Taver Johnson Back on Ohio State’s Coaching Staff As Defensive Analyst
Taver Johnson is back at Ohio State.
Johnson, who was previously Ohio State’s cornerbacks coach from 2007-11 and again in 2018, has returned to Ohio State as a defensive analyst working with the Buckeyes’ secondary, according to his X account.
In his initial five-year stint as Ohio State’s cornerbacks coach, Johnson developed multiple All-American cornerbacks in Malcolm Jenkins (2008) and Chimdi Chekwa (2010). He returned to Ohio State in 2018 when Kerry Coombs left the Buckeyes for the Tennessee Titans, working alongside Ryan Day as assistant coaches for one year, but was not retained when Day became the head coach in 2019.
Six years later, however, Johnson is joining Day’s staff in a support-staff capacity in which he will help co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Tim Walton and passing game coordinator/safeties coach Matt Guerrieri coach the Buckeyes’ defensive backs, taking advantage of the rule change last offseason that now allows analysts to coach players on the field.
Johnson spent last year at Tennessee in a similar capacity. Before that, Johnson was an assistant defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles (2023), the defensive passing game coordinator and safeties coach at Eastern Michigan (2022) and an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Raiders for three years (2019-21). Other previous jobs for Johnson include defensive coordinator stints at Temple (2017) and Miami-Ohio (2005-06) and defensive backs coach tenures at Purdue (2014-16) and Arkansas (2012-13).
Johnson joins a group of new support staffers for the Buckeyes that also includes Tony Washington Jr. and Miguel Patrick, who will both work with the defensive line, and Marcus Johnson and Charlie Dickey, who will both work with the offensive line.
C.J. Hicks’ long-rumored move to the edge is finally happening.
Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson revealed Friday that Hicks is now a member of his position group, having moved to defensive end this offseason after playing linebacker for his first three years as a Buckeye. While Ohio State had discussed the possibility of using Hicks as a situational pass-rusher over the last couple of years – though it never actually used him in that role as a member of the first-team defense – Hicks is making a full-fledged move to edge defender this offseason as Ohio State hopes he can develop into an every-down player at that position.
Johnson says Hicks has to learn how to be a run defender up front rather than playing in space as a linebacker, but Ohio State’s longtime defensive coach is optimistic about Hicks’ potential on the edge based on what he’s seen from Hicks so far in winter workouts and meetings.
“C.J.’s with me right now trying to learn how to play the position, and I want him to learn how to play the position as a defensive end standup and not as a linebacker,” Johnson said. “I think that’s the transition he’s mentally got to go through. He’s done an outstanding job thus far. He’s bought into what we’re doing, and I think that’s the key when a guy buys in is like, ‘This is what I want to do.’
