Ohio State Expected to Hire Special Teams Coordinator Robby Discher from Illinois

The Buckeyes are expected to hire Illinois special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Robby Discher as their new special teams coordinator, per CBS Sports.

Ohio State is expected to hire Illinois Robby Discher as its new special teams coordinator, sources tell @CBSSports.

Has built a reputation as one of the nations top special teams coaches while working for teams like Illinois, Tulane, Georgia and Louisiana. pic.twitter.com/5wvtvhZq8H

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 31, 2026

It marks the first time Ohio State will have a full-fledged special teams coordinator since it fired Parker Fleming after the 2023 season. Ohio State’s special teams were overseen for the past two seasons by quality control coach Rob Keys and program assistant Gunner Daniel.

Discher spent the last three seasons with the Fighting Illini, which ranked 30th nationally in SP+ for special teams in 2025 and 16th in 2024. Illinois kicker David Olano emerged as one of the Big Ten's best, going 20-of-23 (87%) on field goals. Illini punt returner Hank Beatty also led the conference in yards per return (14.1) in 2025. Illinois led the nation in blocked kicks and punts with seven in 2023.

Before he arrived at Illinois, Discher served as Tulane's special teams coordinator in 2022 and as a special teams quality control coach at Georgia in 2021. He's also been the special teams coordinator for Sam Houston State (2012-13), Toledo (2016-19) and Louisiana (2020).

Discher also coached special teams as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State in 2014 and 2015, winning FootballScoop’s special teams coordinator of the year award in 2014, becoming the first-ever graduate assistant to win a coach of the year award from FootballScoop. Oklahoma State had three return touchdowns that season, including a game-winning 92-yard punt return touchdown in its rivalry win over Oklahoma, and six blocked kicks and punts, tied for the most in the FBS.

By bringing in Discher, Ohio State is looking to improve its performance in a phase of the game where it’s been mediocre in recent seasons. Ohio State’s special teams ranked just 67th in ESPN’s SP+ metric for 2025, and the Buckeyes have been too often plagued by special teams lapses in big games in recent years, notably including a missed 27-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding in the fourth quarter of Ohio State’s 13-10 Big Ten Championship Game loss to Indiana this past season.

Discher takes over a special teams unit that will have a new kicker (Baylor transfer Connor Hawkins) and long snapper (UCF transfer Dalton Riggs) in 2026, with Joe McGuire expected to remain Ohio State’s punter for a third season. Discher could also look to shake things up in the return game, where Ohio State had one kickoff return touchdown last season (Lorenzo Styles Jr.) and one punt return touchdown in 2024 (Caleb Downs) but otherwise has had few big plays in recent seasons.

Discher is the third new addition to Ohio State’s coaching staff for 2026, joining offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton. Ohio State is now set to have 12 full-time assistant coaches in 2026, as it’s expected to return all of its assistant coaches from last season except for former offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, who left to become the head coach at USF.