Maryland's coaching change helped Urban Meyer reorganize his staff

By Marcus Hartman
Published

For a reminder of what a small world college football coaching can be, look no farther than Ohio State this offseason. 

One way is obvious: Rutgers hired Chris Ash as its new head coach after he had two successful years helping to revamp the Buckeyes' defense. 

Ash subsequently has hired away several members of Meyer's support staff in Piscataway. 

But the other new member of the Big Ten played a part in changes that have occurred in Columbus this offseason, too. 

When Maryland fired coach Randy Edsall (right after his team lost at Ohio State, coincidentally enough), it left veteran offensive line coach Greg Studrawa without a job. 

And The Toledo Blade reports when Studrawa called Meyer, his old boss at Bowling Green, about help finding a new one, he got a surprise. 

Studrawa asked to use Meyer as a reference in case a good job opened, only for his former boss to do him one better. Turns out, that job would be at Ohio State.
“I said, ‘It’s over.’ Done. It was a 30-second conversation,” said Studrawa, who was a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 1997. “It was a no brainer, man. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

Studrawa's availability could turn out to be a godsend for Meyer, who was on the lookout for ways to adjust an offensive staff that oversaw a noticeable decline in productivity last season. 

The offense looked its most cohesive after offensive coordinator Ed Warinner moved to the booth for the last two games, but leaving him upstairs permanently left a question about who would work with the offensive line on the sideline. 

It also stands to reason Warinner, who was widely praised for developing elite lines in each of his first three seasons in Columbus (2012-14), could benefit from having more time to devote to Xs and Os during the week. 

So with Tim Hinton transitioning to an off-field administrative role, Warinner moved to tight ends coach with Studrawa taking over the line. Now Warinner will have only a handful of players to handle and Studrawa, a coaching veteran whose résumé includes seven years at LSU before two in the Big Ten with Maryland, works on a group of more than a dozen that is losing three starters to graduation. 

He seems like a perfect fit considering he is a Fostoria, Ohio, native who is not only familiar with recruiting the state but also with how Meyer does business.