Ohio State continues staff changes, hiring safeties coach and firing special teams coach
Ohio State has hired Matt Guerrieri as safeties coach, the school said Wednesday.
Guerrieri, the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Indiana last season, replaces Perry Eliano, who was not retained after overseeing the position group the past two seasons.
The announcement said Guerrieri, 34, would be assigned additional responsibilities as part of the staff.
Those duties could include special teams as the Buckeyes confirmed they are letting go of Parker Fleming, who spent the last three seasons as the special teams coordinator.
Fleming, who signed a contract extension that included a bump in salary last January, had a year remaining on a two-year agreement.
But the Buckeyes suffered repeated miscues on punts and returns throughout the year, ranging from botched snaps to miscommunications and penalties.
Their coverage and return units were flagged three times in the loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl to end the season.
Before the 35-year-old Fleming was elevated to the on-field staff in 2021, he had spent three seasons as a quality control coach for special teams.
A low point for Fleming's unit came in 2022 when the Buckeyes attempted to run a fake point as they trailed archrival Michigan in the third quarter of their loss to the Wolverines, but the snap went to punter Jesse Mirco instead of an upback.
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has maintained a dedicated special teams coach since he replaced Urban Meyer in 2019.
But Matt Barnes, the special teams coordinator in 2019 and 2020, also shared responsibilities coaching safeties and had a defensive background, having served as the play-caller at Maryland in 2018. Fleming began his coaching career as a wide receivers coach at James Madison and Texas State.
The addition of Guerrieri to the staff also gives the Buckeyes someone with extensive familiarity with the intricate scheme run by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
When Knowles installed his defense two years ago, Guerrieri was working with him as part of the Buckeyes’ support staff as a senior advisor and analyst in addition to six years together at Duke.
Guerrieri was a graduate assistant for the Blue Devils from 2012-14 before he was promoted to safeties coach. When Knowles left for Oklahoma State in 2018, he added co-coordinator to his title.
In his first year as the Blue Devils' co-defensive coordinator, Guerrieri was nominated for the Broyles Award as the top assistant in the nation.
Curt Cignetti, who replaced Tom Allen at the helm of Indiana in late November, did not retain Guerrieri. The Hoosiers had been last in the Big Ten in total defense last fall, allowing 394 yards per game.
In addition to his experience as an assistant under Knowles, Guerrieri has ties to Ohio, growing up in Willoughby Hills, a suburb of Cleveland.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football continues changes to coaching staff
