One of the top assistant coaches in the country is expected to join Urban Meyer's staff at Ohio State next season.
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Washington State defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is reportedly joining the Buckeyes as the 10th assistant on the coaching staff after the Cougars' bowl game on Dec. 28, according to 247Sports.
The NCAA recently passed a rule allowing college football teams to hire a 10th assistant coach who can recruit and be on the field. As of now, teams can only have nine assistant coaches.
Grinch has turned the Washington State defense around during his three years in Pullman. They went from 103rd nationally in yards per play to 28th, and they went from 117th to 47th in scoring defense. He's expected to announce his future during bowl week before Washington State takes on Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl.
WSU Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch will speak to the media during Bowl week in regards to his future status with the team, but all signs point to Columbus and that 10th assistant job with Ohio State. https://t.co/CAuJb1U6C8
— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) December 22, 2017
Related: Urban Meyer says one of his assistants turned down a head coaching job in the SEC
Grinch played at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, and he grew up in Grove City, Ohio. He's spent time as an assistant at Missouri, Wyoming and New Hampshire before joining Mike Leach at Washington State.
There were several schools reportedly interested in Grinch, including Texas A&M, Florida State and Arkansas.
It's unclear what role he will have on the Ohio State staff since they already have Greg Schiano as defensive coordinator. It's possible Grinch and Schiano could serve as co-defensive coordinators, or perhaps Schiano could take a job elsewhere.
But the addition of Grinch is certainly a bonus for the Ohio State staff, and given the talent they have returning next season, they will be among the favorites to make the College Football Playoffs.
