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Ohio State adds former Oregon LB, UCLA defensive assistant Tony Washington Jr. as assistant defensive line coach

Spencer-Holbrookby:Spencer Holbrook•03/01/25•

SpencerHolbrook

Ohio State helmet by Mick Walker -- Lettermen Row --
Ohio State helmet (Mick Walker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State is adding a young defensive line coach to its coaching staff for the upcoming 2025 football season.

The Buckeyes have added former UCLA outside linebackers coach and defensive line coach Tony Washington Jr. to their coaching staff, Lettermen Row confirmed Saturday afternoon. Washington will work with the defensive line under Larry Johnson for the Buckeyes, taking over the role that LaAllan Clark vacated when he took the outside linebackers coaching role at Texas.

Washington Jr. served as the UCLA outside linebackers coach and defensive line coach last season, but he was at Oregon as the outside linebackers coach in 2023, was the Ducks assistant defensive line coach in 2022, served as the Director of Player Development at Oregon in 2021 and was a graduate assistant at Nebraska in 2019 and 2020.

The former Oregon linebacker played for the Ducks from 2012-2015, including playing on the 2014 Oregon team that lost to Ohio State in the national championship game. He was an undrafted free agent to the Houston Texans in 2015 and played in Houston for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He also played for the Tennessee Titans practice squad for two seasons before getting into coaching.

Washington is a Los Angeles, California, native.

Now he’ll be tasked with helping Larry Johnson and the Ohio State defensive ends and outside linebackers, a spot that could be valuable under new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. The Buckeyes have returning potential stars Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry at defensive end and have C.J. Hicks working more and more with the EDGE rushers this offseason as it has progressed.

Washington also recruited Ohio State defensive end Epi Sitanilei to UCLA, where Sitanilei was committed before flipping to the Buckeyes on National Signing Day back in December.

Now Washington will help Johnson coach both defensive ends and outside linebackers fresh off the Ohio State national title. He’s being added as a member of the Buckeyes new-look defensive coaching staff.


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