More than two weeks after seeing veteran assistant Tony Alford depart for a role on Sherrone Moore's Michigan staff, Ryan Day and Ohio State have their replacement.
Sources tell FootballScoop that the Buckeyes have a deal in place with Carlos Locklyn, the former federal prison guard who's climbed his way through the coaching ranks and spent the past two seasons in charge of the running backs for Dan Lanning's Oregon Ducks.
It's a significant move for the Buckeyes, who conclude their spring camp April 13 inside Ohio Stadium with their annual spring game, and a tough loss for Oregon.
Locklyn is expected to be in Columbus, Ohio, to join the Buckeyes by Wednesday, sources told FootballScoop.
Sources in Oregon told FootballScoop that Locklyn today passed out more than 50 hand-written thank-you notes to his colleagues, ranging from fellow coaches, recruiting staff, secretaries and janitorial staff members.
Locklyn had proved a powerful force on the recruiting trail but equally adept at developing his running backs. He was a 2023 finalist for FootballScoop's National Running Backs Coach of the Year honor, as voted by his peers, and named the "Our Coaching Network" PAC-12 Running Backs Coach of the Year.
No small feat for a guy who started as a volunteer coach at Memphis under Mike Norvell, changing clothes in the football facility parking lot -- out of his bullet-proof vest and prison guard uniform and into coaching gear.
Oregon in 2023, a year in which it advanced to the final PAC-12 title bout, finished second in the conference in team rushing yards per game (184.5), as well as first in yards per carry (5.9); it had the league's No. 4 individual rusher in Bucky Irving at more than 84 yards per game.
On the recruiting trail, Locklyn helped the Ducks sign consensus four-star running backs Jayden Limar and Dante Dowdell as part of the program's 2023 class.
Sources indicated to FootballScoop Monday that Lanning worked to keep Locklyn at Oregon but that Ohio State's persistence and patience won Locklyn over.
Not on the list of the top-30 highest-paid running backs coaches in college football in 2023, Locklyn will move into the top-half of his peers with Ohio State's mutli- deal, sources shared with FootballScoop. It's a deal expected to be worth more than $1.2 million across its two guaranteed years and also addresses Locklyn's buyout for exiting Oregon, a figure that dropped dramatically Monday.