COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has announced Tuesday Tony Alford will take on the role of the team’s run game coordinator.
Alford will continue to coach the running backs while also serving as the assistant head coach for offense.
“Tony has continually mentored and produced tough, reliable and productive running backs for the Buckeyes,” Day said. “He has a terrific understanding of how to get his student-athletes to perform at a high rate of competitiveness, and I’m really pleased to promote him to run game coordinator.”
During his seven years with the Buckeyes, Alford has recruited and coached six 1,000-yard running backs - Ezekiel Elliott (2015), Mike Weber (2016), J.K. Dobbins (2017, 2018 and 2019) and TreVeyon Henderson (2021).
The only season Ohio State didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher was the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
This past season, Alford coached Henderson who became just the fourth true freshman in program history to surpass 1,000 yards rushing. His total of 1,248 yards is second only to Dobbins.
Ohio State led the Big Ten and was third nationally in yards per carry (5.54).
In 2015, Elliott was the Big Ten’s offensive player of the year and the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.
A year later, Weber garnered Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.
In 2019, following a season in which Dobbins became the first player in school history to reach 2,000 rushing yards, he was a first-team All-American and the Earle Campbell/Tyler Rose award winner.
Each of Alford’s starting running backs in Columbus have gone on to be drafted: Elliott (No. 4 in 2016), Weber (No. 218 overall in 2019), Dobbins (No. 55 overall in 2020) and Sermon (No. 88 overall in 2021).
Alford came to Ohio State in 2015 following a six-year stay at Notre Dame where he worked under Charlie Weiss and Brian Kelly.
Under Kelly, he coached wide receivers in 2010 and 2011 before returning to backs from 2012-14.
He’s also made coaching stops at Louisville (2006-08), Iowa State (2002-06 and 1997-2000), Washington (2001), Kent State (1996) and Mount Union (1995).
Born in Akron, Alford went to high school in Colorado Springs, Colo. and played at Colorado State.
A Doak Walker Award nominee, he gained 1,035 yards in 1989 as a junior under first-year Rams coach Earle Bruce and then helped the Rams to their first bowl game win in 42 years as a senior the following season.
Also, Day announced the addition of Matt Guerrieri to the coaching staff in the role of senior advisor and analyst.
Guerrieri comes to Ohio State after spending the last 10 years at Duke University.
His time with the Blue Devils included six years with new defensive coordinator/linebacker’s coach Jim Knowles.
When Knowles left Duke for Oklahoma State in 2017, Guerrieri was named co-defensive coordinator, a position he held the last four seasons.
Guerrieri was a graduate assistant for three seasons at Duke before being named safeties coach prior to the 2015 season. He coached safeties for the next seven seasons, in addition to his co-defensive coordinator responsibilities.
In 2020, Guerrieri was named one of three finalists for the American Football Coaches Association assistant coach of the year award.
Before joining the Blue Devils, Guerrieri served as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2011.
Guerrieri was a three-year letterman at Davidson College, where he started at safety. He served as a senior captain for the Wildcats and was a three-time All-Pioneer Football League Honor Roll selection.
