It's official, Taver Johnson returning to Ohio State is a done deal. He is coming back to the Buckeyes after his stint as cornerbacks coach in 2007 until 2011. He will be taking the place of Kerry Coombs and leaving his position at Temple. Johnson was the defensive coordinator as well as the safeties coach for the Temple Owls.

The head coach for Ohio State, Urban Meyer, is glad to see Taver Johnson returning to the Buckeyes coaching staff. The two coaches have had a long standing friendship that dates back to their time together at Notre Dame in 1999. Taver's previous record with the Buckeyes explains Meyer's enthusiasm for Taver's return. Taver, a native Ohioan, would coach the 2008 winner of the Jim Thorpe Award, Malcolm Jenkins. He would go on to be a two-time Super Bowl champ. He also coached Chimdi Chekwa, the All-American cornerback of 2010.

Ohio State is hoping that Taver Johnson's local roots will come into play for successful in-state recruitment. This should be further solidified by his experience as the Cleveland Browns special teams coordinator.

The Buckeyes are proving to be a formidable draw for assistant coaches. Johnson is the second of two coaches to leave their position at another school to take up post at Ohio State. Washington State's former secondary coach and defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch, joined the illustrious coaching staff for Ohio State in January. Unlike Johnson, Grinch's specific roll on the staff has yet to be fully established at this time.

One-on-One With Defensive Coordinator Taver Johnson