USWNT, Morgan take home top honors at ESPYS

Ohio State Defensive Coordinator Search: Candidates, Hot Board, Names To Watch From Buckeyes Experts

The Ohio State Buckeyes are fresh off winning the program's ninth national championship and have already turned their attention to defending their title in 2025. In the days following the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff Championship Game triumph, highly regarded defensive coordinator Jim Knowles jumped from Ohio State to Penn State for the same job, but with a record-breaking salary. The Nittany Lions will reportedly pay Knowles over $3 million per year to lead their defense, and Ryan Day now has big shoes to fill on his Ohio State football coaching staff. Under Knowles, Ohio State led the nation in total defense and defensive scoring in 2024, allowing 254.6 total yards and 12.9 points per game.

With plenty of talent returning, including All-American safety Caleb Downs, and another strong Ohio State football recruiting class on the way, there will be plenty of big-name coaches interested in filling the role of Ohio State defensive coordinator. Who are the early candidates on the Ohio State defensive coordinator hot board, and is Day targeting any under-the-radar coaches to fill the role? If you want to know the top Ohio State defensive coordinator candidates, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at Bucknuts, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Ohio State.

The Bucknuts insiders are providing on-the-ground updates on every development in the Ohio State football program, including insights from Dave Biddle, Patrick Murphy and Steve Helwagon, who all have deep-rooted ties inside the Ohio State community. Get all the inside scoop on the football program, plus VIP intel on Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting and more. Plus get access to the Bucknuts message boards where you can connect with other Ohio State fans and insiders. 

They already have an Ohio State defensive coordinator hot board up that features 11 names. See them all and get everything else Bucknuts has to offer right here.

And right now, Bucknuts is offering 30% off annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up. 

Ohio State defensive coordinator candidates 

One potential candidate the team at Bucknuts has identified on its Ohio State defensive coordinator hot board: Indiana DC Bryant Haines. The Hoosiers were one of the biggest surprises in college football in 2024, climbing into the top-10 of the national rankings for a large portion of the season and making their first trip to the College Football Playoff. One of the biggest reasons for the Hoosiers' success was the performance of their defense under Haines.

Indiana finished the season just behind Ohio State in total defense, allowing 256.3 total yards per game, which ranked second in the country. The Hoosiers also ranked sixth in the nation in defensive scoring, allowing 15.6 points per game. 2024 was Haines' first season on the job in Bloomington after spending the previous two seasons in the same role at James Madison.

Haines recently agreed to a new contract with Indiana, but for a program like Ohio State, money tends to not be an issue. Haines played linebacker for Ball State, and served as a Graduate Assistant at Ohio State in 2013. He has been a part of Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti's staff at multiple schools dating back to 2014. See more Ohio State defensive coordinator candidates at Bucknuts. 

How to get insider Ohio State defensive coordinator news  

The Bucknuts team has identified several other candidates, including a shocking current NFL defensive coordinator name. You can see them all at Bucknuts. 

Who are the top candidates in the Ohio State football defensive coordinator coaching search, and which shocking current NFL defensive coordinator could be in the mix? Go to Bucknuts to see its Ohio State defensive coordinator hot board and more, all from a team of Buckeyes insiders, and find out. 

And reminder, Bucknuts is offering 30% off an annual VIP membership, so subscribe now before it's too late.

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What An ACC Media Rights Extension Through 2036 Would Mean For Florida State Lawsuit, Conference Realignment

ESPN has exercised its opt-in clause with the ACC, extending its media rights deal with the league through 2036, the league announced Thursday. The news comes just before a Feb. 1 deadline that could have concluded the partnership in 2027.

The extension is a relief to those inside the ACC looking for stability in turbulent times at the highest ranks of college athletics. The deal was initially agreed upon in 2016, but that contract has been the subject of multiple lawsuits from Florida State and Clemson, making the opt-in deadline a hot-button topic for the league's future. 

With the extension settled, the league can move forward with other business. That includes resolution for those lawsuits and revaluation of the league's revenue structure. 

Big win for most ACC schools 

While Florida State and Clemson are engaged in a legal battle with the ACC to determine the actual cost of leaving the conference, they are not the only schools that would be deemed "valuable" on an open market. If the contract had concluded in 2027, there would be a handful of schools that would have opportunities to join other leagues. 

