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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 27, 2018

Greg Schiano

Columbus, Ohio

Q. Greg, last year you were in a position you almost became a head coach. I was just wondering, from your standpoint, when they're making a decision to have an interim head coach you seemed like the logical decision just from the outside. What was your take on the decision making and did you feel as if this was an opportunity for you to step in here?
GREG SCHIANO: Well, whenever you have a situation like this it's very complex. But when you have leaders like Gene Smith and President Drake, they understand this institution better than anyone. They understand what's needed at the time. So what we have done as a staff I think is what's special. Ryan is certainly qualified to do this. Kevin Wilson, myself and the rest of the staff, guys like Larry Johnson, have done this a long time. We all said we have to step it up. We're missing our leader, we're one down right now, and I think the staff has done that and I think in turn the players have followed our lead. We have some great leadership and all that combined I think is what's going to allow us to be successful. So I'm looking forward to going out and coaching football again in a game. It's been awhile. This has certainly been something that as much as we have worked to stay focused, when it's people you care about, it's hard.

Q. When something's happening at Tennessee we asked you about that and you said there would be a time to talk about it. I was wondering is this the time where you're willing to discuss that and how it went, how it impacted you and do you feel as if that situation down at Tennessee has impacted your future in any way?
GREG SCHIANO: Well, certainly things like that are, those are tough to stop make. About now isn't the time to talk about it. There will be. There will be a time. But now's not the time.

Q. How has the scheme changed with Alex Grinch in the secondary?
GREG SCHIANO: Well first off we're really blessed to have him here. He's a tremendous coach, he's a guy that brings great energy to our staff and he's a man that's led a defense, a very successful defense. So he's a great addition. He has certainly brought some fine ideas. When you put a defensive package together there's a couple things you have to take into account. You have your philosophy as a program, so it has to fit into the philosophy of the program. Then you have to look at your personnel and say well how can we, with the personnel we have, carry out the vision of the head football coach. And as one side of the ball, that's our job. And Alex has been a huge part of every year you recreate it because your personnel changes.

Q. Could you go through some of the position battles on defense. Who is going to lined up at linebacker, who is going to be the safety opposite Jordan Fuller?
GREG SCHIANO: Gladly. One the things about our linebacker group because you mentioned that first, we feel really fortunate that we have great depth. Now what's happened in the competition in the spring and then into training camp, the guys that will start the game are going to be Pete Werner, Baron Browning and Malik Harrison. From there I think more people will play. Now generally we have not done that, right, we have rotated the defensive line, we haven't done that at the linebacker position. I'm not sure we're going to do that full scale like we did with the D-line every game but we're going to see more people play. I think two guys that are coming off surgeries, Tuf Borland and Dante Booker, those guys as they get to be more and more game ready, they're going to need some reps. So it's an interesting situation at that position but one we're excited about. It's not one -- sometimes they say, well if you don't have your starters in you don't have starters. I don't agree. I think we have more than three starting quality linebackers, so we're going to play the guys that we think -- the other thing you do is packages. So you try to utilize the talents of your guys. So we have different packages in different situational football that will allow certain guys to get on the field.

Q. What enabled Werner to become a starter?
GREG SCHIANO: Well, I tell you he's made a quite an ascension, right? You saw him kind of grow up on the special teams last year. And that's the history and tradition of this program that's how it's been. Guys have made their name on special teams and then continued that ascension and he did just that. He had a great spring, he really, really worked hard to change his body, to mature his body and he's a much bigger man now than he was as a freshman and I think with every rep he gains valuable experience. He's getting better and better and better and better. So his arrow is certainly pointed up.

Q. To stick with those linebackers, when did y'all expect Tuf Borland to be back? We saw him participate just in those two open practices, it seemed like he might miss the whole season, but when do you think he might be back now?
GREG SCHIANO: He may be back this week. It's amazing the way he has rehabbed. The job that our people in the training room our medical people have handled him, the way Coach Mick has handled him and more important than any of that is the way that Tuf is such a committed young man to what he's doing. And he's made incredible progress. As a coach and as a father I kind of am hesitant, because that's a serious injury, as you know. But you have to trust the medical people and if they say he can go -- so we'll see by the end of the week we'll figure out what he can and can't do or what he should or shouldn't do. But he's ahead of schedule, well ahead of schedule.

