Ohio State Adds Gerren DuHart to Staff, What Position Will He Coach?

Former Michigan State Spartans graduate assistant Gerren DuHart will look coach up an Ohio State Buckeyes secondary that allowed 1,113 passing yards and 10 touchdowns in the final four games of 2022.

Author:
Casey Smith
Feb 15, 2023 2:47 PM EST

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Ohio State Buckeyes

Michigan State Spartans

Gerren DuHart is the latest support staff addition to the Ohio State Buckeyes program.

He announced on Twitter Tuesday that he will join the program, and his Twitter bio states he will be an assistant defensive backs coach. DuHart was a graduate assistant with the Michigan State Spartans for the past two seasons.

The Spartans' pass defense was by far the worst in the Big Ten in 2021, allowing 324.8 yards per game — 75 yards more than the next-most total. However, in 2022, that number decreased by almost 87 yards per game to 237.9 pass yards allowed per contest.

DuHart posted a thank you message to Michigan State on Feb. 8, telling his "Spartan Dawgs" that they "taught me lessons, challenged me, and made me a better coach."

Prior to his time at Michigan State, DuHart was a graduate assistant for two seasons for his alma mater, the Wayne State Warriors.

In his 47-game playing career from 2011-14, DuHart compiled 155 tackles with six interceptions — one returned for a touchdown in 2012 — and 27 pass break-ups, which rank second all-time in Warriors program history.

He will assist cornerbacks coach Tim Walton and a Buckeyes secondary that didn't end the year on the same note it started out on.

Though Ohio State allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards per game in the Big Ten last season, in the final three games of the season it surrendered three of the four highest single-game passing yardage totals of the Buckeyes' 2022 season. In the final four games of the season, they allowed 10 of their 19 total touchdown passes.

The Buckeyes will return key contributing cornerbacks, Denzel Burke and Jyaire Brown, in addition to four-star class of 2022 recruit Ryan Turner, who played just 25 snaps last season, and Jordan Hancock who has had lingering injury issues keep him off the field.

Ohio State is adding four-star class of 2023 corners Jermaine Mathews and Calvin Simpson-Hunt, as well as Davison Igbinosun, who transferred from the Ole Miss Rebels.