Staff Directory

Tim Walton

Title:
Co-Defensive Coordinator / Asst. Head Coach / Secondary Coach

Tim Walton, a former Buckeye cornerback with more than 30 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and NFL levels, returned to Ohio State in January 2022 and currently serves as co-defensive coordinator, assistant head coach and secondary coach. He was originally hired as the Buckeyes’ secondary and cornerbacks coach and has steadily taken on greater responsibility with the staff.

During his four years coaching at his alma mater, Ohio State has consistently fielded one of the nation’s top defenses, highlighted by a CFP appearance in his first season back, a national championship in 2024 and another CFP berth in 2025. He also helped develop a deep cornerback room, led by Davison Igbinosun, Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock, all of whom earned all-conference recognition and went on to the NFL.

Prior to returning to Columbus, Walton spent the previous 11 seasons in the NFL. From 2019-21, he served as the cornerbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he helped develop one of the league’s top cover corners in Jalen Ramsey. Before his time in Jacksonville, Walton spent three seasons with the New York Giants as secondary/cornerbacks coach from 2015-17. During that span, he helped guide Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins to Pro Bowl seasons, while the Giants secondary ranked among the NFL’s best in 2016 in opposing quarterback rating and completion percentage. Walton was previously the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams in 2013 after beginning his NFL coaching career with the Detroit Lions in 2009.

Walton’s collegiate coaching career included stops at Miami, LSU, Memphis, Syracuse and Bowling Green, where he built a reputation as one of the game’s top defensive back coaches. At Miami, he coached three All-Americans and two freshman All-Americans, and at LSU he helped the Tigers win the SEC title and BCS national championship in 2003. He began his coaching career at Bowling Green, where he worked on both sides of the ball after serving as a graduate assistant in 1995.

A four-year letterwinner at Ohio State, Walton was a member of the 1993 Big Ten championship team and played in 41 games, making 25 starts. He finished his Buckeye career with 159 tackles, 10 interceptions and 11 pass breakups, and earned his degree in sociology in 1994.

Ohio State (2022-Present)
In his four seasons on Ohio State’s coaching staff, Walton has helped guide the Buckeyes to unparalleled defensive success, highlighted by a national championship in 2024 and College Football Playoff appearances in 2022 and 2025 too.

2022:
- Walton’s first season in Columbus was as associate head coach and the position coach for the cornerbacks and secondary. As a team, Ohio State finished the season 11-2 and ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll after reaching the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes opened the year 11-0, with ranked wins over No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 13 Penn State, before falling to No. 1 Georgia, 42-41, in the CFP semifinals.
- Walton mentored Ronnie Hickman to a strong senior season where he started all 13 games at safety and earned second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press. He finished the year with 53 tackles, an interception and seven pass breakups.
2023:
- Walton served in the same role during his second season on staff as Ohio State finished the season 11-2 and ranked No. 7 in the final AP poll after winning its first 11 games of the year. The Buckeyes’ regular season included ranked wins over No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 7 Penn State, and they closed the year with a New Year’s Six appearance in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
- Walton was part of a defensive staff that was perhaps the best in the country as the Buckeyes ranked first in passing defense, third in total defense, second in scoring defense and seventh in rushing defense. Individually, he mentored cornerback Denzel Burke to a strong junior season in 2023, earning second-team All-America honors from Walter Camp and first-team All-Big Ten recognition from the coaches. He led Ohio State with 10 passes defended, including nine pass breakups and one interception, while also adding 24 tackles and three tackles-for-loss. Additionally, Josh Proctor had the best season of his Ohio State career in 2023, playing in 11 games and finishing with 47 tackles, one interception and eight pass breakups, which ranked second on the team. Proctor was named third-team All-Big Ten by the media for his senior season.
2024:
- In his third season with the program, Walton played a key role in Ohio State’s 14-2 season and College Football Playoff national championship run – the first of the 12-team era. The Buckeyes finished the season ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (12.9 points allowed per game) and No. 1 in total defense (254.6 yards allowed per game) under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
- Individually, he mentored Denzel Burke, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, to another standout season where he earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors after recording 48 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Not to be outdone, CB Jordan Hancock recorded his best season as a Buckeye in 2024 where he earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors and went on to be a a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
- Not to be outdone, Walton was instrumental in the growth of safety Caleb Downs who made an immediate impact in his first season at Ohio State as he ranked third on the team with 82 tackles and added eight passes defended, including interceptions against Michigan and Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, along with six pass breakups. Downs capped the season as a unanimous first-team All-American, earned Big Ten Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year honors and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection. Downs was also a finalist for the Thorpe Award, Nagurski Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy while earning OSU Scholar-Athlete recognition.
2025:
- Walton added co-defensive coordinator to his list of duties in 2025 and helped oversee a historic passing defense as Ohio State posted a 12-0 regular season and earned a second straight CFP berth.
- As a defensive unit under the coordination of Matt Patricia, Ohio State finished No. 1 nationally in total defense (219.1 yards allowed per game), No. 1 in passing defense (129.7 yards allowed per game) and No. 1 in scoring defense (9.3 points allowed per game). The last team to allow fewer points and yards per game in a season than the 2025 Buckeyes was the 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide. Ohio State also led the nation in opposing red-zone percentage (66.7 percent) and first downs allowed per game (13.1).
- Under Walton's guidance, Davison Igbinosun earned First Team All-Big Ten Conference honors in his best season as a Buckeye with 53 tackles, eight pass breakups and a pair of interceptions. Igbinosun was an honorable mention honoree the two previous years before this breakout season. His efforts led him to being selected in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills where he became the highest drafted cornerback for Ohio State since Damon Arnette (19th Overall) and Jeff Okudah (3rd Overall) went in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Additionally, cornerback Jermaine Mathews garnered honorable mention accolades in 2025 for his efforts.
- Additionally, Downs once delivered one of the most decorated seasons in Ohio State history in 2025. The true junior was widely regarded as the nation’s top defensive player, earned unanimous All-America honors for the second-straight year, and won the Jim Thorpe Award, Lott IMPACT Trophy, Big Ten Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year awards. Downs joined Mike Doss (2002) as the only two safeties in the history of the Big Ten to win the league’s DPOY award. Downs served as a team captain and finished third on the Buckeyes with 68 tackles, including 45 solo stops, along with five tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
  - Downs concluded his college career with 44 starts, 257 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
- Downs became the highest drafted Ohio State safety since Malik Hooker was taken 15th overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 2015 when he was selected 11th overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Additionally, he became the first safety in the Ryan Day Era (2019-Present) to be selected in the top 13 picks of the NFL Draft. His selection was tied for the highest a safety has been drafted since 2017, as Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick was taken 11th as well in 2018 by the Dolphins.

