Staff Directory

Billy Fessler

Title:
Pass Game Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach

Billy Fessler was hired by head coach Ryan Day as Ohio State’s quarterbacks coach in February 2025 after spending the 2024 season on the Buckeyes’ staff as a quality control coach working exclusively with the quarterbacks. In 2026, he serves as Ohio State’s pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

In his first season as the Buckeyes’ full-time quarterbacks coach in 2025, Fessler helped develop redshirt freshman Julian Sayin into a Heisman Trophy finalist and the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year. Sayin led the nation in completion percentage and ranked among the national leaders in passing efficiency, touchdown passes, yards per attempt and quarterback rating. He finished the season with 3,610 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while his 77.0 completion percentage led the country and set a school record.

Fessler’s 2024 season on Ohio State’s staff as a quality control coach marked the beginning of his second stint with the program. Working exclusively with the quarterbacks, he helped guide Will Howard to one of the best seasons in program history as he set Ohio State’s single-season and career completion percentage records at 73.0 and finished third nationally in passing efficiency at 175.3. Howard’s 4,010 passing yards and 35 touchdowns ranked third and fifth, respectively, in single-season school history, and he set a school record by completing at least 80 percent of his passes in eight games.

Fessler also previously worked on Ohio State’s staff in 2020-21, coaching quarterbacks Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud, both Heisman Trophy finalists. After the 2021 season, Fessler went onto serve as quarterbacks coach at Akron in 2022 and was promoted to offensive coordinator early in 2023 before a brief stint as offensive quarterback/quarterbacks coach at UCLA. He returned to Ohio State in 2024.

Fessler began his coaching career at Slippery Rock in 2018, where he worked as a graduate assistant and running backs coach. He then joined Mississippi State as a graduate assistant in 2019 before coming to Columbus in 2020.

A native of Erie, Pa., and a graduate of Erie Cathedral Prep, Fessler played quarterback at Penn State from 2014-17. He earned a degree in finance in 2018 and later received master’s degrees in business administration from Mississippi State and sports coaching from Ohio State.

Fessler and his wife, Kelsey, have a son, Freddy.

Ohio State (2024-Present)
In his first two seasons at Ohio State, Fessler helped guide the Buckeyes to sustained offensive success, highlighted by a national championship in 2024 and a return to the College Football Playoff in 2025.

2024:
- Fessler played a key role as a quality control coach in Ohio State’s 14-2 season and College Football Playoff national championship run in 2024, helping guide the Buckeyes to the first title of the 12-team era. Working exclusively with the quarterbacks, he helped Will Howard author one of the best seasons in program history as Ohio State averaged 36.3 points per game across four CFP victories and finished the year ranked No. 14 nationally in scoring offense and No. 30 in total offense under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
- Howard earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2024 after ranking second in the FBS in completion percentage at 73.0, fourth in touchdown passes with 35 and sixth in passing yards with 4,010. He also was named Cotton Bowl Offensive MVP after throwing for 289 yards and a touchdown in the win over Texas, then earned National Championship Offensive MVP honors after accounting for 231 passing yards and two touchdowns and adding 57 rushing yards in the title game. Howard started all 16 games for the national champions and set Ohio State’s single-season and career completion percentage records while completing at least 80 percent of his passes in eight games.
- The 2024 season marked Fessler’s second stint on Ohio State’s staff and the start of his work with Howard that set up the quarterback’s championship run.
- Howard later said Fessler “taught him so much” and was an “integral part of his development,” serving as the direct link between him and the coaching staff throughout the season. Here is the full quote:
  - “He taught me more than most guys in that role ever could. He was the mouthpiece for Coach Day and Coach Kelly to me. He was my personal, one-on-one QB coach at times. I felt so prepared going into every game, and Billy was a big part of that.”
2025:
- Fessler developed redshirt freshman Julian Sayin into one of the top quarterbacks in the country as Ohio State posted a 12-0 regular season and earned a second consecutive CFP berth. Sayin was a Heisman Trophy finalist and the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year as he led the nation in completion percentage at 77.0, set a school record, and ranked among the national leaders in passing efficiency, touchdown passes, yards per attempt and quarterback rating.
- Sayin started all 14 games and completed 301 passes for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He became the first Ohio State quarterback to post multiple games with at least 85 percent completions, 300-plus passing yards, at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions, doing so against Minnesota and Wisconsin.
- His 393-yard performance at Wisconsin and 94.7 completion percentage against Grambling were both among the best single-game marks in program history.
- His season earned him a long list of honors, including second-team All-America recognition from AFCA and Walter Camp, third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press, first-team Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic, second-team All-Big Ten, Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Academic All-Big Ten.

