'Check That Box!' Ryan Day Thrilled With Hire of Carlos Locklyn

The Buckeyes have found their new running backs coach, and Ryan Day could not be happier.

Oregon running backs coach Carlos Locklyn calls to players during practice with the Ducks Tuesday, / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

The Ohio State Buckeyes lost running backs coach Tony Alford to the Michigan Wolverines last month, leaving a gaping hole in their coaching staff.

Over the weekend, however, they found his replacement in former Oregon coach Carlos Locklyn, who spent the last two seasons coaching an elite attack in Eugene.

And head coach Ryan Day could not be more thrilled about the hire.

Oregon running backs coach Carlos Locklyn calls to players during practice with the Ducks Tuesday, / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

“We wanted to find somebody who wanted to be at Ohio State at a high level," Day said in an interview with Morning Juice on 97.1 The Fan in Columbus. "Carlos does that. He checks that box,” Day said. “He brings a lot of energy to the table.”

One of the things that drew Day to Locklyn - outside of his outstanding track record with the Ducks - was the path that he took to becoming a football coach.

Locklyn was not the son of a coach, nor was he raised in a football household. Instead, he forged his own path to success in the industry.

“Like some of us in this profession, he came up not in a football family but grew up and kind of had to figure it out on their own," Day said. "He’s one of those people. When you listen to how he came up in this thing, he’s very appreciative of all the opportunities he’s gotten. But he’s earned them all, and he deserved them all."

Now, Locklyn inherits one of the top running back rooms in the country, complete with two All-Big Ten-caliber running backs in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.

And if Day is right about Locklyn - which history shows he probably is - he should excel in his new position.

"I think he’s gonna be a tremendous coach,” Day said.