Q. Dating back to the spring, you guys said the other safety spot was the biggest concern maybe on the whole team. Is that still the case for you or are you uncertain going into week one has Isaiah claimed that job, where do you sit there opposite Jordan Fuller?
GREG SCHIANO: I think it's been a great competition which has raised both Isaiah and Jordan's game. They're both going to play. And if you remember last year when we started the season with Jordan and Eric, right, they both played and then Jordan pulled away and became the starter and became a really fine starter as we know. So I don't know if that will happen or if all season long those guys will go back and forth. But whatever happens, I've said this to you guys before, you can't make it happen, you got to let it happen. Now you encourage and you coach and you teach, but at the end of the day they have to go out there and play their way into a position.

Q. There have been so much stuff going on around the program, I'm just wondering from your perspective the guys during training camp were you able to block out the outside stuff. What was your take on the kind of cam you had given the situations that you dealt with?
GREG SCHIANO: I thought we had an outstanding camp. I really do. And it's a testament to those players, our leadership first, and the whole squad. Having said that, certainly to block it out would be, that would be not true. I mean the guys have done their best to stay focused on the task at hand and one of the things we talk about all the time around here is keep the main thing the main thing. Stick to what we are here to do. You can't do anything about some of those other things that are happening outside right now, but what you can do is really grow as a team and grow as a player. College football's a little different, right? Training camp is the only time that we have their undivided attention. It's the only time -- all year long they have academics, they have different social things going on. So training camp, they're ours. And it's critical, that's where your team is forged. That's where you persona ility of your team comes, your leadership. So it's not like you can do a do over. It happens once, you have those three weeks and it has to happen. And I thought Ryan Day did an incredible job. Stepping into that role, unbelievable. I think our coaching staff did and most importantly as I said our players.

Q. The events of the last whatever four, six weeks have sort of brought to light this idea of what are the responsibilities of a college coach. You've lived it, Rutgers, you were the head guy, and yet you were also in the NFL. Can you sort of share the nuances of really what the differences are there from a, you have to, you're over entire program versus just football.
GREG SCHIANO: Well as a college head football coach you are. You're responsible for a lot of things, a lot of people. And that's what you signed up for. That's part of the job that I really enjoy, is that you touch so much different people and you're able to help so much different people grow. But there's a great responsibility that comes with that. In the National Football League it's a little different in that there's a general manager that has control of and responsibility for some things, you as the head coach have responsibility for some other things. And then just the fact that you're dealing with grown men. Some in their 20s, some into their 30s. When I first started coaching in the NFL, my first stint, I was 29 years old and I was coaching people that were older than I. So it is, it's definitely different. The relationships you bond in college with the players is different because they're developing as young men. It's incredible to see when you recruit a guy as a 15 or 16 year old and then you see he him graduate as a 21, 22 year old, it's like your own kids. I'm going through that now with my own children, that's the age group that mine are. And you just see it by the day how they change and how they mature and that's the thing that brought me back to college football, quite frankly, and the part I love most about it.

Q. Follow-up, which job is more stressful ultimately?
GREG SCHIANO: You know what I say is in college football it's a life-style. So your family has -- the NFL is, this is the way I put it to people -- six months of the year you work a normal job. So you go in, 7:30, 8 and you get home from dinner. College football that's not the case. College football your family better be part of it because there's not enough time to do both. There's recruiting, spring football, recruiting weekends, so and, you know, I heard Ryan say something about having his son around here. That's what I always tried to do. Because I know you can't have two things going. You have to make it one. Otherwise it's hard to do justice to either.

