The Front Row

Warinner OL Coach of the Year

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Ed Warinner has been named the 2012 FootballScoop Offensive Line Coach of the Year, the organization announced Sunday. He was a finalist for the award in 2011.

Warinner’s offensive line became a force for the team and was called the team’s “identity” by head coach Urban Meyer late in the season. The unit helped the unbeaten Buckeyes rank 10th nationally in rushing (242.3 ypg), 19th in scoring (37.2 ppg) and 48th in total offense (423.8 ypg), figures that ranked second, first and third, respectively, in the Big Ten Conference.

In addition, the line led the way for a 34-year-high 37 rushing touchdowns (eighth-most nationally), and the team's 5.2 yards per carry average tied for third-best all-time at Ohio State. The Buckeyes had 11 100-yard rushing games and, after having just 10 drives of 70-or-more yards in 2011, the team had 28 in 2012.

Warinner completed his 29th season as a collegiate coach and his 10th in a coordinator position in 2012. He was a finalist in 2011 for the FootballScoop Offensive Line Coach of the Year while coaching Notre Dame’s line and serving as its run game coordinator. He capped a hugely successful three-year run at Kansas – the Jayhawks averaged 445.5 total yards per game and 35.3 points during that three-year period – in 2009 by being named a finalist for the American Football Coaches Association's National Assistant Coach of the Year award. Four times he has coached on teams that led the nation in rushing.

Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com