Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has been named Oklahoma's next defensive coordinator, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. He's spent the last year at Ohio State and spent three seasons at Washington State before that.
BREAKING: #OhioState’s Alex Grinch is expected to become the next defensive coordinator at #OU, per source. He was a semifinalist for the 2017 Broyles Award. Grinch worked wonders at WAZZU turning a defense ranked outside the top 100 into one ranked No. 34 by the time he left WSU
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 4, 2019
Grinch was widely considered one of the top candidates for the job, after turning around Washington State's defense during his three-year span with Mike Leach — Lincoln Riley's original mentor. Grinch took Washington State from 97th in total defense the year before he arrived to 16th the year he left. This season, Ohio State finished No. 72 in total defense under Greg Schiano's leadership.Â
Oklahoma has been in search of a new coordinator since coach Lincoln Riley fired Mike Stoops midseason after a 48-45 loss to Texas. Ruffin McNeill has served as the interim. Oklahoma has been abysmal the last two seasons, finishing 67th in total defense in 2017 and 114th this year.Â
Riley hopes Grinch can change that.
Grinch made $800,000 while at Ohio State, according to 247Sports.com. It is unclear what his contract at Oklahoma will look like.
This post will be updated when more information becomes available.