Q. Urban always kind of down played his role in the defense. So are you guys, how are you defensively feeling his absence if at all?
GREG SCHIANO: Well, I think first of all Coach kind of does that to be humble. He's involved in every facet of this program. But I think defensively probably less than offensively because that's where his specialty is. I think the biggest thing you miss is his leadership, the inspiration, the things he provides, not only the players but the coaches. And I always felt my one of my biggest jobs as a head coach was to coach the coaches. Because then that is exponential. That can spread throughout the team. Coach the coaches and really help the leaders lead. And the leaders meaning the players.

Q. Ryan was very complimentary to the assistance you've given him. What do you feel like is the most valuable thing that, most valuable insight that you've been able to provide him throughout this whole thing?
GREG SCHIANO: Well, we have talked a lot. Ryan's only been here a year and I've only been here going on my third year, so I didn't know Ryan before he came. We have gotten, I would say, in the last 30 days a lot closer. And that's been neat because he's a special guy, he's got a bright, bright future. Probably be himself. We have a program here and as Ryan has told our staff and told our players, he's holding the spot until Coach gets back. So we have a program, we have a philosophy, we have core values, we're sticking to the plan. But within the plan there's daily decisions that must be made and I told Ryan, listen, hear me out, hear Kevin out, but at the end of the day you have to do what you feel comfortable with, because your name now is in front of that program.

Q. What is the biggest mistake you made in your first game as a head coach that still sticks with you? Do you remember?
GREG SCHIANO: Oh, I remember it very clearly. We were at the University of Buffalo, which was a monster crowd as you can imagine, right? Rutgers, Buffalo. We hadn't won forever. And I'm so excited to go coach the game and I'm going to lead the team on to the field and I'm standing in the tunnel waiting for them to say go ahead and I had noticed that I don't have my call sheet or my game plan with me. So now an experienced head coach would call the assistant over and say, hey, do me a favor, go get the game plan in the locker room. But not having that experience what did I do? I worked my way through the crowd, through the players, got it, sprinted up and just as I got back we were able to take the field on time. But that's what I remember, thankfully things calmed down a little and we won that game. But, yeah, that's my recollection.

Q. Was there a sense though going into that, that there were going to be decisions you have to make like that as the head coach during the game, I mean, how do you prepare for that as opposed to just worrying about the defense or the offense?
GREG SCHIANO: I think certain guys from the minute they get into this thing are preparing to be a head coach. And that's just the way they're wired. And I think other guys are really great assistant coaches and maybe some day they become head coaches or maybe they don't. From the day I started coaching I knew I wanted to be a head coach. And I worked for some tremendous legendary head coaches both in high school and in it college and in the NFL. And I constantly was studying them and my high school coach Mike Miello, who started me in this profession he told me, you're going to go on and you're going to work for several people, don't only write down the good things, but write down the things you wouldn't do. So I took that advice very seriously and was preparing the whole time.

Q. As you got ready for Oregon State obviously Jonathan Smith has come from Washington that whole idea that they have plays, they don't have a scheme, things like that. But I don't know, is this an open book almost or have you studied a lot of Washington, a lot of Colorado, just how have you gotten ready defensively for this opener?
GREG SCHIANO: Well we studied both. We are, we would like to think that we have a system that can adapt within the game. And that's something that we're, we constantly talk to our players about is we'll go in with a blueprint but we're not married to anything because we have a menu we can use certain things. If they change, we can change. I get a kick sometimes of the defensive coaches who say, I don't care what they do, we dictate. And that's not true. They line up in a formation, we don't tell them how to line up and then we have to react to that. So it starts with that and it obviously goes much deeper, but I think that in games like this, new head coach, offensive head coach, has an offensive coordinator, so you really have to spend some double time studying both, but not marrying yourself to either. Because you may get a third you may get a hybrid of both.

