Former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, who last coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013, is returning to the college ranks as the new defensive coordinator at Ohio State, head coach Urban Meyer confirmed Friday.
"He will be outstanding as a coach and mentor in our program and I am pleased to have him on our staff," Meyer said.
Schiano spent 10 years with the Scarlet Knights, from 2001-11, winning the Coach of the Year award in 2006, and, in an interesting twist, will fill the void left by previous defensive coordinator Chris Ash, who left to take the head coach position at Rutgers.
The brief two-year stint in Tampa Bay didn't go well for Schiano, with the team going 11-21 under his watch. Since his dismissal in 2013, his name has been rumored for various college coaching jobs, including Miami and a potential return to Rutgers this offseason.
Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer is very familiar with his new defensive coordinator, as the Ohio State coach has appeared as a keynote speaker at Schiano's New Jersey football camp in previous years.