Ohio State has added a bold name and experienced coach to the staff, as sources told ESPN that the Buckeyes will hire NFL head coach Joe Philbin as an offensive specialist.

Philbin is a former head coach of the Miami Dolphins and longtime coach of the Green Bay Packers and won a Super Bowl as the Packers’ offensive coordinator in the 2010 NFL season.

At Ohio State, Philbin will work with the offensive staff and under coordinator Brian Hartline, his former player with the Dolphins. Philbin, whose reputation is on the offensive line, will assist veteran offensive line coach Justin Frye. There was a pressing need for the Buckeyes’ staff to find additional expertise on the offensive line when offensive line coach Kevin Wilson left for Tulsa, as Wilson had a poor record early in his career.

The hire reflects Ohio State’s push under head coach Ryan Day to add football brains to the building, an effort that began after losing to Alabama in the national championship game after the 2020 season.

Philbin will join the outfield staff with former coordinator Todd Fitch, who brings expertise in the pitching game. Former Buckeye star James Laurinaitis joined the program in January as a defensive graduate assistant. Earlier this season, Ohio State added former Nebraska assistant Mike Dawson to the defensive staff as a specialist.

Philbin’s NFL experience dates back to 2003, when he started with the Packers. He went 24-28 in four seasons as the Dolphins’ head coach from 2012 to 2015. Hartline played for the Dolphins from 2009 to 2014. 2018.

Philbin’s last NFL career came with the Cowboys, and he was fired after the 2022 season after three years in Dallas. Philbin’s last collegiate career was as the offensive line coach at Iowa from 1999 to 2002, and he worked at six other colleges as an offensive line coach before that, including Harvard, Northeastern and Ohio State.