Q. Was there a moment in camp when it dawned on that you Ryan was up to this task? Because like you said, he hasn't been named the head coach, he's filling a chair for now, but was there a moment when you just, you watched him and how he handled something and went, okay, he's doing all right? I mean, do you remember any kind of moment like that or day or?
GREG SCHIANO: I think it was the third -- I got that. I think it was the third day that he spoke with the team. I just said, that's, that's Ryan. The first two days he was trying to do the organizational perfunctory things and then when he spoke to the team he spoke from his heart that third day and from then on that's the way he's been running the football team. And I would be remiss, I'm so impressed, just working underneath and observing him and trying to help him, that, I mean, he's got the "it", when you work on the other side of the ball, you really don't get to sit in the room with him very much and game plan and do all that stuff. So our relationship was more friend's than professional pause we don't do a lot together professionally. Observing him over the last whatever it is, 25 days, he's got the "it".

Q. In the linebacker room among the other guys in that fight like Keandre Jones, Justin Hilliard, are they still in that mix just maybe a step below those other guys or how do they fit in?
GREG SCHIANO: They really are. When I said we have tremendous depth I didn't mention every guy, but they are in the mix. Justin Hilliard has just been a tremendous story for me. I love the kid. The way he has come back from injury and really worked himself into being a guy that we are very comfortable putting out on the field. And he's probably one of our top, I don't know, two or three special teams players on the entire team. So he will play a ton of downs whether they're defense or special teams, but he is ready to play defense. And then Keandre Jones there may not be a harder working guy on our football team. And he's battled through some things, he's one of the toughest guys. And I know he has not been a hundred percent and he's been going out -- I think he's going close now and I'm anxious to be able to see him practice for a couple weeks where he's a hundred percent and he's going without having to avoid some different things. But he'll play a lot as well. So we are going to play -- the young guys might not get in the game, the newcomers, but they're very, very exciting to look at as well. They're really good players. So that room has, I think it's got a bright future that room.

Q. And is Werner or Browning the middle linebacker?
GREG SCHIANO: Baron is the middle linebacker.

Q. The corner back situation, are there two starters and then backups, are there going to be three guys or four guys all rotating equally, how will that work out?
GREG SCHIANO: We'll stick to the three-man rotation that we developed here a few years ago. I think the way we play, we play press coverage almost every down and not only is it physically tiring, but it's mentally. Every down you this could be the one he's going deep, right? So, and those guys have done a great job. Kendall, Damon Arnette, and Jeff Okudah will be the three rotating and we feel like we have at least three starters in that room. Again, that's a room that I'm getting more and more excited about every day because we have some youth at the position as well that is getting better. And at this place you better, because those corners tend to leave early. That's kind of been the formula around here. So we have to keep bringing those young guys up quickly and they are doing that. So that's good.

Q. Defensive end will Nick Bosa and Chase Young get more snaps than the other guys? We know there was the big rotation last year, how will you guys work that out when you have especially a guy like Bosa who is an All-American?
GREG SCHIANO: Well Nick will certainly get his share. You have to. He's a dominant football player. But Chase is an excellent player. Jonathan Cooper. I think those three will rotate and then from there we'll see Jashon Cornell, and whoever else may get in the game at defensive end, but excited about that group. They're really, they have a chance to be special.

Q. And then just big picture, how much of, if you had to break it down, how much of being a head coach really is during the week practice, training camp, game plan, culture, leadership, versus how much is the three hours on Saturday making decisions, making in-game adjustments? We know Urban's not going to be here for three games, I'm just trying to get a feel for how much he'll be missed on those Saturdays versus how much you miss the head coach with everything else in a program.
GREG SCHIANO: That's an interesting question because certainly when you're a head coach you chart the vision of the program. And that's the number one thing. And then you help, you inspire and you equip people to carry out that vision. So that's a big, big job. But you can't underscore game day either. Because you work, you do all that for those 12 Saturdays and hopefully then the 13th, 14th and 15th. So I do think that decisions on game day are critical because all that work goes into it and it can come down to that one fourth and one. Or that do we throw it or run it or do we blitz or lay back. So that can't be underscored either. So I think it's a combination and I think with when you talk generically about head coaches it's different. Some guys are very involved in the game day decisions, some guys are kind of hands off and only make one or two big decisions a game. Other guys are very involved. So it depends what kind of head coach you are and we'll miss him in both.

