when your number’s going to be called,” Wint said. “I just had to step in at a crucial time. It was good.”

Wint, along with other unsung defensive backs Amir Riep, Sevyn Banks and Marcus Hooker all saw time when least expected at the tail-end of the regular season. None of those players have had the same defensive backs coach in consecutive years. All of them certainly showed Hafley at least something that proved they belonged on the field when they were there — in critical moments of big games.

Now, they all must start back at just catching the eye of another defensive backs coach, who could be the Buckeyes fourth in as many years.

“It’s pretty tough,” Banks said after a long pause. “You just have to adapt to your environment. It’s going to happen. You just have to understand that.”

But it could also stay at three coaches in four years. Lettermen Row reported that Tennessee Titans defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs is the leading candidate to replace Hafley. Coombs coached at Ohio State from 2012 to 2017 and recruited many of the defensive backs currently in the room for the Buckeyes.

Even if the old position coach returns, Wint knows what he needs to do to show Coombs he can play in Wint’s upcoming final Ohio State season.

“I just have to make sure I stay consistent now,” Wint said. “We still have more games to play, so I have to stay focused and locked in, because it only gets harder.”

With all the turnover on the defensive staff, extending further than just the defensive backs revolving door, Wint and the other secondary members have learned to rely on each other for guidance and teaching. Coaches can leave after one year, but players must stick around for at least three.

Jordan Fuller, the senior captain and eraser of the defense on the back end, has been a typical source of knowledge at Ohio State for Wint and the other defensive backs while coaches have been coming and going.

“Every time I have a question, I just go straight to [Fuller],” Wint said.

The two were part of the same 2016 recruiting class brought to Columbus by Coombs. Fuller has been a three-year starter for Ohio State and an all-conference player. Wint hasn’t been able to find much footing in the rotation of defensive backs.

With one year left, a new position coach is coming once again. It can wear on players, but Wint is looking at the bright side as he prepares for his final season.

He wants on the field, and he doesn’t care where that might be.

“I’m not sure. I’m playing linebacker, safety and everything,” he said. “We’ll see when it comes.”