Scott Beigie remembers one of the first times Greg Studrawa came to Walsh Jesuit High School to meet with to star offensive lineman and Ohio State signee Jack Wohlabaugh. Studrawa made it pretty difficult to forget.
"Coach Studrawa has this big personality," Beigie told Eleven Warriors Wednesday. "He was yelling in the halls as we were coming down and I'm like, 'There's classes going on, you're killing me!'"
Studrawa made multiple trips to Walsh Jesuit upon his hire Jan. 15 to establish the foundation to his relationship with the three-star offensive lineman and ease any would-be tension the player had for signing to work with a different coach than the one that recruited him. Wohlabaugh committed to Ohio State in April 2015 with the belief Ed Warinner would be his position coach.
Less than a month before signing day, however, Urban Meyer brought in Studrawa and shifted Warinner to tight ends coach so as to take some weight off the offensive coordinator's shoulders and allow him to stay in the press box during games.
Wohlabaugh, though, is not worried about the shift in coaching personnel.
"No, it really hasn't changed anything," Wohlabaugh told Eleven Warriors. "I just look at it as a better opportunity, because two great O-line coaches are there."
Wohlabaugh knew Studrawa from the latter's time at Maryland, where he coached the Terrapin offensive line in 2014 and 2015. That's where he started getting to know and recruiting Wohlabaugh, who attended a Maryland camp a few years ago.
“I had a good relationship with Coach Hinton, so I'm glad to see he's still in the program. I still talk to him. I also built a relationship with Coach Warinner, so I have no worries.”– Luke Farrell
Studrawa's addition caused more staff attrition, though, because Tim Hinton had served as the team's tight ends coach the last four seasons. Meyer shifted him to an administrative role and special assistant to the head coach. He is still around, but no longer in a coaching capacity.
But the fact Hinton remains employed by the Buckeyes is seen as a positive for one of three tight end commitments in the 2016 class.
"I had a good relationship with Coach Hinton, so I'm glad to see he's still in the program," Luke Farrell told Eleven Warriors Thursday. "I still talk to him. I also built a relationship with Coach Warinner, so I have no worries."
Farrell shares the same mindset as Wohlabaugh. The more high-profile coaches available at the place they plan to call home starting in June, the better.
"It's going to help us out, if anything," Farrell said.
Meyer ordered the change in personnel because he had to. Warinner needed to stay in the press box to call plays like he did the final two games of the 2015 season. Ohio State throttled Michigan 42-13 in the regular season finale in Ann Arbor, then dispatched Notre Dame 44-28 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Coaches seem to change jobs more than ever in this age of college football, so recruits adjust too. Just look at the names that have came and gone from Meyer's program before what is now his fifth season: Everett Withers, Mike Vrabel, Stan Drayton, Tom Herman and Chris Ash.
Bringing in Studrawa allows Warinner to stay above alongside quarterbacks coach Tim Beck, but Ohio State also hopes it allows its offense to play with tempo like it did to end last season. New blood can make anyone uncomfortable, however, but that isn't the case with Wohlabaugh or Farrell.
Ohio State made sure of that.
"I remember right when it changed and I went out to lunch or something with Coach Warinner and he got me on the phone with (Studrawa) right away and we talked," Wohlabaugh said. "It was all good."
Added Biegie, the man who pushed Wohlabaugh and developed him into an Ohio State recruit: "They did a phenomenal job of being on top of it and then meeting his new coach as well, he was awesome."
Studrawa's infectious personality was evident this spring, his first opportunity to work with the talent Warinner, Meyer and others recruited to Columbus. More skill is on the way in the form of Wohlabaugh, Farrell and others at tight end and on the offensive line.
But the amount of uneasiness from a change in the staff such a short time before signing day became second fiddle because of Ohio State's efforts to assure comfort on both sides of the recruiting process.
"They stopped up if they were in the area doing other things, they always made it a point to come back and Coach was great coming in here," Beigie said. "He would just talk to me for a few minutes and try to get Jack so they could connect and stay in touch just face-to-face which always means more than Twitter or phone call or anything like that."