Q. What was Urban?
GREG SCHIANO: He's not -- he lets people do their job, but he has an opinion and he discusses it with you. I think he's very reasonable about how he handles decision making on game day. A lot of them are made before we ever get to that stadium, but there's always one -- people say, well you make them all before. You can't. Things come up. But what he does is he's able to stay in the moment and that's what we preach to our team, win the moment. He's able to stay in the moment and talk to his assistants and then make the final decision.

Q. Are you guys comfortable with Baron playing middle linebacker and outside and what does a healthy Tuf Borland mean for Baron when he's in that mix. I know you're going to rotate but Baron just seems like a guy that needs to be on field in some capacity. What might, how might his role which I think when Tuf comes back?
GREG SCHIANO: You know what, we're not going to deal with that right now. I think we got to just make sure that Baron's ready to go at the middle this week. Baron's a talented guy. He can play any of the three. But it's not as easy as just say, oh, jump over there and play. There's different jobs, assignments, rules. So what we have done though is we have trained him in both positions at different times. So I think he has a background in both. But right now it's all about one game, Oregon State and Baron will be in the middle.

Q. Ryan was saying he's going to call plays from the sideline. I don't think he's done that here, I don't know if he's done it before. You obviously have extensive experience on the other side of the ball, obviously, but how much do you anticipate you'll be helping him on sideline just in sort of that kind of things, communicating with the officials, just like the normal things that a head coach has to do on the sideline that are going to be unfamiliar to him?
GREG SCHIANO: I think I'll do pretty much the same way I did with Coach Meyer. We were constantly in communication, he and I. If there was, you know, no-brainer penalties, we never talked about, but if there's things that there was things to weigh and what would be -- we always talked about it, how did it affect the defense, how did it affect the offense. So we would have a three- or four-way conversation going. But again it's the head coach's job to make the final decision. You can take the information, and often times you have to take that information and make a decision in about 12 seconds, right. It's not like you have an hour to think about it. So that's what Ryan will do and that's where I'm here to help him, that's where Kevin's here to help him and our whole staff is.

Q. I know Taver spent the spring with you guys, but that seems to be a very interesting coaching change there going from a high energy guy like Kerry to, what's the energy difference between him and Taver, does Taver have different techniques that he teaches than Coach Coombs or how do those guys differ I guess in a spot where you got to replace three starters yet again for the second straight year?
GREG SCHIANO: That seems to be the -- replace the starters has kind of been the theme. But if you have ever seen -- I know you haven't had an a chance to see a lot of him here, but if you ever see him at the end of practice, Taver Johnson has sweated through his gear from head to toe. That guy runs around the field. So the energy that's provided is off the charts. Now we know, I don't know if anyone can ever hit Coach Coombs' level of energy, right? That's a caffeine 2.0, but Taver's, he's right there. Technique-wise, there's certain things -- every coach has a comfort zone that they like to deal in. And just like we talked about earlier with Alex, Taver has brought some ideas into our defensive staff. And that's why change, although it's sad to lose buddies and lose the chemistry that you have, change is good. And as a head coach I never was scared of that when guys moved on to different jobs because you bring new people in, they bring new ideas in. The only thing had a has to happen is it has to fit into the philosophy of the program that you're joining. And we always gain good ideas and good techniques and motivational things and Taver's provided that, just as Alex has.

Q. In the 26 days since Urban was placed under administrative leave have you or any of the other coaching staff had any chance to interact with him at all whether you reaching out to him or he reach out to you and what have those interactions been like?
GREG SCHIANO: Well Urban is, before he's my boss, he's a friend. I've known him for over 20 years. So when I was allowed to, I did communicate. And that's personal. It wasn't about football. It was about him. Because I was worried about him. I'll leave it at that.

