During Spring practice, the Ohio State football program encountered a disruption when they had to seek a replacement for their running backs coach, Tony Alford, who departed for Michigan. Alford’s departure coincided with the start of practice, necessitating Head Coach Day to divert attention from preparing the team to finding a new coach. This situation compounded when the original offensive coordinator, Bill O’Brien, left for Boston College, and Day subsequently hired Chip Kelly.
Day and Kelly opted to bring in Carlos Locklyn to fill Alford’s role. Michigan has already felt the impact of Alford’s departure, as he hasn’t secured any recruits for the upcoming classes since joining their staff, while Locklyn has made immediate strides, notably securing a commitment from Bo Jackson.
Locklyn has demonstrated a talent for building rapport with running backs since joining the team, and now the focus is on whether he can develop them as effectively as Alford did early in his tenure with Ohio State.
Contrary to speculation, Day didn’t persuade Alford to leave and may have even considered parting ways with him earlier. While Day may have been relieved that Alford found a new position, he likely preferred it to be at any other school but Michigan.
The true measure of Locklyn’s impact remains to be seen, although his early efforts have been promising. His primary task is to elevate the performances of players like TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, while also preparing younger talents for future seasons.