Ohio State has made another new hire on the defensive staff as it has been reported that Perry Eliano has accepted the job and will be the new safeties coach for the Buckeyes.

Sources: Perry Eliano has accepted the safeties coaching job at Ohio State. He’s the Cincinnati corners coach, where he tutored Thorpe winner Coby Bryant and first-team All-American Sauce Gardner. He’s the former DC at Bowling Green and has worked at New Mexico and UTSA.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 13, 2022

As mentioned by Thamel, Eliano has been the Cincinnati cornerbacks coach for the past two seasons, mentoring Sauce Gardner and Coby Bryant into All-Americans and potential first-round NFL Draft choices. Eliano’s Ohio ties run deep, as he also has experience at Bowling Green, where he was the defensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017.

Ohio State’s previous safeties coach, Matt Barnes, departed from Columbus earlier this offseason to become the new defensive coordinator at Memphis.

Eliano’s addition meant Ohio State was one over the maximum allowed coach limit, but the imminent departure of Kerry Coombs puts the Buckeyes back to even. Nonetheless, more coaching changes on the defensive staff are expected.

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