Q. Sometimes adversity brings a football team closer. Have you seen any of that and what do you expect to see on Saturday?
GREG SCHIANO: I think you're right on that. I think we have all seen that in all different walks of life. But I think what it did in this instance is our leadership, which was really good, I think they would have -- if Coach Meyer was here, they would have led in a very, very good way. But I think they really stepped it up. You're sitting where Johnnie Dixon sits in special teams and I can just picture Johnnie and Terry and Parris, I mean you're talking about three great leaders. And they acted like grown men. And I mean grown men, not only holding others accountable, but teaching younger guys. I'm sure they would have done it to a degree anyway, but I think that, like Ryan has talked to all of us about, we all had to step up our game a little bit and I think our leadership has done that and I think that's the adversity has brought that out.

Q. Have you ever been on a team where three receivers were captains? Because you often think of receivers as those guys out on the edge so to speak?
GREG SCHIANO: No, I've never been. You're right. No, often times the further you get away from the ball, you're right, they're on the edge is a good way to put it. They're out there. I don't know if you meant it that way, but they're out there, they're out there on the edge and they don't deal with the others very much, they deal with themselves and they deal -- so it is unique but I think it's a testament to the work ethic those guys provide year round. You talk to Mick, they're unbelievable the way they train, the way they carry themselves, and well deserved. I think our captains really are -- we have seven great captains. I think we have -- that's not the end of the leadership on this team, we have a lot of other guys on the team that are great leaders as well.

Q. Quick clarity on Tuf Borland's injury. It was a torn Achilles, is that correct, in the spring? And do you hope -- go ahead.
GREG SCHIANO: I don't know, I don't know if we do that here. I've been different places where I am allowed to say it, I'm not allowed to say it.

THE MODERATOR: It's a lower ankle injury but whatever was reported in the spring, we'll go with that.

Q. Urban called it an Achilles injury, I didn't know if it was a torn Achilles. You expect, with Tuf's injury, you expected to have him back you said maybe as early as this week or maybe some time this month?
GREG SCHIANO: As early as this week. Yeah, I think -- one of the hardest things is going to be hold him back. If you know Tuf at all, he is a laser-focused guy. And he's put that laser focus on his recovery and getting ready to play. We're going to be smart though.

Q. The change in the freshman rule to allow the guys to play up to four games and still keep their red shirt. How much does that kind of factor into your thinking going into these first couple games. And if you can, on your side of the ball, do you have three, four five freshmen who you are pretty positive are going to play in this game. True freshmen.
GREG SCHIANO: I think the rule that you're mentioning, I don't know if everybody's aware, you can play in four games at any time in the season and still maintain your eligibility to have another year. And that's a huge change. I think there's a lot of strategic thinking that should go into it. I'm not sure everywhere that's happening, but it is here. Because what happens often times at the end of the year is you get into a situation game eight, nine, 10, or 11, 12, 13, or 14, 15, where you could really use guys, number one, from a health standpoint, and number two, they're a totally different player than when they showed up in June as a freshman. Totally different player. When they have gone through a summer of training, a training camp, and all those practices in preparation, they actually are ready by that time to make a big contribution. So strategically some do you play early and some do you wait and see and save in the fact that you might need them down the stretch and they could actually have a huge impact on your success down the stretch. So there's a lot of strategy involved. And the second part of your question?

Q. Three or four names of guys, maybe guys who lost a stripe early or whoever, that -- who are maybe four or five true freshmen you have a good idea are going to play?
GREG SCHIANO: Well, I think that -- I always hate to do that, you know, and I know some coaches do that. I think there's so much pressure on freshmen already and at a place like Ohio State there's even more pressure. Because these are four and five star players that everybody expects them to instantly be great players and it's not that easy all the time. But you will see some freshmen out there playing on special teams. You'll also see some that are getting rolled in on the defensive line. I think there's some guys tear Tyreke Smith, Tyler Friday could see some time in there. Tommy Togiai could see some time. I hate to leave anybody out. But they could. I just think that you got to let freshmen develop and that's what we try to do here. We push them to develop them as fast as we did can, but we don't want to rush them.

Q. Vincent?
GREG SCHIANO: Taron Vincent. Yes, I missed that one. Thank you.

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