Who's the latest key person that Ohio State football has plucked from Alabama?
Ohio State football’s raid on the Alabama Crimson Tide continues.
After adding star safety Caleb Downs and center Seth McLaughlin from Alabama following the retirement of coach Nick Saban, the Buckeyes have added a key piece to their staff.
Ohio State has hired Sam Petitto as director of player personnel, working under Mark Pantoni, OSU’s general manager of player personnel. Petitto started Monday.
Petitto worked under Saban for eight years in Tuscaloosa as Alabama’s director of player personnel and director of recruiting. The Crimson Tide ranked at or near the top of the national recruiting rankings every year during his time. Petitto worked at Georgia before that.
When Saban retired and former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer took over, DeBoer brought most of his own people and didn't retain Petitto.
"I have known of him for a long time," Pantoni said. "Obviously, he had a very good reputation from the people I knew at Alabama and Georgia, where he worked previously. When we had an opening, I reached out to him because I knew he hadn't been retained at Alabama with the new staff. The timing worked great. He was looking, we were looking, and it worked out."
More: Report: Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to sit out NFL Combine testing
Petitto replaces Marc Votteler, who left for Mississippi State.
More: Former Ohio State QB coach Corey Dennis hired as analyst for Mississippi football
Pantoni said Petitto's main responsibility will be high-school film evaluation and building relationships with recruits and their families.
"He's excellent at both of those things," Pantoni said.
Petitto also will be in charge of managing the day-to-day operation of the recruiting room and the handful of staffers there.
"I'm very excited," Pantoni said. "Sam brings a lot of experience. He's got great connections in the South. Obviously, working at a place like Alabama under coach Saban, they've always been known for their process, and we'll get to learn a little bit of how they do things. Obviously, they've been very successful."
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who's the latest key person Ohio State has plucked from Alabama?
