Greg Schiano is a man of simple taste. He wants to help young people, compete at the highest level and coach football. He has been able to do that in his lengthy football career, which has spanned across multiple college teams and NFL franchises.
Schiano, Ohio State's newest co-defensive coordinator and associate head coach, was last in football as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013. Becoming a head coach again is constantly in his mind, but his more than two-year hiatus from the profession allowed him to refocus his intentions and find what he needs to do in order to better himself.
"I had been a head coach for 13 years and then after the NFL had done some TV work with ESPN and with NFL Network," Schiano said Thursday at his introductory press conference. "So, going through different scenarios, different situations, I wanted to get back on the field. And I wanted to do it in college. So, to do it in college, I wanted to do it with someone that I really aligned closely with."
It all added up with accepting an assistant position with an old friend, Urban Meyer, in Columbus.
"Truthfully, as an assistant, it really would only have been with very few people. And Coach Meyer being at the head of the list," Schiano said. "So, it ends up working out that way, so I’m very excited about it. Looking forward to, like I said, serving the staff, serving Coach Meyer, and most importantly, serving our players."
“To me, when you’re coaching college football, it’s a great opportunity to influence young men, and you have to be around young men of character in a program that insists on that character. Ohio State and Coach Meyer certainly represent that. So, it was a natural fit.”– Greg Schiano
Schiano accepted Meyer's offer a week ago. He built Rutgers into a respectable Big East program in his 11 seasons there before heading to Tampa Bay. Ironically, the man he replaces at Ohio State, Chris Ash, is the next head coach of the Scarlet Knights, once the Buckeyes finish their 2015 season at the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 1 against Notre Dame.
"From an outsider looking in, having Greg and I standing here together, me going out to go to Rutgers and him coming in to take my job here at Ohio State looks odd, looks a little challenging," Ash said Thursday. "But it’s been fine."
Schiano also admitted its been "odd" that he hasn't really been able to sink his teeth in much with regards to the coaching aspect of his job since heading to Columbus. With Ash is still around, the most Schiano's done is recruit.
Ohio State's current starting safeties, Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell, admitted they haven't spoken to Schiano much—if at all.
"I haven’t talked to him," Bell said Thursday.
"I just know who he is from his past experiences he’s had," added Powell. "Coach Meyer did introduce him to the team as the new defensive coordinator. He gave a few little words, but nothing serious."
But, Meyer knows exactly how his newest assistant will fit into his staff once the Fiesta Bowl ends. He will work alongside defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.
"Luke is the defensive coordinator. Did a heck of a job for us this year, second in the nation in scoring defense," Meyer said. "I see Greg, once Chris leaves, assuming a very similar role; that Chris was an impact hire. As you notice, I like to have two people kind of in that room."
Schiano is in the process of getting his feet wet in Columbus, but is anxious to truly get going once the Buckeyes return from the desert. He will not coach the team in Glendale, Arizona.
"I have a history with Coach Meyer that goes back pretty far and we’re both closely aligned in our beliefs," Schiano said. "So, I think it’s going to be a great situation."
His current situation puts him in a different office than Ash at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, but the two have seen each other plenty since his arrival.
"Any way I can help him, I’ve tried to. And he’s done the same," Schiano said. "I’m going to be coaching guys that he coached and he’s helped me try to get up to speed with that."
Recognizing Meyer's wealthy history of sending assistants into the head coaching ranks added to an opportunity to get to know college players again from recruiting all the way until they leave a place like Ohio State made Schiano feel like his new job is a perfect fit.
"To me, when you’re coaching college football, it’s a great opportunity to influence young men, and you have to be around young men of character in a program that insists on that character," Schiano said. "Ohio State and Coach Meyer certainly represent that. So, it was a natural fit."