Akron (2022-23)
Fessler was Akron’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2023 where the program recorded a 31-27 comeback win over Kent State in the Wagon Wheel Game and a near upset at Indiana that went to quadruple overtime. Akron also opened the season with a 24-21 win over Morgan State in its home opener. Offensively, the Zips played three quarterbacks who totaled 2,371 passing yards and 10 scores through the air to go along with a 61.0 completion percentage. On the ground, Lorenzo Lingard led UA with 641 yards on 143 carries – those marks ranked 10th and ninth in the Mid-American Conference, respectively.

Fessler was Akron’s quarterbacks coach in 2022, his first season on staff, as the Zips opened the year with a 30-23 overtime win over Saint Francis and later picked up a road victory at Northern Illinois. He mentored QB DJ Irons who started 10 games and completed 253 of 380 passes for 2,609 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also rushing for 314 yards and four scores. Irons earned third-team All-MAC honors.

Ohio State (2020-21)
Fessler served as an offensive graduate assistant for two seasons at Ohio State under head coach Ryan Day. In 2021, the Buckeyes led the nation in scoring offense at 45.7 points per game, while ranking second in team passing efficiency (182.34) and third in passing offense (380.9 yards per game) behind quarterback C.J. Stroud, a Heisman Trophy finalist. In 2020, Ohio State finished ninth nationally in team passing efficiency (175.56) and 11th in scoring offense (41.0 points per game) en route to a national championship game appearance behind quarterback Justin Fields, who also was a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Background
Fessler started his coaching career at Slippery Rock in 2018, where he would serve as a graduate assistant and running backs coach. The following year, he was hired as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State. From Erie, Pa. and a graduate of Erie Cathedral Prep, Fessler was a quarterback at Penn State from 2014-17. He graduated in 2018 with his degree in finance and he has two master’s degrees: one in business administration from Mississippi State University and the other in sports coaching from Ohio State.

Family
Fessler and his wife, Kelsey, have a son, Freddy.

FBS Postseason History

Season	School	Bowl Game	Opponent	Result
2025	Ohio State	Cotton Bowl	Miami	L, 24-14
2024	Ohio State	CFP Playoff National Championship	Notre Dame	W, 34-23
2024	Ohio State	Cotton Bowl	Texas	W, 28-14
2024	Ohio State	Rose Bowl	Oregon	W, 41-21
2024	Ohio State	CFP Playoff First Round	Tennessee	W, 42-17
2021	Ohio State	Rose Bowl	Utah	W, 48-45
2022	Oregon	Holiday Bowl	North Carolina	W, 28-27
2021	Western Kentucky	Boca Raton Bowl	App State	W, 59-38
2020	Ohio State	CFP Playoff National Championship	Alabama	L, 52-24
2020	Ohio State	Sugar Bowl	Clemson	W, 49-28
2020	Ohio State	Big Ten Championship Game	Northwestern	W, 22-10
2019	Mississippi State	Music City Bowl	Louisville	L, 38-28

Coaching History

Seasons	School/Team	Title/Position Coached
2026-Present	Ohio State	Pass Game Coordinator & Quarterbacks
2025	Ohio State	Quarterbacks
2024	Ohio State	Quality Control / Quarterbacks
2023	Akron	Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks
2022	Akron	Quarterbacks
2020-21	Ohio State	Offensive Graduate Assistant
2019	Mississippi State	Offensive Graduate Assistant
2018	Slippery Rock	Offensive Graduate Assistant / Running Backs