When the Pac-12 was unable to secure its future in the summer of 2023, Oregon and Washington found landing spots in the Big Ten. Shortly after, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah joined Colorado in a move to the Big 12. If the ACC were in a similar position, the schools with the strongest brand value would be candidates for further expansion in other conferences.

That would leave a significant number of the league's 17 full members to the same fate as Washington State and Oregon State. Yes, those schools have preserved the Pac-12 name and intellectual property -- along with some lingering financial benefits -- and are moving ahead by adding more members. However, the conference's earning power is a fraction of what it was before the mass defections. 

While the growing revenue gap between the ACC and leagues like the Big Ten and SEC is concerning, keeping the conference together is a great deal for a significant portion of the conference. Those schools are the biggest winners here, as they have solidified their financial future for the next decade and remain a part of one of the power conferences in college athletics. 

ACC now returns its focus to revenue distribution 

With its financial future secure, the ACC can take a serious look at revenue distribution. In 2023, the league approved success initiatives, which would dole out the money generated by new streams of income to schools that made the postseason in revenue sports. 

New revenue sources include an expanded College Football Playoff, additional payouts from ESPN and the pool of money created by the additions of SMU, Cal and Stanford. With SMU foregoing media rights payments for nine years and both Cal and Stanford agreeing to a 30% rate, the ACC was able to generate a pool of money for meritocracy-based bonuses for on-field success. 

There are also proposed brand initiatives, which would provide weighted revenue payouts for the league's high-profile schools like North Carolina, Florida State and Clemson. Florida State first proposed this idea nearly two years ago before it began the legal process of freeing itself from the grant of rights, so while those lawsuits remain ongoing the impact of their motivations continue behind the scenes. 

What's next for the lawsuits with Florida State and Clemson

A settlement in the multiple lawsuits between Florida State, Clemson and the ACC could be on the horizon now that the league's financial future is secure. While there is certainly a lot more that goes into those multi-state legal battles than a media rights opt-in clause, the contract provides some certainty for all parties involved as they continue negotiations. 

Florida State and Clemson have largely targeted the league's grant of rights and exorbitant exit fee in legal battles, but have been less vocal about their desire to find a home elsewhere in recent months. If brand initiatives can offer something closer to what Florida State and Clemson believe they are worth to the ACC, it could bring an end to what's becoming a costly and drawn-out legal battle. 

One note form ESPN's reporting to keep an eye on is whether any settlement includes an adjustment to the terms of the grant of rights or exit fees. The media rights deal now runs through 2036, but there is reportedly a request for reduced financial penalties if schools were to leave the conference after 2031. 

Winners and losers: Everyone (for both) 

Great mediators will tell you they have succeeded when everyone is angry. If things play out with ESPN extending the deal, the ACC agreeing to a new revenue distribution and the lawsuits getting settled, then everyone has gained something but with a cost. 

The ACC will have bought itself stability for the time being, but would still operate at a financial deficit to the Big Ten and SEC. That means the league will face many of the same questions about the future when we get to the dawn of the 2030s. 

Florida State and Clemson would see an increase in revenue from the ACC, somewhat satisfying their desire to be compensated according to their value, but will be closing the door on any hopes of reaching Big Ten or SEC pastures anytime soon. 

A large portion of the ACC will remain part of a stable power conference at the top of the college athletics pyramid, but in exchange for that security may have to kick back a percentage of what they were making to the league's most recognizable brands.   

We have still have several steps to reach this somewhat sensible conclusion, but the momentum is there for the ACC to keep things together for the next half-decade or so. That will likely calm any further conference realignment at the power conference level. 

Of all the power conferences, the ACC has the biggest brand name disparity from top to bottom. That makes a consensus on issues like this extremely challenging, but if the conference can do so it may avoid the kind of doomsday discussions that have fueled realignment fan fiction for the last two years. 

ACC Extends Media Rights Deal Through 2036: What It Means For Florida State Lawsuit, Conference Realignment

ESPN has exercised its opt-in clause with the ACC, extending its media rights deal with the league through 2036, the league announced Thursday. The news comes just before a Feb. 1 deadline that could have concluded the partnership in 2027.

The extension is a relief to those inside the ACC looking for stability in turbulent times at the highest ranks of college athletics. The deal was initially agreed upon in 2016, but that contract has been the subject of multiple lawsuits from Florida State and Clemson, making the opt-in deadline a hot-button topic for the league's future. 