Jacksonville Jaguars (2019-21)
During his three seasons in Jacksonville, Walton’s best year came in 2021, when the Jaguars ranked ninth in the NFL in fewest touchdown passes allowed (24) and 17th in fewest passing yards allowed (3,875). He also coached two-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey who praised Walton for his mentorship and development. Here is the full quote:

“Coach Walton … he’s probably one of the best DB coaches, if not the best DB coach, I’ve ever had in my life,” Ramsey said in an ESPN interview after being traded to the Rams. “He was really good. He was not only a good coach … coached us super hard … and made sure we were on our technique. But he was a good person as well. He cared about us off the field. Cared about battles we may be fighting off the field. He was always there for us. It was important, and it meant a lot that he was always trying to understand. He was really thorough in everything. He made sure he knew us individually as a player and as a person.”

Another success story from Walton’s time in Jacksonville was Tyson Campbell, who recorded 49 tackles and three interceptions in 2021.

New York Giants (2015-17)
Walton served as the New York Giants’ secondary and cornerbacks coach for three seasons where he helped develop two Pro Bowl cornerbacks: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in 2015 and 2016, and Janoris Jenkins in 2016. Walton’s 2016 secondary ranked second in the NFL in opposing quarterback rating (75.8) and third in completion percentage allowed (58.6). Rodgers-Cromartie became the first Giants cornerback to make the Pro Bowl in 31 years, since Mark Haynes did so in 1984.

St. Louis Rams (2013)
In 2013, Walton was hired by Jeff Fisher to be the St. Louis Rams’ defensive coordinator where he oversaw a unit that totaled 53.0 sacks, third best in the league, and allowed just 102.9 yards per game rushing, which ranked ninth.

Detroit Lions (2009-12)
Walton began his NFL coaching career with the Detroit Lions in 2009, when he was hired as the team’s secondary coach under head coach Jim Schwartz. His best season in Detroit came in 2011, when the Lions led the NFL with seven defensive touchdowns and earned their first playoff berth since 1999 after winning 10 games in the regular season.

Memphis (2008)
In his lone season with the Tigers where he served as a defensive coordinator, Memphis won six games and earned a berth in the St. Petersburg Bowl where it defeated Tulane, 45-6. Walton’s defense found their stride in the later part of the season where Memphis held SMU, UCF and Tulane to an average of 255 total yards per game and allowed just 52 rushing yards per game over that stretch to end the season.

