Report: Buckeyes hire Tony Alford as running backs coach

Report: Buckeyes hire Tony Alford as running backs coach

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:01 p.m. ET

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer didn't waste much time filling the void left by former running backs coach Stan Drayton after Drayton took a coaching position with the Chicago Bears.

According to Irish Illustrated, Notre Dame's former running backs coach Tony Alford will replace Drayton in the same position for the Buckeyes.

Like Drayton, Alford is considered one of the top recruiters in the nation.  

Alford first became a member of the Fighting Irish coaching staff in 2009 during the final season of Charlie Weis' tenure.

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In an interview with Irish Illustrated, Alford had only good things to say about Notre Dame but expressed a needed to get out of his comfort zone.

“This is a leap of faith, one I feel I need to make for my professional development," he said. “You don’t do something just because you’re comfortable in one place or because you’re scared to take a leap. That’s what I tell players when they leave Florida for Notre Dame. It’s new. It’s a challenge. It’s the unknown. This place can change you life. I know. It changed mine.”

The class of 2016's top running back recruit, Kareem Walker, is verbally committed to Ohio State and tweeted his approval of the new hire shortly after the news broke on Saturday afternoon.

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