Ohio State’s special teams shakeup arrived fast after the Buckeyes’ latest setback.
Robby Discher is out as the team’s special teams coordinator, according to multiple reports, following Saturday’s 41-28 loss to Oregon. The move ends a brief run in Columbus for Discher, who was hired in February and never got much time to settle in before the pressure turned up.
The Buckeyes’ issues in the third phase showed up in back-to-back losses. At USC on Oct.
31, Ohio State gave up a 44-yard punt return and piled up three special teams penalties. A week later against Oregon, those problems were back in the spotlight when the Ducks pulled off a fake punt on fourth-and-nine.
Oregon’s trick play came with star defender Teitum Tuioti taking a direct snap and throwing to defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei. After the game, Dan Lanning said the Ducks had been preparing that call since preseason camp and believed the matchup gave them a chance to use it.
“We’ve had a long history of running fake punts,” Lanning said. “We just haven’t seen a lot of teams that have given us an opportunity where we can potentially hit that.”
Special teams have been an ongoing headache for Ohio State since Ryan Day became head coach in 2019. Parker Fleming handled the coordinator role from 2021-23, and after his dismissal, Rob Keys was largely running the unit.
Day went looking for a full-time coordinator after special teams problems helped contribute to Ohio State’s two losses in 2025. He landed on Discher, a respected special teams coach who had most recently worked at Illinois.
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