Miami (2004-07)
Walton spent four seasons with the Miami Hurricanes and was promoted to defensive coordinator in February 2007. The defense ranked 33rd nationally in total defense in his final season, and his secondary was among the nation’s best in pass defense, finishing ninth in 2004 and first in 2005. That 2005 unit led the country by allowing just 152.17 passing yards per game, and Walton coached two All-Americans in safety Brandon Meriweather and cornerback Kelly Jennings while also developing Kenny Phillips into a Freshman All-American. Jennings was a first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, Marcus Maxey was selected in the fifth round by Kansas City, Devin Hester went to Chicago in the second round, and Phillips was a first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. In 2004, Walton also coached a secondary that ranked ninth nationally and guided Antrel Rolle, a consensus All-American and first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals.

LSU (2003)
Walton was at LSU in 2003, where his defensive backs helped the Tigers win the BCS National Championship and an SEC title. That season, LSU’s defense ranked among the nation’s best in several major categories, finishing first in total defense at 252.0 yards per game and scoring defense at 11.0 points per game, second in pass efficiency defense with an 89.8 rating, and third in rushing defense at 67.0 yards per game. The Tigers also ranked 18th nationally in passing yards allowed per game at 185.0 and led the SEC in four of those five defensive categories, including second in pass defense.

Syracuse (2002)
Walton’s lone season up-state New York was highlighted by the Orange’s late season victory over No. 8 Virginia Tech as SU downed the Hokies inside the Carrier Dome, 50-42. Syracuse’s defense total 10 interceptions that season and recovered a pair of fumbles as well.

Memphis (2000-01)
Walton coached the defensive backs for two seasons during his first stint at Memphis. In his first year with the Tigers, the defense ranked fifth nationally in total defense, allowing just 275 yards per game, and also finished in the top 15 nationally in passing and scoring defense. He coached two first-team All-Conference USA selections, Idrees Bashir and Michael Stone, both of whom went on to be NFL draft picks: Bashir at No. 37 overall by the Indianapolis Colts, and Stone in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals.

Background
Walton began his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at Bowling Green in 1995. He was promoted to running backs coach in 1996 and later moved to defensive backs coach in 1999. Along with his college coaching experience, Walton completed two NFL summer internships, working as a defensive intern with the Chicago Bears in 1998 and the Green Bay Packers in 2001.

Ohio State Career Recap
Walton was a four-year letterwinner with the Buckeyes and a member of the 1993 Big Ten champion team coached by John Cooper. He played in 41 games, started 25 times and totaled 159 tackles, 10 interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Walton was a member of teams that played in the Liberty, Hall of Fame, Citrus and Holiday bowls. He earned his degree in sociology in 1994.

Family
Walton, who is from Columbus, Ga., and his wife, Tracy, have three children: Trei, Timia and Tyler.

FBS Postseason History

Season	School	Bowl Game	Opponent	Result
2025	Ohio State	Cotton Bowl	Miami	L, 24-14
2025	Ohio State	Big Ten Championship Game	Indiana	L, 13-10
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
2023	Ohio State	Cotton Bowl	Missouri	L, 14-3
2022	Ohio State	Peach Bowl	Georgia	L, 42-41
2008	Memphis	St. Petersburg Bowl	South Florida	L, 41-14
2006	Miami	MPC Computers Bowl	Nevada	W, 21-20
2005	Miami	Peach Bowl	LSU	L, 40-3
2004	Miami	Peach Bowl	Florida	W, 27-10
2003	LSU	Sugar Bowl	Oklahoma	W, 21-14
2003	LSU	SEC Championship Game	Georgia	W, 34-13

Coaching History

Seasons	School/Team	Title/Position Coached
2025-Present	Ohio State	Co-Defensive Coordinator / Asst. Head Coach / Secondary Coach
2022-24	Ohio State	Secondary Coach / Cornerbacks
2019-21	Jacksonville Jaguars	Cornerbacks
2015-17	New York Giants	Cornerbacks
2013	St. Louis Rams	Defensive Coordinator
2009-12	Detroit Lions	Defensive Backs
2008	Memphis	Defensive Coordinator
2007	Miami	Defensive Coordinator
2004-06	Miami	Defensive Backs
2003	LSU	Defensive Backs
2002	Syracuse	Defensive Backs
2000-01	Memphis	Defensive Backs
1999	Bowling Green	Defensive Backs
1996-98	Bowling Green	Running Backs
1995	Bowling Green	Graduate Assistant