Ed Warinner offensive line coach of the year…again! – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 20, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Ed Warinner has been named the 2014 FootballScoop offensive line coach of the year. Warinner joins a short list of coaches – Mark Helfrich, Kliff Kingsbury and Philip Montgomery – to be named a FootballScoop coach of the year twice and he is the first to earn offensive line coach of the year honors twice.
Warinner’s offensive lines have been a foundation of Ohio State’s success the past three seasons when the team has gone 36-3 – the second-best winning percentage (.923) in college football between 2012-14 – and won three Big Ten divisional crowns plus the 2014 Big Ten championship.
- In 2012 the Buckeyes ranked 10th nationally rushing (242.2 ypg) and 21st in scoring (37.2 ppg);
- In 2013 the team was third nationally in scoring (45.5 ppg) and fifth in rushing (308.6 ypg); and
- This season Ohio State was 10th nationally in rushing (260.8 ypg) and fourth in scoring (45.2 ppg).
Four two-year standouts along the offensive line in 2012 and 2013 graduated last year, and three of them are now starting in the NFL: center Corey Linsley with Green Bay; guard Jack Mewhort with Indianapolis; and guard Andrew Norwell with Carolina. So Warinner had some work to do to replace those starters and get this new line up to speed quick. And that’s exactly what he did.
The unit became a dependable foundation for the Buckeyes success, helping Ohio State’s balanced offense that, in addition to its rushing and scoring totals, threw for 246.8 yards per game while ranking second nationally in passing efficiency at 172.37. Ohio State was also eighth in total offense (507.6 ypg), fifth in yards per play (7.04), sixth in plays of 10-or-more yards (232), fourth in third down conversions (51.5 pct.) and second in total touchdowns with 79.
The five offensive line starters started all 13 games this season and included first-team all-Big Ten guard Pat Elflein, second-team all-Big Ten tackle Taylor Decker, graduate student RT Darryl Baldwin, second-team Academic All-America center Jacoby Boren and freshman All-American RG Billy Price. Four of the five were also named Academic All-Big Ten Conference.
Warinner will receive his award and be recognized at an event at the AFCA Convention in January.
