All of Ohio State’s returning assistants received rave reviews from Ryan Day in their performance reviews for 2024-25.
After helping Day lead Ohio State to a national championship last season, Ohio State’s head coach assessed that all seven of Ohio State’s returning assistant coaches – Brian Hartline, Carlos Locklyn, Keenan Bailey, Larry Johnson, James Laurinaitis, Tim Walton and Matt Guerrieri – performed “above expectations” for the 2024-25 academic year. General manager Mark Pantoni and director of sports performance Mickey Marotti were also graded as “above expectations.”
Ohio State’s three new full-time assistant coaches – defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, offensive line coach/run game coordinator Tyler Bowen and quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler – received grades of “meets expectations.” Patricia and Bowen joined Ohio State this offseason while Fessler was promoted from his role as an offensive analyst last season.
The performance reviews also gave a glimpse into each assistant’s goals and Day’s goals for them entering the 2025 season, as well as some of each assistant’s thoughts on how the past year went. Notably, Walton’s performance review revealed that his goal is to become a college football head coach while Pantoni described the last year as a “very rewarding and challenging year at the same time,” citing the “ultimate prize” of winning the national championship but the difficulty of navigating the new landscape of college football with NIL, revenue sharing and the transfer portal.
We’ve compiled some notes below from all of their performance reviews, which were compiled in June but released by Ohio State on Wednesday in response to public records requests. You can click on each assistant’s name to read his full performance review.
OC/WR coach Brian Hartline
- Hartline’s goals for the 2025 season include being the “best Offensive Coordinator in the country day in and day out” while continuing to develop, enhance and recruits the best wide receivers in college football and provide value in the community.
- Day’s objectives for Hartline include maximizing Ohio State’s offensive personnel and creatively enhancing Ohio State’s offensive system and program.
DC Matt Patricia
- Patricia’s goals for his first year at Ohio State include building “strong relationships with staff, players and members of building,” learning and acclimating to college football and assisting ”with new structure of college football based off previous experiences.”
- Day’s goals for Patricia include utilizing his “leadership and NFL experience in various parts of building” and helping the Buckeyes “evaluate best players that fit scheme and Ohio State.”
Co-DC/DB coach Tim Walton
- Walton’s goals include mentoring his players and preparing them for life and increasing “financial awareness as NIL becomes more prevalent.”
- Walton’s top professional development goal is to become a college football head coach.
- Day’s goals for Walton are to enhance Ohio State’s defensive scheme and play a role in special teams, “equate” his meeting room between younger and older defensive backs and “evaluate, recruit, and retain Ohio State caliber players.”
Co-OC/TE coach Keenan Bailey
- Bailey kept his performance goals simple: “Win the national championship” and “develop the closest, best executing TE unit in the country.”
- Day’s goals for Bailey include expanding his leadership from the tight end room to the entire offense.
S coach/pass game coordinator Matt Guerrieri
- Like Bailey, Guerrieri has simple performance goals: “Beat TUN, win Big 10 Championship, win National Championship”
- Day’s goals for Guerrieri include “recruit and evaluate top Safeties across country that fit Ohio State” and “provide best in country technique & coaching” during special teams meetings and practices.
DL coach/associate head coach Larry Johnson
- Johnson’s goals include beating Michigan, winning the Big Ten and national championships and having a top-five defense in the country.
- Day’s goals for Johnson were to “evaluate, recruit, and develop elite level DL,” become the strongest unit on the team and identify ways to enhance the defense.
LB coach James Laurinaitis
- Laurinaitis’ goals include developing “the best linebackers in the country” and building “relationships that last a lifetime."
- Laurinaitis also wants to “enhance our kickoff unit to the best in the country and evaluate what our philosophy should be on a play that has become routine with touchbacks.”
- Day’s goals for Laurinaitis include “continue to evaluate and recruit LBs that best suit the room” as well as enhancing Ohio State’s special teams.
RB coach Carlos Locklyn
- Locklyn’s goals include recruiting, signing and developing “the best young men in the country” and developing as a leader, communicator and motivator.
- Day’s goals for Locklyn include “recruit and bring in right fits for team/unit” and connecting with “all members of the team” in addition to the running back unit.
OL coach Tyler Bowen
- Bowen said he was “impressed with Coach Day and the entire organization” in his first offseason at Ohio State and said he’s “looking to contribute in every way to Ohio State Football.”
- Day challenged Bowen to make Ohio State’s offensive line “one of the most productive and efficient OL in country.”
QB coach Billy Fessler
- Fessler’s goals include becoming the best quarterbacks coach in the country and allowing Ohio State’s quarterbacks “to play with the confidence that they are the most prepared group in the country.”
- Day’s goals for Fessler include recruiting and evaluating “the right QBs for Ohio State” and enhancing Ohio State’s offensive system.
GM Mark Pantoni
- Pantoni said his biggest goal from a team perspective “was to retain all of our top seniors which we were able to accomplish,” providing “the leadership and backbone to accomplish the ultimate goal of winning a national championship.”
- His biggest goal from a recruiting perspective “is always to sign a top 5 recruiting class,” which Ohio State also accomplished for the 2025 class (though its 2026 class is currently ranked ninth in 247Sports’ composite rankings).
- From an NIL perspective, Pantoni felt Ohio State was “able to build the roster from an economic efficiency standpoint,” citing the team’s blend of returning veterans, portal additions and freshmen. He said the Buckeyes “did not have many 'bad' investments where players were overpaid.”
- “Working in such a tumultuous landscape in college football with no structure or guardrails has been extremely challenging,” Pantoni said. “Trying to figure out NIL valuations with little to no information is tough while at the same time the decisions are critical for success.”
- Pantoni described the last year as a “very rewarding and challenging year at the same time but it's led to tremendous growth for me personally and professionally.”
- He described winning the national championship as “the ultimate prize for all the hard work everyone in the building strives for - most importantly the players.”
- Day’s objectives for Pantoni include “creatively assemble the most dynamic roster in the country” and “remain up to date with changes in college football landscape and governance to best position Ohio State.”
Director of sports performance Mickey Marotti
- Marotti’s goals for the offseason included having 75% of the team be able to squat two times their body weight and bench press 1.5 times their body weight, and have 80% of the team grade out as a champion in offseason training.
- Day’s objectives for Marotti are to “drive culture to student-athletes that permeates both inside and outside” the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, “continue to foster elite level relationships with student-athletes and staff” and “identify techniques that allow our student-athletes to be mentally and physically prepared for season & postseason.”