With the extension settled, the league can move forward with other business. That includes resolution for those lawsuits and revaluation of the league's revenue structure. 

Big win for most ACC schools 

While Florida State and Clemson are engaged in a legal battle with the ACC to determine the actual cost of leaving the conference, they are not the only schools that would be deemed "valuable" on an open market. If the contract had concluded in 2027, there would be a handful of schools that would have opportunities to join other leagues. 

When the Pac-12 was unable to secure its future in the summer of 2023, Oregon and Washington found landing spots in the Big Ten. Shortly after, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah joined Colorado in a move to the Big 12. If the ACC were in a similar position, the schools with the strongest brand value would be candidates for further expansion in other conferences.

That would leave a significant number of the league's 17 full members to the same fate as Washington State and Oregon State. Yes, those schools have preserved the Pac-12 name and intellectual property -- along with some lingering financial benefits -- and are moving ahead by adding more members. However, the conference's earning power is a fraction of what it was before the mass defections. 

While the growing revenue gap between the ACC and leagues like the Big Ten and SEC is concerning, keeping the conference together is a great deal for a significant portion of the conference. Those schools are the biggest winners here, as they have solidified their financial future for the next decade and remain a part of one of the power conferences in college athletics. 

ACC now returns its focus to revenue distribution 

With its financial future secure, the ACC can take a serious look at revenue distribution. In 2023, the league approved success initiatives, which would dole out the money generated by new streams of income to schools that made the postseason in revenue sports. 

New revenue sources include an expanded College Football Playoff, additional payouts from ESPN and the pool of money created by the additions of SMU, Cal and Stanford. With SMU foregoing media rights payments for nine years and both Cal and Stanford agreeing to a 30% rate, the ACC was able to generate a pool of money for meritocracy-based bonuses for on-field success. 

There are also proposed brand initiatives, which would provide weighted revenue payouts for the league's high-profile schools like North Carolina, Florida State and Clemson. Florida State first proposed this idea nearly two years ago before it began the legal process of freeing itself from the grant of rights, so while those lawsuits remain ongoing the impact of their motivations continue behind the scenes. 

What's next for the lawsuits with Florida State and Clemson

A settlement in the multiple lawsuits between Florida State, Clemson and the ACC could be on the horizon now that the league's financial future is secure. While there is certainly a lot more that goes into those multi-state legal battles than a media rights opt-in clause, the contract provides some certainty for all parties involved as they continue negotiations. 

Florida State and Clemson have largely targeted the league's grant of rights and exorbitant exit fee in legal battles, but have been less vocal about their desire to find a home elsewhere in recent months. If brand initiatives can offer something closer to what Florida State and Clemson believe they are worth to the ACC, it could bring an end to what's becoming a costly and drawn-out legal battle. 

One note form ESPN's reporting to keep an eye on is whether any settlement includes an adjustment to the terms of the grant of rights or exit fees. The media rights deal now runs through 2036, but there is reportedly a request for reduced financial penalties if schools were to leave the conference after 2031. 

Winners and losers: Everyone (for both) 

Great mediators will tell you they have succeeded when everyone is angry. If things play out with ESPN extending the deal, the ACC agreeing to a new revenue distribution and the lawsuits getting settled, then everyone has gained something but with a cost. 

The ACC will have bought itself stability for the time being, but would still operate at a financial deficit to the Big Ten and SEC. That means the league will face many of the same questions about the future when we get to the dawn of the 2030s. 

Florida State and Clemson would see an increase in revenue from the ACC, somewhat satisfying their desire to be compensated according to their value, but will be closing the door on any hopes of reaching Big Ten or SEC pastures anytime soon. 

A large portion of the ACC will remain part of a stable power conference at the top of the college athletics pyramid, but in exchange for that security may have to kick back a percentage of what they were making to the league's most recognizable brands.   

We have still have several steps to reach this somewhat sensible conclusion, but the momentum is there for the ACC to keep things together for the next half-decade or so. That will likely calm any further conference realignment at the power conference level. 

Of all the power conferences, the ACC has the biggest brand name disparity from top to bottom. That makes a consensus on issues like this extremely challenging, but if the conference can do so it may avoid the kind of doomsday discussions that have fueled realignment fan fiction for the last two years. 

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